Wi-Fi 8, the next generation of Wi-Fi, does not increase peak speeds over Wi-Fi 7, but it will bring some of the most significant improvements in real-world Wi-Fi performance in years. Historically, there have been speed gains with each generation. Wi-Fi 6 brought a 40 percent increase, and Wi-Fi 7 delivered nearly a 2.4 fold jump. Yet even without higher speeds, the improvements are substantial. Wi-Fi 8 will offer better energy efficiency, reliability, responsiveness, roaming, security, and overall consistency across connected devices. Connected experiences will be smoother and more dependable for users across a wide range of applications.
Wi-Fi 8 certification is expected in early 2028, and devices should roll out around the same time.
Meeting the demands of today’s connected devices
These improvements reflect how people use Wi-Fi today. AI is becoming more common in smartphones, laptops, smart cameras, and emerging AI-based wearables, which depend on strong uplink performance and low-latency, stable connections to deliver real-time responses and cloud-driven intelligence. Extended reality glasses and other new devices require immediate cloud communication to support voice recognition, gesture processing, and AI-driven interactions.
Wi-Fi 8 is designed to make these experiences smoother across busy homes and crowded wireless environments. The goal is better performance across more of the home and more of a user’s daily routine.
Improving performance across common use cases
MediaTek’s Filogic Wi-Fi 8 platform benefits both new devices and the broader ecosystem they interact with.
AI wearables and smart glasses. With improved uplink and lower latency, these devices respond faster to voice, gesture, and visual inputs. Users will see more fluid AR visuals and experience steadier connectivity both indoors and outdoors.
Video communication and collaboration. New seamless roaming capabilities and coordinated access points help keep calls stable as users move from room to room or across multiple floors.
Smart cameras and home security. Stronger uplink performance enables clearer, faster video uploads from outdoor cameras and far-edge devices.
Gaming and immersive apps. Lower latency and more stable connections improve cloud gaming and AR-based applications.
High-density environments. Apartments, townhouses, and homes with many connected devices will see more consistent performance as Wi-Fi 8 manages interference more effectively.
Wi-Fi 8 features that drive better user experiences
These Wi-Fi 8 features are designed to strengthen uplink performance, reduce interference, and improve consistency.
- Enhanced Long Range (ELR) and Distributed Resource Units (DRU). These features extend the uplink range and speed, keeping devices responsive farther from the router. They improve video uploads and AI applications that depend on steady upstream traffic.
- Multi-AP coordination. Access points work together rather than competing. This improves performance for both home and work environments, reduces latency, and supports smoother transitions for roaming devices.
- Seamless roaming. Devices reconnect to the next access point automatically without needing to reassociate. This prevents dropped calls, video freezes, and other disruptions as people move through their homes or offices.
- Unequal modulation and more MCS levels. These capabilities deliver higher performance over longer distances and under varying interference conditions, giving users more consistent speeds throughout the home.
- Dynamic Sub-Band Operation (DSO) and Non-Primary Channel Access (NPCA). Devices can operate simultaneously. This improves reliability, lowers latency, increases spectral efficiency, and reduces energy use for both access points and clients.
- In-Device Coexistence (IDC). Reduces interference among radios in compact devices such as phones, notebooks, and smart glasses, helping maintain stronger and more stable connections.
MediaTek Filogic supports the full Wi-Fi 8 feature set from day one
MediaTek’s Filogic 8800 platform supports all main Wi-Fi 8 features, including ELR, DRU, unequal modulation, more MCS levels, multi-AP coordination, seamless roaming, DSO/NPCA, coexistence, and multi-link operation. Because MediaTek supports all Wi-Fi 8 features, manufacturers can enable the full Wi-Fi 8 experience from day one.
More advantages that strengthen the broader ecosystem
MediaTek also offers additional, non-standard enhancements that strengthen Wi-Fi 8 performance across the entire network, even on devices from other vendors. These features include a Single-MAC MLO design that improves how multiple links work together, a dedicated receive path for zero-wait DFS to prevent radar-related delays, performance boosts of up to 20 percent on 4x5 6GHz operation, and advanced DPD technology that reduces energy use by up to 20 percent. Because these enhancements operate on the access point side, any Wi-Fi 8 device connected to a MediaTek-powered gateway will benefit, regardless of its chipset.
In addition to supporting the full Wi-Fi 8 standard, MediaTek offers other enhancements designed to improve reliability and the overall user experience. These include advanced power optimizations, advanced network and security features for operator services, and a tri-band 4x4 platform that supports broad coverage and capacity throughout the home.
These enhancements improve reliability and reduce energy use in the home or office network, even when the receiving device is from another vendor. For example, a home gateway with a MediaTek Wi-Fi 8 chipset will improve performance for any Wi-Fi 8 smartphone, regardless of manufacturer.
MediaTek began providing early units of the Filogic 8000 platform to device makers for testing and integration in October 2025, paving the way for next-generation connectivity products. To learn more about Wi-Fi 8 innovations and upcoming MediaTek solutions, see MediaTek Filogic.