WiFi 8 isn't going to increase the bandwidth and will be identical to WiFi 7 in many aspects but it will have several optimizations.
WiFi 8 will bring improved Device-Access Point Coordination and several new enhancements to deliver seamless connectivity
Wireless internet connectivity has rapidly evolved in the past few years. While a lot of users have just begun adopting the WiFi 6 standard, WiFi 7 was already dropped in January this year, eventually making it to Intel Z890 motherboards as well as AMD X870/E motherboards.
The discussions about WiFi 8 have already started and if you are expecting WiFi 8 to double the data bandwidth of WiFi 7, it will focus on enhancing the efficiency of the existing transfer rates to ensure better performance outside of the box. PC World reports that, as per MediaTek, there can be several ways to enhance WiFi 8 iteration, which may be introduced in the new standard if approved.
These enhancements revolve around optimizing the coordination between the access points and the connected devices. Features such as Coordinated Spatial Reuse(Co-SR) and Coordinated Beamforming(Co-BF) are some of the best optimization techniques that seek to strengthen the signal connection between access points and devices.
Coordinated Spatial Reuse can enhance the communication between the access points to optimize power output and will supposedly improve throughput by 15-25%. It will succeed the Spatial Reuse introduced in Wi-Fi 6 and will allow the access points to coordinate their power output to enhance communication.
Coordinated Beamforming, on the other hand, can direct signals more precisely in a mesh network, which can enhance throughput by another 20-50% margin. As per MediaTek,
The throughput offered by Coordinated Beamforming (Co-BF) in next-generation MediaTek Filogic is significantly enhanced, with increases ranging from 20 percent to 50 percent in a mesh network setup with one Control AP and one Agent AP,
Then there is Dynamic Sub-Channel Operation(DSO) that can allocate bandwidth dynamically according to the device's capabilities. This can alone increase the throughput by a whopping 80%. So, instead of reserving a device a sub channel for downloading a file faster due to the presence of better Wi-Fi antennas, Wi-Fi 8's DSO will let the access point decide which device should get more priority.
Refined Modulation is yet another technique that can introduce finer throughput adjustments to allow smoother transitions in signal strength to improve the transmission by a 5-30% margin when you move around your house. In a nutshell, WiFi 8 is all about improving the existing WiFi 7 standard while keeping the same 23Gbps bandwidth, 4096QAM modulation, number of channels, and identical frequency bands such as 2.4, 5, and 6.
News Source: PC World
About the author: Sarfraz Khan is a hardware reporter with a focus on PC components and the builder community. With years of experience writing about PC hardware and laptops, his work has been featured on several reputable technology publications. Sarfraz's hands-on experience is demonstrated through his first-person accounts of using and comparing different hardware configurations, providing practical and relatable insights for everyday users. His technical analysis is respected by peers in the enthusiast community and has been cited by specialized hardware sites such as Germany's Igor's Lab.
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