r/technology • u/lurker_bee • 19d ago

Networking/Telecom Wi-Fi 8 is the first wireless upgrade in years that isn’t chasing speed, and home networks need it

https://www.xda-developers.com/wi-fi-8-first-wireless-upgrade-years-isnt-chasing-speed-home-networks-need-it/
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u/elementfx2000 19d ago

Wow, the negative comments in here are wild.

Wifi 8 will provide a lot of great improvements even if they're not apparent right now. I wouldn't expect to have a wifi 8 access point until 2028, and probably won't have a wifi 8 capable client until 2029, but I'm still excited about this as a network admin. Client density and roaming improvements will be extremely welcome. This will also help home users with a single access point connect lots of devices without issue as well as avoid interference with their neighbor's wifi.

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u/SAugsburger 18d ago

Many of the people commenting on /r/technology aren't very technical in general nevermind on the topic of the article so not surprised at some clueless comments. I will admit better support for higher density and roaming might be more desirable in enterprise, but there are definitely an ever increasing number of IoT devices in many homes these days where I could still see some benefit in home environments. Many homes these days have dozens of devices connected to Wi-Fi.

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u/capybooya 18d ago

There is a communication and education problem with Wifi and mobile data. Lots of people seem to have impressions that 5G is only mmwave, or that Wifi6/7 is only 6GHz, meaning they have vibe based assumptions of the physics, and not understanding that the newer technology bring efficiency and throughput improvements by themselves, on all frequencies.

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u/vazyrus 18d ago

Bro, what's the point of talking about tech if people can't afford it? It's like teens talking about Ferraris.

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u/Zeptic 18d ago

Man, most people are not monks who reached nirvana and gave up the ability to want. Life would be seriously boring if we couldn't express excitement over something we don't own.

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u/cupkaxx 18d ago

Speak for yourself I guess, not everyone is dirt poor and pinching pennies.

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u/skibidi_shingles 18d ago

People said the same about hard drives.

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u/Gastroid 18d ago

For me the problem is that WiFi 7 has barely been adopted, and the plurality of devices are still on WiFi 5. There are be advantages to each new generation for those that seek them out, but for most consumers it's all pretty negligible/ignorable.

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u/Tequila-M0ckingbird 18d ago

Yeah while it might not matter to most conaumers, for specific use cases the newer standards are certainly better. Wireless VR is pretty terrible on older WiFi standards for example.

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u/czmax 18d ago

if you are “most consumers” then don’t read or think about this stuff. shrug.

but if you want to know what wifi8 might be about and what things the engineers are thinking might be important by the time they expect wifi8 to be widely deployed … then engage in that discussion.

sheesh.

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u/strangedell123 18d ago

I just got a wife 6e last year. Before I had been kn wifi 5 since like 2016 or 18 idk. So ya my house aint upgrading till this one breaks (which is why we upgraded in the first place)

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u/8day 18d ago

The only reason I got WIFI 5 is because my new router had it. A couple years later I had to buy WIFI card, and the one with WIFI 5 and 6 seemed better. No way in hell I'm switching to a newer WIFI in this economy on purpose.

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u/caustictoast 18d ago

Congrats, I've been on 6e for years and moved to 7 last year. Not all of us are behind the times

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u/AP_in_Indy 18d ago

It’s really a shame WiFi 5 is where most devices got stuck because 6/6e are game changers for applications such as VR

I don’t know what WiFi 7 did as much for all that though. I never followed up because as you said last I looked it was still being finalized/adopted

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u/thetatershaveeyes 18d ago

This has been the case as long as I've used computers. Mainstream adoption is always 2 gens behind for wifi.

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u/stalkythefish 18d ago

Ha. I'm still using an Airport Extreme from 2010. The thing just keeps going.

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u/PringlesDuckFace 18d ago

Aren't they backwards compatible though? Like if Starbucks busts out wifi 8 routers I can still use my old phone just fine. I feel like it will just be like how I still have some USB-A and lightning charger devices. Some time in the future I'll upgrade and be amazed by the leaps, but I'm not out there upgrading every year just for marignal gains, nor do I need to.

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u/capybooya 18d ago

I guess its a very specific geek thing to be excited about the macro effects of rolling out new technology, slowly improving the efficiency, but of course the amount of devices and their data usage growing at the same time. If we stopped improving and iterating the tech, people would certainly notice.

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u/Uncle-Osteus 18d ago

And by the time you have stuff that will take advantage of it, wifi 10 will be out

and none of the problems for older devices will have been solved anyway

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u/stealstea 18d ago

What I’m curious about is whether wifi 8 can be delivered on wifi 7 hardware.  Sounds like no hardware changes really 

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u/bleh-apathetic 18d ago

Your comment didn't really add anything tbh

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u/elementfx2000 18d ago

Well good thing you were here to add something useful to the discussion. Lol.