What is Wi-Fi 8? And why speed isn't your primary concern with the latest standard

Wi‑Fi 8 (IEEE 802.11bn/UHR) is positioned as a reliability- and efficiency-focused evolution over Wi‑Fi 7, keeping the 23 Gbps PHY but targeting ~25% throughput gains under equal conditions, lower latency (e.g., improved P99), and fewer MAC losses through features like Coordinated Spatial Reuse, Coordinated Beamforming, and Dynamic Sub‑Channel Operation. While MediaTek has announced Filogic 8000 and Asus has previewed a pre‑standard NeoCore router, the standard is not expected to finalize until 2027–2028; early devices may appear as soon as Q3 2026. Ambitions for 100 Gbps via mmWave are deferred to a future extension and are unlikely to arrive this decade, with early benefits centering on stability, mesh coordination, and performance in congested environments.