WiFi 8 is coming

xiaofan

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Since there are no Wi-Fi 8 clients as of now, early users of early Wi-Fi 8 routers can only use the router as a Wi-Fi 7 router.

And you can see no real improvement in terms of Wi-Fi throughput.
 

xiaofan

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Apparently Asus thinks it is too much to provide three 10Gbe ports for a consumer Wi-Fi 8 router, even for a top model like ROG GT-BN98.

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/

olcoSzd.png


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

wbgiXYB.jpeg
 

limmk

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Earlier this year, TP-Link announced its intentions to launch the first members of its Wi-Fi 8 (802.11bn) networking family. At the time, the company revealed that it would first launch a standalone Archer 8 consumer router this fall, followed by a Deco 8 mesh router. And right on cue, TP-Link stated today that the Archer 8 Ultra BN19000 tri-band router will launch on September 30.

TP-Link is going light on the details at this time, but this is what we know so far. The Archer 8 Ultra BN19000 will come equipped with 18 internal antennas and deliver up to 19 Gbps aggregate wireless speeds. In addition, it will have 10 Gbps wired connectivity, though we don’t know whether that includes WAN and LAN ports or just the latter.

For users who require broader coverage in larger homes or offices, the Deco 8 Ultra BN22000 tri-band mesh router offers aggregate speeds of up to 22 Gbps and includes 10 Gbps wired connectivity. TP-Link typically sells its mesh systems in two- or three-pack configurations, and the Deco 8 Ultra BN22000 3-pack covers up to 9,800 square feet. Unfortunately, the Wi-Fi 8 mesh system won’t be available until Q1 2027, according to TP-Link.

TP-Link plans to expand its Wi-Fi 8 portfolio by Q2 2027 with a new Roam 8 travel router, along with range extenders and PCIe/USB client adapters. Although we don’t know which specific chipsets will power Archer 8 Ultra, Deco 8 Ultra, and other unannounced Wi-Fi 8 devices, the company says its products will use hardware from Broadcom, MediaTek, and Qualcomm.

Wi-Fi 8 is shaping up to be more of a quality-of-life improvement over Wi-Fi 7 than a substantial theoretical speed improvement. Put simply, Wi-Fi 8 hardware devices should be able to come closer to fulfilling the real-world performance metrics that Wi-Fi 7 devices originally promised.

To this end, TP-Link says that its so-called StabilityEngine leverages core Wi-Fi technologies including Enhanced Long Range (ELR) and Distributed Resource Units (DRU). These features together help improve wireless connectivity, primarily for low-power IoT devices that are typically positioned at the edge of your home’s wireless coverage. There are also additional technologies at play, such as Unequal Modulation (UEQM) and Modulation and Coding Schemes (MCS), to ensure uninterrupted wireless traffic in high-interference situations.

A new design language is also being ushered in with the Archer 8 and Deco 8 products, which was teased during TP-Link’s May 2026 announcement. “We stopped building a piece of networking equipment and started designing for the home,” explained TP-Link industrial design chief Gary Chang. “When a router’s design becomes something people want to display, it ends up exactly where it performs best.”
 

xiaofan

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From Dongknows.
******
https://dongknows.com/asus-wi-fi-8-hardware-a-trio-of-powerful-options/

ASUS told me that the ZenWiFi BN12 will come out sometime in 2027. However, the GT-BN98 or GT-BN98 Pro will likely be available before 2026 is out, if not as early as the third quarter.
******

Note:
Singapore (same for Europe) will only get GT-BN98 and ZenWiFi BN12, but not GT-BN98 Pro since 6GHz-2 band is not approved for Wi-Fi usage.
 

xiaofan

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Wi-Fi 8 (using two Asus ROG GT-BN98 as there are no Wi-Fi 8 clients) versus Wi-Fi 7 test

1) better MLO link between two routers at far distance
2) better far distance speed and latency for Wi-Fi 7 clients



Chapters:
0:00 - Intro
0:43 - WiFi's Main Issue
1:14 - 6E/7 Recap
1:42 - WiFi 8 Intro
2:24 - WiFi 8 Tests
3:50 - WiFi 7 vs 8 MLO
5:31 - Backwards Compatibility
6:06 - Technical Improvements
7:14 - Final words
 
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xiaofan

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ROG GT-BN98 Pro review with Wi-Fi 7 clients, by landpet



Wi-Fi 8 is officially here! We’re testing the ASUS ROG Rapture GT-BN98 Pro—the world’s first Wi-Fi 8 router featuring a BN30000 speed rating, dual 10G ports, and ASUSWRT 6.0.

In this review, we run 5 Gbps internet tests, push local wireless speeds past 4,600 Mbps, test AiMesh wired and wireless backhaul (two Asus GT-BN98 Pro units), and put its range to the test up to 100 feet. We also do a complete walk-through of the new ASUSWRT 6.0 settings.

Is Wi-Fi 8 actually worth the upgrade? Let's find out!

00:00 - GT-BN98 Pro Specs
01:50 - Unboxing
03:40 - Internet Speed Test
04:15 - Local Speed Tests
05:53 - Range Tests
07:32 - ASUSWRT 6.0 Walkthrough
18:19 - Final Verdict
 
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xiaofan

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As of now, there is no Wi-Fi 8 client devices available, so it is not really a good investment to go with the top end consumer Wi-Fi 8 router like Asus ROG GT-BN98 (not sure when it will be available in Singapore).

BTW, ROG GT-BN Pro model will not be available in Singapore (same for EU) as 6GHz-2 is not licensed for Wi-Fi usage.
 

xiaofan

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I got my first dual band China Wi-Fi 7 router ZTE BE7200 Pro+ in Feb 2024 and Asus TUF-BE6500 China version in June 2024.

For triband Wi-Fi 7 router with 6GHz, I got TP-Link HB710 at S$192 from StarHub Shop in Dec 2024. Then I bought TP-Link Archer BE805 at S$300 from an M1 users here in Jan 2025.

On the Wi-Fi 7 Devices front, we got two Acer Swift Go 14 laptop in July and October 2024. I got another Acer Aspire AI 14 laptop in May 2026. Then I also got two dual band BE6500 Wi-Fi 7 USB adapter for testing as well.

Looks like we will only see WiFi 7 routers and devices in 2027 here in Singapore. Wi-Fi 8 routers will probably become the mainstream in year 2028 since local ISPs will likely bundle Wi-Fi 8 triband routers with the 10Gbps plans then.

I will probably not buy cheaper dual band Wi-Fi 8 routers but wait for affordable 10G capable Wi-Fi 8 router (likely the models bundled by the ISP). Hopefully RAM and SSD price will go down and I can refresh my 10G capable mini PC as well in 2028.

I have not done much for my home networking hardware in late 2025 and 2026. Looks like nothing much to do for in 2027 as well. Let's see.
 

xiaofan

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Key trend in 2024 for Singapore consumer Fibre broadband service market
  • 10Gbps Rollouts: Driven by IMDA's push to upgrade the Next Generation Broadband Network (NBN), ISPs accelerated rollouts targeting widespread availability heading toward 2028.
  • Wi-Fi 7 Integration: Most providers began bundling Wi-Fi 7 routers natively into broadband contracts
Likely trend in 2028
  • 10Gbps : it becomes the mainstream in 2026 already and will continue to be the dominant offerings in 2028. We may start to see 25Gbps or 50Gbps niche services as well.
  • Wi-Fi 8 Integration: Most providers will begin bundling next-gen Wi-Fi 8 routers natively into broadband contracts
 

xiaofan

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4x4 Wi-Fi 8 devices are coming with flagship Android phones using Snapdragon 8 Elite Gen 6 Extreme.

There are no 4x4 or even 3x3 Wi-Fi 6 and Wi-fi 7 devices now. There was 3x3 (some Apple devices) and 4x4 Wi-Fi 5 devices (eg: Asus PCE-AC88 AC3100 rated adapter) last time.

Product brief from Qualcomm.
https://www.qualcomm.com/content/da...ragon-8-Elite-Extreme-Gen-6-Product-Brief.pdf

https://www.qualcomm.com/content/da...ts/Snapdragon-8-Elite-Gen-6-Product-Brief.pdf

• The first system to achieve 4x4 Wi-Fi configuration and over 10 Gbps speeds, Qualcomm® FastConnect™ 8800 Mobile Connectivity System is 2x faster with 3x longer gigabit range*, built for next-generation Wi-Fi 8**, Bluetooth® High Data Throughput (HDT), Ultra Wideband, and Thread.
 

xiaofan

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4x4 is a big thing here as FastConnect 8800 will support 4x4 Wi-Fi 8, Wi-fi 7 and Wi-Fi 6.

4*4 BN 320MHz channel bandwidth 4096QAM : MAX PHY Speed 11528 on the 6GHz band, when connected to a Wi-Fi 8 router

4*4 BN 160MHz channel bandwidth 4096QAM : MAX PHY Speed 5764 on the 5GHz band, when connected to a Wi-Fi 8 router

4*4 BE 320MHz channel bandwidth 4096QAM : MAX PHY Speed 11528 on the 6GHz band, when connected to a Wi-Fi 7 router

4*4 BN 160MHz channel bandwidth 4096QAM : MAX PHY Speed 5764 on the 5GHz band, when connected to a Wi-Fi 7 router

4*4 AX/AXE 160MHz channel bandwidth 1024QAM : MAX PHY Speed 4804 on the 5GG and 6GHz band, when connected to a WiFi 6/6E router

https://wifinowglobal.com/news-blog...nother-tiny-engineering-marvel-from-qualcomm/

Perhaps even more importantly, the new 4×4 architecture – which also includes integrated FEMs – will get you a big performance boost even before Wi-Fi 8 network services are widely available, Chano Gomez says. “There’s definitely a case for getting yourself a FastConnect 8800-powered phone early because you’ll get plenty of performance benefits even when connecting to legacy Wi-Fi 7 or Wi-Fi 6 networks. Wi-Fi 8 network services will then add a long list of ultra-reliability features including for example Extended Long Range (ELR),” Chano Gomez says.
 

xiaofan

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Test results 9.08Gbps reached in the following Qualcomm Demo with a sealed box. Real life speed should be lower but I guess it will be about 6Gbps to 7Gbps at close range when connected to a Wi-Fi 8 or even a good Wi-Fi 7 router. Let's see.



For Wi-Fi 7, previous Qualcomm and Intel demo show about 5Gbps peak speed.
 

say123

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You can see the wired and wireless specifications of ROG BN-98 are very much similar to ROG GT-BE98 (quad band BE25000, dual 10Gbe ports, quad 2.5Gbe ports, 2GB RAM), just with Wi-Fi 8 support instead of Wi-Fi 7 support and one extra gigabit LAN port.

ROG GT-BE98 spec
https://rog.asus.com/sg/networking/rog-rapture-gt-be98-model/spec/

ROG GT-BN98 Spec
https://rog.asus.com/networking/rog-rapture-gt-bn98/spec/

Just wondering where is the AI variant of WIFI 8 since they got an AI version for WIFI7.
(Not that I need it..)
 

xiaofan

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Just wondering where is the AI variant of WIFI 8 since they got an AI version for WIFI7.
(Not that I need it..)

ROG GT-BN98 has the AI capability of the ROG GT-BE19000AI as per the reports.

Edit: the above statement is not correct.

ROG GT-BN98 has some of the AI capabilities of the ROG GT-BE19000AI as per the reports.
 
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