Wi-Fi 8 is like an experienced driver.

On August 4th, Qualcomm China officially announced that the IEEE 802.11bn standard is expected to be completed by 2028 and will serve as the foundation for Wi-Fi 8.

In the article, Qualcomm China provided a forward-looking introduction to the main features, definitions, and infrastructure of Wi-Fi 8: The goal of Wi-Fi 8 is to prioritize reliable performance in complex real-world environments, providing excellent connectivity even in scenarios with network congestion, susceptibility to interference, and high mobility.

One can't help but sigh that the pace of competition in the Wi-Fi field is incredibly fast. Many people haven't even started using Wi-Fi 7, yet major manufacturers are already looking ahead to Wi-Fi 8.

Moreover, Wi-Fi 6 and Wi-Fi 7 mainly compete in terms of parameters such as network speed, frequency bands, and bandwidth, while Wi-Fi 8 is targeting stability and reliability this time.

What does this shift in direction represent? What is the current market application situation of Wi-Fi 7? Will Wi-Fi 8 become an upgraded replacement for Wi-Fi 7 in the future, or will it create new application scenarios?

01

From Wi-Fi 1 to Wi-Fi 7

Since the initial standardization of wireless network technology in 1997, it has undergone seven major generations of updates. The names "Wi-Fi 1" to "Wi-Fi 7" are simplified naming conventions adopted by the industry to help consumers understand. They actually correspond to the 802.11 series of wireless local area network protocol standards established by the IEEE (Institute of Electrical and Electronics Engineers).

Each generation of Wi-Fi corresponds to a sub - version of 802.11. As the versions evolve, significant changes occur in terms of speed, frequency bands, stability, and security.

Wi-Fi 1 (802.11b), as the first widely commercially applied Wi-Fi standard, was introduced in 1999, enabling basic wireless network access. It operates in the 2.4GHz frequency band with a theoretical maximum speed of 11Mbps. However, its low speed, susceptibility to interference from other household appliances in the 2.4GHz band, and limited security with only WEP encryption have led to its obsolescence today.

Wi-Fi 2 (802.11a) was released around the same time as 802.11b but adopted a different technical approach. It uses the less - interfered 5GHz frequency band and the more efficient OFDM technology, offering a data transfer rate of up to 54Mbps. However, due to the physical characteristics of the 5GHz signal, its coverage and penetration ability are inferior to those of the 2.4GHz band. Coupled with the high cost of early devices, its popularity was far lower than that of 802.11b.

Wi-Fi 3 (802.11g) was introduced in 2003, effectively integrating the advantages of the previous two generations of technology. It applies the OFDM technology of 802.11a to the more widely used 2.4GHz frequency band, achieving a speed of 54Mbps comparable to 802.11a while maintaining backward compatibility with 802.11b devices. This feature quickly made it the market mainstream, promoting the popularization of home wireless networks.

Wi-Fi 4 (802.11n) marked a significant breakthrough in Wi-Fi performance. By introducing MIMO (Multiple - Input Multiple - Output) technology for the first time, which uses multiple antennas to send and receive data simultaneously, it greatly improved throughput and connection stability, with a theoretical maximum speed of up to 600Mbps. It was also the first standard to support dual - band operation in both 2.4GHz and 5GHz, providing reliable support for high - bandwidth applications such as high - definition video streaming and online games.

Wi-Fi 5 (802.11ac) was released in 2013, focusing on improving the performance of the 5GHz frequency band. By supporting wider channel bandwidths (such as 80MHz and 160MHz) and introducing a more efficient modulation method (256 - QAM), it further increased the transmission rate, with a theoretical value of up to 6.9Gbps. More importantly, it introduced MU - MIMO (Multi - User MIMO) technology, allowing routers to send data to multiple devices simultaneously, improving network efficiency in scenarios with multiple connected devices to meet the higher requirements of applications such as 4K video streaming.

Wi-Fi 6 (802.11ax) was introduced in 2019, with its design focus shifting from simply increasing peak speed to optimizing overall network efficiency and capacity. The key technology, OFDMA (Orthogonal Frequency Division Multiple Access), can divide the wireless channel into smaller resource units and allocate them to multiple devices for simultaneous use, significantly reducing latency and conflicts in high - density device environments. In addition, TWT (Target Wake Time) technology effectively reduces the power consumption of Internet of Things (IoT) devices.

Wi-Fi 7 (802.11be), as the latest generation of standard, has been gradually commercialized since 2024, aiming to meet the needs of future cutting - edge applications. Its core innovations include support for 320MHz ultra - wide channels, the use of a more efficient 4096 - QAM modulation, and the most transformative MLO (Multi - Link Operation) technology. MLO allows devices to establish and use data links on multiple frequency bands simultaneously, enabling rate aggregation or seamless switching, thus achieving extremely high throughput and extremely low latency. These features enable it to support application scenarios with extremely high network performance requirements, such as 8K video streaming, AR/VR, cloud gaming, and industrial automation.

02

Wi-Fi 7: A Bit Awkward

Currently, the market situation of Wi-Fi 7 is not clear. Looking back, the benefits of Wi-Fi 6 have not been fully exhausted, and Wi-Fi 8 is approaching from behind. Although the commercialization process of Wi-Fi 7 is advancing step by step, there are also significant disputes about its practicality.

On the positive side, since the opening of certification in January 2024, the global commercialization process of Wi-Fi 7 has been accelerating. Omdia data shows that as of the first quarter of 2025, 23% of global telecom operators have launched Wi-Fi 7 - related products and services to users. Meanwhile, the Wi-Fi 7 chips of international giants such as Qualcomm and Broadcom cover the full range from 3Gbit/s to 10Gbit/s, meeting the different bandwidth requirements from consumer - grade to enterprise - grade and providing stable support for downstream device manufacturing. Counterpoint predicts that the global Wi-Fi chip market size will grow by 12% year - on - year in 2025, and the proportion of Wi-Fi 6, Wi-Fi 6E, and Wi-Fi 7 devices will reach 43%.

In terms of the product ecosystem, a variety of Wi-Fi 7 devices have emerged in the market. Manufacturers such as Huawei, H3C, and Ruijie Networks have launched AP products suitable for different environments. There are more than a dozen products on sale in the consumer - grade router market, with a wide price range. At the same time, mainstream flagship mobile phones have also begun to integrate Wi-Fi 7 functionality, providing a hardware foundation for technology application.

In terms of specific application implementation, Wi-Fi 7 has been piloted in multiple key fields such as healthcare, transportation, manufacturing, and large - scale industrial parks. For example, in the healthcare field, Peking Union Medical College Hospital has used Wi-Fi 7 to support the real - time transmission of surgical robots and 4K medical images; at large transportation hubs such as Shanghai Hongqiao Railway Station, the network can provide a stable throughput of over 1Gbps for high - definition monitoring and passenger roaming; in intelligent manufacturing workshops, MLO technology is used to ensure the stable control of AGV unmanned forklifts. In addition, China Film Group and some universities have also met professional needs such as high - definition production and high - density teaching through large - scale deployment of APs.

However, Wi-Fi 7 also has its own difficulties.

Firstly, the most core constraint comes from the limitation of spectrum resources. Currently, China has not officially allocated the 6GHz frequency band for Wi-Fi use, which directly results in the inability to enable the most revolutionary 320MHz ultra - wide channel of Wi-Fi 7. Therefore, the maximum performance of Wi-Fi 7 devices sold in the Chinese market is suppressed. Compared with high - end Wi-Fi 6 devices, the improvement in actual transmission capacity is limited, making it difficult to create an "experience gap" that drives users to upgrade on a large scale. This fundamentally weakens the core appeal of Wi-Fi 7 in the consumer - grade market.

Secondly, the ecosystem and cost pose obstacles to popularization. On the one hand, some core technologies of Wi-Fi 7 are not fully mature at the current stage. For example, the MLO technology still has problems with terminal compatibility, and the 4096 - QAM high - order modulation technology has extremely high requirements for signal quality, and its actual effect is limited by the distance between the terminal and the AP. On the other hand, the manufacturing cost of Wi-Fi 7 devices is still higher than that of previous - generation products. Without a revolutionary improvement in performance experience, most users are less willing to pay a higher procurement cost for limited gains. Coupled with the fact that Wi-Fi 6 terminals still account for a large share in the market, the two - way upgrade of devices and networks requires a transition period, further slowing down the commercialization pace.

Thirdly, the deployment environment is a major problem for Wi-Fi 7. Industry experts point out that the real technical advantages of Wi-Fi 7 are mainly reflected in enterprise - grade and industrial - grade application scenarios with extremely high network performance requirements, such as multi - device collaboration in smart factories, real - time data transmission in remote healthcare, and high - bandwidth and low - latency interaction in XR devices. However, when deploying Wi-Fi 7 in these professional environments, enterprises often encounter three practical and costly mistakes: Firstly, they ignore the upgrade of the wired backbone network. Old switches and network cables cannot match the high throughput of Wi-Fi 7, making them a bottleneck. Secondly, they ignore the power supply requirements in harsh environments. The lack of compatible power supply equipment leads to a decline or even failure of AP performance. Thirdly, they ignore the complex radio frequency (RF) environment in industrial sites. Metal structures and mechanical equipment cause significant interference to signals. Without professional RF planning, network stability will be seriously affected.

03

Wi-Fi 8: Different

Qualcomm stated that the goal of Wi-Fi 8 is to go a step further, achieving a quantifiable performance leap in the most challenging scenarios beyond Wi-Fi 7. According to the IEEE scope document, Wi-Fi 8 will bring:

At least a 25% increase in throughput in complex signal environments.

A 25% reduction in latency at the 95th percentile of the latency distribution.

A 25% reduction in the number of packet losses, especially when roaming between access points.

From the analysis in the previous section, it can be seen that the dilemma of Wi-Fi 7 largely stems from the severe performance degradation of its advanced technologies in congested, interfered, and multi - device mobile scenarios. Wi-Fi 8 attempts to solve these problems by introducing a set of intelligent coordination mechanisms to change the way the network operates.

The multi - access point coordination technology of Wi-Fi 8 enables multiple previously competing APs to work together. By intelligently negotiating transmission power and jointly adjusting signal beams, it minimizes mutual interference and improves the actual throughput of the entire network.

In addition, to solve the problems of efficiency and fairness in resource allocation, Wi-Fi 8 also introduces a more refined scheduling mechanism, ensuring high - priority tasks while avoiding network congestion for low - priority applications. In terms of mobility, the concept of a "single mobility domain" in Wi-Fi 8 ensures that devices can roam seamlessly between different APs, guaranteeing connection continuity.

These technological innovations make the value positioning of Wi-Fi 8 fundamentally different from previous standards, and its application scenarios have expanded from ordinary consumer - grade to fields with extremely high network requirements, especially showing great potential in the following three scenarios:

Firstly, in the field of industrial automation, the ultra - high reliability of Wi-Fi 8 enables it to handle core production tasks that previously had to rely on wired networks for the first time. In smart factories, devices such as collaborative robots, AGVs, and AI quality inspection systems require continuous low - latency data streams to achieve precise collaborative operations. The multi - AP coordination and seamless roaming capabilities of Wi-Fi 8 can ensure that these mobile devices maintain a stable connection throughout the large factory area, avoiding production interruptions caused by signal switching or interference. In smart hospitals, it can stably support the millisecond - level operation command transmission of remote surgical robots, the real - time retrieval of high - definition medical images, and the data collection of large - scale IoT medical sensors, truly upgrading Wi-Fi from a convenient network to a critical business infrastructure.

Secondly, Wi-Fi 8 is regarded as a catalyst for extended reality (XR) applications, expected to break through the key bottlenecks in its popularization. To achieve portability, long battery life, and affordable prices for XR devices, one of the best approaches is to offload intensive computing tasks to the cloud or local edge servers. This model places extremely high requirements on the wireless network: it must have ultra - high bandwidth to transmit high - definition images and ultra - low and stable latency to avoid user dizziness. Although Wi-Fi 7 has a high speed, its stability in complex environments is still insufficient. Wi-Fi 8 is designed for this kind of deterministic connection. Its reliability comparable to wired networks will make "cloud XR" possible, thus giving rise to truly immersive and affordable XR applications and promoting the entire ecosystem into a positive cycle.

Finally, in high - density public places such as airports, stadiums, and transportation hubs, the intelligent coordination and resource management capabilities of Wi-Fi 8 will fundamentally improve the congestion situation when thousands of people access the network simultaneously. When a large number of users are sharing videos, using AR navigation, or having immersive experiences at the same time, the network is no longer a simple resource - grabbing situation. Instead, through intelligent scheduling, it provides each user with a stable and smooth connection experience. At the same time, key security systems, video monitoring, and emergency communication services in these places can also obtain reliable network support during peak hours.

04

Conclusion

Stability is the first essential for an experienced driver. Compared with Wi-Fi 7, Wi-Fi 8 is basically the same in terms of maximum channel bandwidth, frequency bands, maximum physical rate, and modulation method, but it emphasizes more on providing a more efficient and stable connection experience in complex and changeable network environments.

This shift is not difficult to understand. Wi-Fi 7, which focuses on "stacking" parameters, has encountered disputes when it comes to implementation, such as "Will Wi-Fi 7 become the 'biggest - discounted' Wi-Fi standard?", "Will you still choose a downgraded Wi-Fi 7 router?", and "The Wi-Fi 7 experience is not as expected." When the ecosystem and environment are mismatched, higher performance only increases costs and fails to win users' favor.

At this time, Wi-Fi 8 indicates that seeking stability is better than seeking speed. Once it is stable enough, more application scenarios will emerge. After all, directions such as AI and XR are major future trends. On the road to the future, we need an experienced driver.

This article is from the WeChat official account "Semiconductor Industry Insights" (ID: ICViews). Author: Junxi. Republished by 36Kr with permission.