WiFi 8 is coming

[xiaofan]

News release from Broadcom for a more complete WiFi 8 Portfolio.

https://investors.broadcom.com/news...launches-unified-wi-fi-8-platform-seamless-ai

LAS VEGAS, Jan. 06, 2026 (GLOBE NEWSWIRE) -- CES -- Broadcom Inc. (NASDAQ: AVGO), a global leader in semiconductor and infrastructure software solutions, today announced the launch of its next-generation BCM4918 accelerated processing unit (APU) and two new dual-band Wi-Fi 8 devices, the BCM6714 and BCM6719, marking another milestone in its long legacy of Wi-Fi innovation. With the combination of higher throughput plus smart intelligence, Broadcom’s unified Wi-Fi 8 platform allows operators to deliver new real-time agentic applications for residential consumers with built-in security and improved power efficiency.

Building on its first-to-market BCM6718 Wi-Fi 8 chipset, Broadcom continues to lead the industry in defining the next generation of wireless performance, intelligence, and efficiency. The new platform combines compute acceleration, advanced networking, and robust security, delivering the high throughput, low latency, and intelligent optimization needed for the emerging AI-driven connected ecosystem.

...

 

[xiaofan]

Qualcomm will wait for MWC 2026 to announce its WiFi 8 solution

https://www.qualcomm.com/news/onq/2025/12/framework-for-next-gen-connectivity-wi-fi-8-agentic-ai

 

[xiaofan]

Looks like we may well see early version of WiFi 8 routers in late 2026 or early 2027. Let's see.

On the other hand, WiFi 8 router and devices will probably only gain momentum in year 2028 and 2029.

 

[xiaofan]

Toms Hardware's take on the Broadcom WiFi 8 offerings

Looks like we will see lower cost dual band WiFi 8 routers without 6GHz band. This will happen, mainly due to cost reasons, but it may also related to the fact that 6GHz band is still not approved for WiFi usage in mainland China.

****
https://www.tomshardware.com/networ...duced-with-wi-fi-7-lives-on-with-the-next-gen

Today at CES, Broadcom is expanding the family with two new dual-band Wi-Fi 8 chips that combine 2.4 GHz and 5 GHz radios into a single chip. The BCM6714 is the lower-end offering, with a 3x4 arrangement. That means it supports three spatial streams on the 2.4 GHz band and four on the 5 GHz band. The BCM6719 ups the ante by delivering four spatial streams across both bands.

...

These two new entry-level chips join the BCM6718, which Broadcom announced last year, one of its first Wi-Fi 8 (802.11bn) compliant chips aimed at the consumer/residential wireless market. It's a 4-stream tri-band Wi-Fi (2.4 GHz, 5 GHz, and 6 GHz).

But that's not all; Broadcom also announced the BCM4918 Wi-Fi 8 APU, which is compatible with the BCM6714, BCM6719, and BCM6718. This system-on-chip is designed for high-performance computing and AI acceleration. Not only does it include an onboard neural engine for on-device AI/ML inference and acceleration, but it also features dedicated network engines to handle wireless and wired traffic, bypassing the CPU. It supports multi-gigabit Ethernet for powering your high-flying wired network. The chip also enabled Edge-AI processing and real-time network optimization.

...

Broadcom says it is already sampling the BCM6714 and BCM6719 to its "early access customers," pointing to general availability in consumer-grade networking products by the end of 2026, a similar timeline to MediaTek's. This seems doable, as we've already seen prototype Wi-Fi 8 hardware this week at CES, and Asus even told us that its first-generation Wi-Fi 8 products will launch later this year, with second-generation hardware coming in 2027.

...

 

[xiaofan]

cnx-software reports on Broadcom's WiFi 8 offerings, including block diagram for WiFi 8 routers using Broadcom offerings.

BCM4918 based WiFi 8 router -- it seems to me they can support up to quad 10Gbe ports. Let's see whether Asus can release WiFi 8 flagship WiFi 8 router with three 10Gbe ports or not.

https://www.cnx-software.com/2026/0...4918-apu-bcm6714-and-bcm6719-dual-band-chips/

Comparisons:
BCM4916 based WiFi 7 router -- only up to two 10Gbe ports without extra 10Gbe chipset

 

[Aladdin Beast]

Adoption in sg is always slowerrrrrrrrrrrr. Yes. Find some traces. But adoption after approval. Thanks for updating world tech. I can't afford it.

 

[xiaofan]

For those prefer YouTube video.

 

[xiaofan]

Adoption in sg is always slowerrrrrrrrrrrr. Yes. Find some traces. But adoption after approval. Thanks for updating world tech. I can't afford it.

No need to be early adopter anyway.

I am guessing that WiFi 8 devices will not be popular until 2029 even though WiFi 8 routers may become popular in 2028.

WiFi 7 routers become the main stream in 2025 in Singapore. But WiFi 7 devices may not be that main stream in 2025, maybe in 2026.

WiFi 7 routers --
Announced in year 2023
Main models were released in year 2024
Became main stream in year 2025

WiFi 8 routers --
To be Announced in late year 2026
Main models to be released in year 2027
To become main stream in year 2028

WiFi 7 devices --
Still not really the main stream in year 2025, maybe in 2026

WiFi 8 devices --
Maybe it will become main stream in year 2029. Let's see.

 

[xiaofan]

Wi-Fi 8 pages from consumer Wireless Router vendors.

Asus
https://www.asus.com/content/what-is-wifi8/

TP-Link
https://www.tp-link.com/us/wifi8/

Netgear
https://www.netgear.com/hub/technology/what-is-wifi-8/

 

[limmk]

 

[xiaofan]

Qualcomm unveils WiFi 8 chips for clients and access points.
https://www.cnx-software.com/2026/0...and-qualcomm-dragonwing-networking-platforms/

At Mobile World Congress 2026, Qualcomm introduced the FastConnect 8800 WiFi 8, Bluetooth 7, 802.15.4, and UWB chip for clients (phones, laptops, robots), and five Dragonwing networking platforms for enterprise and mainstream access points with 25GbE, Fiber, and/or 5G connectivity.

...

The Dragonwing NPro A8 Elite features a 5×5 Wi-Fi 8 radio system for high-performance enterprise access points and premium home routers, the Dragonwing FiberPro A8 Elite offers similar features but adds 10G fiber access (PON) for fiber-to-the-home gateways, the Dragonwing FWA Gen 5 Elite is designed for fixed wireless access using the Qualcomm X85 5G Modem-RF System, and the Qualcomm Dragonwing N8 and F8 platforms offer mainstream tier options for Ethernet and fiber broadband CPEs.
...

 

[xiaofan]

NPro A8 Elite has 2x25 Gbe + 4 x 2.5Gbe. Therefore we are not going to see quad 10Gbe any time soon for consumer routers.

*****
Qualcomm Dragonwing NPro A8 Elite (IPQ96) highlights:

• CPU – Penta-core processor clocked at up to 2.0 GHz
• NPU – Qualcomm Hexagon for “agentic AI at the edge”
• Memory – 32-bit DDR4, DDR5
• Storage – eMMC, NAND, and NOR flash
• Wi-Fi
  • Peak PHY Rate – Up to 33 Gbps
  • Generation – Wi-Fi 8, Wi-Fi 7, Wi-Fi 6, Wi-Fi 5, Wi-Fi 4
  • Standards – 802.11a, 802.11b, 802.11g, 802.11n, 802.11ac, 802.11ax, 802.11be, 802.11bn, 802.11i, 802.11w, 802.11d, 802.11h, 802.11u, 802.11r, 802.11k, 802.11v, 802.11mc, 802.11az, 802.11bf
  • Spectral Bands – 6 GHz, 5 GHz, 2.4 GHz, 4.9 GHz
  • Maximum Band Configuration – Penta-band
  • Channels – Up to 320 MHz
  • Peak QAM – 4K QAM
  • Encryption – AES-CCMP, AES-GCMP
  • Security – WPA3 Enhanced Open, WPS, WPA2, TKIP, PRNG, WAPI2, WAPI1, 802.11i security, WPA3 Personal, WPA3 Enterprise, WPA3 Easy Connect
  • Features
    • Up to 1500 users
    • Up to 16-user OFDMA (UL/DL), up to 4-user MU-MIMO (UL/DL)
    • Advanced Scan Radio, Intermediate Modulation and Coding Schemes (MCS), Improved Low-Density Parity Check (LDPC), Distributed RU (DRU), Multi-Primary Operation (DSO/NPCA), Device Unavailability Operation (DUO), AP Periodic Unavailability Operation (PUO), Low Latency, Low Loss, Scalable Throughput (L4S), Coordinated Time Division Multiple Access (Co-TDMA), Coordinated Restricted Target Wake Time (Co-RTWT), Coordinated Spatial Reuse (Co-SR), Coordinated Beamforming (Co-BF), Single Mobility Domain (SMD) Roaming, Dynamic Bandwidth Expansion (DBE)
• Ethernet – 2x 25GbE, 4x 2.5GbE
• Supported interfaces
  
  • 1x USXGMII-M (10 Gbps)
  • 2x USXGMII (2x 25 Gbps)
  • 1x USB 3.0, 1x USB 2.0
  • 3x 2-lane PCIe 3.0, 2x 1-lane PCIe 3.0
  • PCM, UART, SPI, I²C, SDIO, GPIO
    
• Platform Extensions – 4G/5G FWA, 802.15.4, Bluetooth

 

[xiaofan]

Linux 7.0 kernel has been released.

****
Linux 7.0 Networking: Prepping For WiFi 8 UHR While Dropping Last Parallel Port Ethernet Driver

https://www.phoronix.com/news/Linux-7.0-Networking

 

[green72]

No need to be early adopter anyway.

I am guessing that WiFi 8 devices will not be popular until 2029 even though WiFi 8 routers may become popular in 2028.

WiFi 7 routers become the main stream in 2025 in Singapore. But WiFi 7 devices may not be that main stream in 2025, maybe in 2026.

WiFi 7 routers --
Announced in year 2023
Main models were released in year 2024
Became main stream in year 2025

WiFi 8 routers --
To be Announced in late year 2026
Main models to be released in year 2027
To become main stream in year 2028

WiFi 7 devices --
Still not really the main stream in year 2025, maybe in 2026

WiFi 8 devices --
Maybe it will become main stream in year 2029. Let's see.

I believe if there is only a handful of end user devices design to use wifi 8, not many will jump to a wifi 8 router just for bragging rights.

Many devices like IPCam,Smart devices, wireless printers, as an example, still rarely use wifi 7, many still on 2.4ghz or wifi 5ghz.

Maybe due range but we can see only smartphones, laptop or PC uses wifi 7.

IOT devices also mostly uses 2.4ghz.

 

[keenklee]

IMHO.
AI Prompt - can wifi 8 wireless backhaul be better than wifi 7 with wired backhaul ?
Output - In short: No, but it significantly closes the gap.

So, upgrade to wifi 7 with wired backhaul and enjoy now.

Looking at the Archer and Deco wifi 7 mesh issues with e.g. MLO, even Wifi 7 will still take sometime to stabilize.
Wifi 8 stablize will maybe take at least another 5 years ?

Especially TP-Link, they like to have v1, v2 and v3 of products. I may not want to be an early adopter.
Those who like to purchase online, you may not know which version you're getting.

P.S. I stand to be corrected.

 

[xiaofan]

All in all, majority of the Singapore Fibre Broadband users will use the ISP issued router. So when ISPs issue WiFi 8 routers by default, the users will adopt. I believe that will be at around year 2028. The devices side will lag a bit.

WiFi 7 routers --
Announced in year 2023
Main models were released in year 2024
Became main stream in year 2025. Year 2025 was also when the major ISPs deployed WiFi 7 routers by default.

WiFi 8 routers --
To be Announced in late year 2026
Main models to be released in year 2027
To become main stream in year 2028

 

[xiaofan]

ASUS ROG Rapture GT-BN98 Pro Wi-Fi 8 router wins Computex 2026 award

Computex has listed the ASUS ROG Rapture GT-BN98 Pro among its Best Choice Award 2026 winners. The router received a Category Award under Gaming & Immersive Tech, according to the official award page.

The GT-BN98 Pro is listed as a flagship gaming router with Wi-Fi 8 support. Computex says the router uses a Multi-AP coordination architecture, intelligent path optimization and dynamic bandwidth management. The listing also mentions a patented thermal design.

Source: VideoCardz.com
https://videocardz.com/newz/asus-ro...pears-as-companys-first-wi-fi-8-gaming-router

 

[xiaofan]

All in one ONR solution with 50G PON support (10Gbps/25Gbps/50Gbps Fibre Internet), up to quad 10Gbe LAN ports and WiFi 8.
https://www.cnx-software.com/2026/0...cs-target-wi-fi-8-and-50g-pon-fiber-gateways/

Broadcom BCM68850 specifications:

• Processor – Quad-core Brahma53 (B53) Armv8 CPU
• Network Processor – DI-XRDP with flexible classification and filtering, paired with a dual-issue runner packet processor for line-speed offload of wired and wireless data paths
• AI – Broadcom Neural Engine (BNE) supporting convolutional neural networks for anomaly detection, voice recognition, and cybersecurity analysis
• Memory I/F – Integrated LPDDR4, LPDDR5, and LPDDR5x controller and PHY
• Storage I/F – Support for flexible NAND flash and eMMC
• Networking
  • PON – Integrated Fiber WAN interfaces with 50G ITU-PON, ITU XGS-PON, XG-PON, NG-PON2, 50G HSP PON, 25G EPON, 10G EPON, and Active Ethernet up to 50Gbps
  • Wireless – Native processing for tri-band concurrent Wi-Fi 8 wireless networking
  • Ethernet – Integrated 50Gbps, 25Gbps, and 10Gbps Ethernet interfaces (SLAN) with connection support for an external 10GbE PHY
  • Physical Layer (Transceivers) – Glueless interface to standard SFF transceivers, onboard BOSA, SFP, SFP+, XFP, and SFP56
• USB – 1x integrated USB 3.0 controller
• Other I/Os – Serial Port Interface (SPI), I2C, and Pulse Code Modulation (PCM) highway
• Expansion – Multiple multi-lane PCIe ports, including dual PCIe 3.0 interfaces
• Security – Dedicated security processor (SMC) for secure boot and Post-Quantum Cryptography (PQC) support
• Power – Centralized power management architecture
• Package – BGA (speculative; from part number stamped on the chip BCM68850KFSBG)

The SoC is primarily designed for residential FTTH (fiber to the home), multi-gigabit fiber CPE, and 50G PON Wi-Fi 8 Ethernet gateways.

 

[xiaofan]

TP-Link WiFi 8 router line-up

https://www.tp-link.com/us/press/news/22353/

A Full Wi-Fi 8 Portfolio

Archer 8 is the first step in a broader Wi-Fi 8 portfolio designed to deliver next-generation connectivity across multiple home networking scenarios, from flagship home routers and whole-home mesh systems to portable travel networking and client connectivity.

Planned lineup and availability includes:

• Archer 8 (Wi-Fi 8 Router) — October 2026
• Deco 8 (Wi-Fi 8 Mesh System) — Q1 2027
• Roam 8 (Wi-Fi 8 Travel Router) — Q2 2027
• Wi-Fi 8 Range Extenders and Adapters — Q2 2027

 

[Kepller]

TP-Link WiFi 8 router line-up

https://www.tp-link.com/us/press/news/22353/

A Full Wi-Fi 8 Portfolio

Archer 8 is the first step in a broader Wi-Fi 8 portfolio designed to deliver next-generation connectivity across multiple home networking scenarios, from flagship home routers and whole-home mesh systems to portable travel networking and client connectivity.

Planned lineup and availability includes:

• Archer 8 (Wi-Fi 8 Router) — October 2026
• Deco 8 (Wi-Fi 8 Mesh System) — Q1 2027
• Roam 8 (Wi-Fi 8 Travel Router) — Q2 2027
• Wi-Fi 8 Range Extenders and Adapters — Q2 2027

I hope with the Wifi 8 routers, 10 Gbps LAN ethernet ports becomes a norm (regardless whether we use it or not), since the Telcos here are pushing 10 Gbps plans hard. Additionally it will be great to see the next iteration of motherboards e.g Z970, Z990, to come shipped with the new and affordable consumer grade RTL8127 10 Gbps NIC.