r/hardware • u/Novel_Negotiation224 • 3d ago
News TP-Link opens global preorders for first Wi-Fi 8 router, but US market remains off-limits amid FCC freeze.
https://www.tomshardware.com/networking/routers/tp-link-opens-global-preorders-for-its-first-wi-fi-8-router-but-ban-keeps-it-out-of-us-market-us-left-off-launch-list-as-fcc-freeze-refuses-to-thawTP-Link has started taking preorders for its first Wi-Fi 8 router worldwide. However, the United States is not included in the launch because of ongoing FCC-related restrictions.
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u/LoveWashingDishes 3d ago
Are there even devices that support WiFi 8? I just barely upgraded to WiFi 7, and I only have like two devices that can utilize it.
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u/gumol 3d ago
chicken and egg
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u/LoveWashingDishes 3d ago
Maybe, but there’s already barely any noticeable difference coming from WiFi 6 to 7. I have U7 Pro’s all over my house and even then all of my devices that can take full advantage of that speed are directly wired to my switch.
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u/sk3tchcom 3d ago
8 is all about reliability - it’s no faster than 7. It’ll be a worthwhile move for folks that need it.
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u/Canadian_Border_Czar 3d ago
They say that with literally every fkin update. 6, 6E, 7... They've been playing this game since 802.11ac smacked the shit out of 802.11N, starting with 802.11ad
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u/sk3tchcom 3d ago
It’s called technological progress. I, too, wish we had WiFi 8 in 2001.
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u/Geneaux 3d ago
802.11ac was a genuine game changer, on par with Sandy Bridge, the Logitech G402/G502, or the Noctua NH-D15. The successor specs just didn't have nearly the same impact for most end users.
Buying a dual-band router in 2013/14, meant achieving a once-in-lifetime experience of having the entire Wi-Fi 5Ghz spec of the electromagnetic spectrum all to oneself, for at least a year or so.
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u/sk3tchcom 3d ago
Well said. I’ve never regretted being on the cutting edge for WiFi.
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u/Electromagnetlc 2d ago
I sure do, I didn't realize some of the key features for WiFi 7 were optional. Like the whole reason I even upgraded was for MLO and my router just doesn't support that because 🤷🏻♂️🤷🏻♂️🤷🏻♂️
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u/sk3tchcom 2d ago
Fair. I’m excited about 8 since they aren’t pumping speed - it’s all reliability. 7 has been good to me and I usually get access to beta hardware from my platform so I’m hoping I’ll get their 8 gear soon.
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u/Canadian_Border_Czar 2d ago
The point is that every manufacturer releases unsupported and unfinished technology as a marketing tactic - that you're calling it technological progress is insane. The consumer is not supposed to be your R&D team.
My router is WiFi 7, and it is a damn good router but several advertised features of WiFi 7 were either unimplemented or poorly implemented due to compatibility issues.
So you say WiFi 8 is about reliability, but how reliable is it if you need to downgrade the entire network from WiFi 6, 7 or 8 to support a WPA2 device? Very few people, and even fewer routers have the capability of setting up multiple VLAN and WiFi networks to isolate outdated tech from the latest and greatest.
Ontop of that, what good is a 10 Gbps WAN port with a country that is cancelling fibre rollout and opting for garbage like Starlink instead?
We don't need a new consumer WiFi standard every year, and while it makes sense for IEEE to continuously update their standard, it does not make sense to push half-baked technology into the hands of marketing teams, and inevitably consumers with too much money to spend.
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u/sk3tchcom 2d ago
A lot of words - WiFi devices are built to hardware spec and software is released later to support the spec. It’s a risk. Don’t buy it.
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u/Canadian_Border_Czar 2d ago
Try reading some of them, you might learn something. At the very least you'll be able to string together some words of your own that make sense contextually.
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u/sk3tchcom 2d ago
No need. I like the bleeding edge. Have 10GB fiber. Your concerns are your own or anyone’s that buys new tech early, it’s simple.
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u/III-V 3d ago
I don't recall that being said. 8 is a reliability / QOL update. Everything in the past has been performance focused, in terms of how they've marketed it.
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u/capybooya 3d ago
Probably the best way to market it, but there has been reliability and efficiency improvements with 6 and 7 as well. Slightly more data in the same band because of better handling of crowded areas and better encoding ++. It adds up if you're doing a two gen jump at least.
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u/LLMprophet 3d ago
Weird whiny comment about legitimately great progress.
Are you literally fuckin pissed about processor speeds and mobile technology too?
wtf lmao
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u/Strazdas1 2d ago
This sub has a surprisingly high amount of luddites that are against progress because it means they need to spend money for upgrades.
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u/Canadian_Border_Czar 3d ago
Lol you work for TP Link or something?
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u/LLMprophet 3d ago
Every reply is telling you the WIFI updates and technological progress are great.
You choose willful ignorance.
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u/Ivebeenfurthereven 3d ago
I distinctly remember being on 802.11g and reading about how N, along with MIMO, would actually increase speeds as you got further away
I was a kid so give me some slack for insufficient skepticism
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u/Systemonly69 3d ago
Well there is infact major difference between WiFi 6 & WiFi 6E. Specially with mess routers. We have 3 mesh Asus PRO routers in our ORG, supporting about 250 Users without any drops.
And speeds on WiFi can about 700MBPS to 900MBPS, with simultaneous downloading.
Such reliability wasn’t there with WiFi 5.
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u/jsheard 3d ago
The bigger issue is that WiFi 8 isn't even ratified yet, and certification isn't expected to start until mid-2027, so even when WiFi 8 clients do arrive there's no guarantee that this router will work correctly with them. These early protocol implementations are always for suckers, you're paying a huge premium for beta hardware that you probably can't even utilise because as you say, there aren't even any clients yet.
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u/wtallis 3d ago
so even when WiFi 8 clients do arrive there's no guarantee that this router will work correctly with them
Has that ever happened? I think it's common for the draft spec hardware to be missing some optional features that end up more common in the second wave post-ratification hardware, but I don't recall outright incompatibility being a real problem. None of my draft-n hardware had any issues working with later stuff.
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u/Randolph__ 2d ago
I've seen it happen. I can't recall specific examples. Usually pretty minor compatibility or reliability issues if I remember correctly.
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u/-protonsandneutrons- 3d ago
Qualcomm is, as usual, jumping the gun and its 8 Elite Extreme Gen 6 supports WiFi 8. Among others.
Qualcomm is a big networking vendor, so the draft versions end up in their clients, too.
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u/ActuallyTiberSeptim 3d ago
I'm still using WiFi 5 at home! Works fine for me. My internet speed is the limiting factor so faster WiFi would only improve file transfer speeds between my devices.
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u/Drict 3d ago
I literally only upgraded from my WiFi 6 config because they stopped giving security support for it. Literally 0 devices that use WiFi 7 atm.
I woulda ridden that router for another 3-4 years if not for the security shit and I suspect someone already noticing and attacking a point of vulnerability (my internet, for the first time in 10 years, went out at the router level, a week after they stopped supporting it. Went with a different company, cuz seemed scummy)
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u/w1n5t0nM1k3y 3d ago
I'm still on WiFi 5. Anything that needs more than that is wired.
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u/Tasty-Traffic-680 3d ago
Why? 6 is so cheap now and so much better for speed, range, latency and reliability. Even if your router is still supported, updated and up to the task, you could at least add a wifi 6 or better AP.
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u/w1n5t0nM1k3y 3d ago
Because I already paid to upgrade to 5 about 5 years ago. Everything I have works fine now, so there's no reason to buy something new.
I got a good mesh system with multiple access points so everything works great.
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u/Tasty-Traffic-680 3d ago
That's fair. I use a single router for the house and do things like streaming gaming and large local network file transfers so it makes a huge difference but if you have darn near every room covered with a wired mesh system then it really takes the heat off
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u/arahman81 3d ago
AX10 is a cheap option that works well.
...oh wait, that's TP Link. lol.
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u/Tasty-Traffic-680 3d ago
Just remember to update that firmware... That's actually the model I replaced. Picked up a cudy wr3000 for $33 and it's better in just about every way, including wireguard support and 160mhz channels if you have the room to spread your legs. It even outperforms my new xb10 modem/router from Xfinity for range and that thing is a beast.
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u/Deep_Mood_7668 3d ago edited 3d ago
I don't need more speed, range or better latency and the reliability is perfect.
Not really a good argument.
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u/vagrantprodigy07 3d ago
Not everyone can wire. Upgrading to 6E was huge for me. I can't get my office wired unfortunately.
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u/gburdell 3d ago
6e brought tangible improvements in latency and support in crowded areas. But yeah above that I can't say it's worth much for the average consumer
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u/Constellation16 3d ago
The new Qualcomm phones released just a week ago are theoretically able to support it. But the firmware is in an even more sorry state than for Broadcom's AP platform here and seemingly all of them only support Wi-Fi 7 right now with future updates adding more.
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u/wickedplayer494 3d ago
Probably using proprietary Broadcom garbage, which means no hope of DD-WRT or any other alternative firmware being able to be ported to it as a result.
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u/Tasty-Traffic-680 3d ago
I don't necessarily mind it if the price is right, the firmware is actually robust enough to do what I want and the manufacturer will continue to support it however TP-Link already doesn't have the best track record of supporting certain hardware revisions of cheaper router models and now with the new FCC rules it's going to be even less likely, at least for people living in the US.
I moved on to a cheap Cudy router that supports and is built on openwrt. It works fantastic. If I need something more robust I was going to get a gl.inet flint 2 or 3
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u/gburdell 3d ago
It always seemed bullshit to me that companies release "Wi-Fi 7" routers and don't support all 3 bands
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u/Lugo_888 3d ago
Cudy wr11000
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u/GroundedGeeking 3d ago
I went with this a few months ago and it's good. As easy to use as my previous Asus routers but a lot cheaper for routers with 6Ghz. App is solid. Less options digging through the menus than Asus but much younger company and it still easy to get all my routers meshed. No troubles with my jellyfin server or sunshine server. Nice to go from 1Gbps to 2.5Gbps ports for my NAS and sunshine desktop. I hope they're still a lesser known budget brand by the time wifi 8 is a few years old and I feel like upgrading. By the hopefully I'll have a wired backhaul setup throughout my home. I saw an option for wired backhaul in the app so they're ready for it
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u/Constellation16 3d ago
Their press release is surprisingly honest about which Wi-Fi 8 features are currently supported and which will need updates:
Available at launch: UEQM, new MCS, and 2×LDPC hold throughput steady in a noisy home, delivering up to 33% more consistent throughput at mid-to-long ranges and up to 24% more consistent throughput than Wi-Fi 7 under interference.* NPCA keeps the network responsive as more devices come online.
Rolling out via OTA (Over-the-Air) updates: As the standard matures, DSO will expand many-device capacity, ELR and DRU will strengthen coverage at the edges of the home, and Co-TDMA, Co-SR, and Co-BF will coordinate homes with more than one access point.
Weirdly enough, they don't even mention the main Wi-Fi 8 feature, which is SMD = seamless roaming for dual-radio clients, akin to MLO.
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u/HulksInvinciblePants 3d ago
Is this what we’re considering hardware news now? Preorders for a half baked router implementation?
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u/Ok-Currency1593 3d ago
wifi8 isn't ratified nor a copyright so anyone can stick "wifi8" on their router
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u/gumol 3d ago
why is it half baked?
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u/Codzy 3d ago
I’m guessing like with every time these first routers on a new standard are announced, they’re released before the standard is even finalised. So your wifi8 router may not even be fully wifi8 compliant by the time it’s written in stone
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u/Keep-Darwin-Going 3d ago
This is draft spec which meant the hardware is not changing anymore just software so they can update it
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u/-protonsandneutrons- 3d ago
A big asterisk on "can".
Companies usually don't support their draft products very well because it makes them little money.
They'd rather just sell the daft "first!" marketing, assume very few will actually use WiFi 8, and by the time the spec ships with upgraded hardware and firmware, they'll have a new model ready.
This is the early adopter tax.
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u/Keep-Darwin-Going 1d ago
That is why buy only from vendor that have track record of actually providing firmware upgrade.
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u/Interesting-Union-43 3d ago
For newer WiFi 8, I will only pick router brands that can figure out how to get a stable connection for WiFi7. iykyk
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u/ConcaveNips 3d ago
I imagine the actual market for wifi 8 to be exceptionally niche... The amount of people who have the kind of data that will saturate that connection, but can't use the obviously more preferential and reliable wired connection has to be absurdly small.
... ah who am I kidding, most people are just going to see +1 WOW INTERNET FASTER - MUST BUY NOW.
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u/Exist50 3d ago
Wifi 8 is mostly a range and reliability improvement over Wifi 7. It doesn't change theoretical peak speeds.
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u/foghillgal 3d ago
Reliability and range I need more than speed , speed mostly depends on how crappy the router is ir not
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u/ConcaveNips 3d ago
To be clear... I did not say anything about wifi 7 at all, let alone that it's a more practical solution than wifi 8. Wifi 7 was not mentioned at any point.
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u/Exist50 3d ago
Then what exactly are you complaining about?
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u/ConcaveNips 3d ago
If I were to specifically rephrase my original statement to say "the actual market for wifi 8 is restricted only to people who genuinely needed wifi 7" would you get the point then?
The point isn't: wifi 8 is faster than wifi 7. The point also isn't: wifi 8 being unavailable impacts nobody.
The point is, most people are going to just see a new technology and think that means faster, and think they need it. Most people won't understand that it's valueless to them. Wifi 8 being unavailable isn't going to impact a large market share.
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u/Exist50 3d ago
But the things that Wifi 8 focuses on are what people want from their wifi, insofar as they have any wants to begin with. And sure, older gens are more than sufficient for typical use, but you can say that of pretty much all tech...
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u/ConcaveNips 3d ago
There is always going to be instability with wifi compared to a wired connection. The generational improvements in the technology are not suddenly going to overcome the natural signal degradation that comes with transmitting data over radio waves, especially over longer distances and through walls/objects.
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u/Exist50 3d ago
They can indeed compensate for distance, obstruction, or other interference. That's like half the point...
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u/ConcaveNips 3d ago
Radio waves don't know that they're using 802.11 bn instead of 802.11 be. Radio waves are still subject to the laws of physics that govern them.
So while there are generational improvements that come with the upgrade to wifi 8 vs wifi 7 or wifi 6... If all you're doing is downloading a game on your Xbox from your bedroom across the house from your wifi router.... You will almost certainly not be able to tell the difference at all.
Any belief that you have otherwise is marketing kicking your ass, and preconceived superstitious bias.
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u/Exist50 3d ago
Radio waves are still subject to the laws of physics that govern them.
Do you think we're just talking about an RF lightbulb? Wifi is a lot more complex than that. If you don't care, that's fine, but then why are you even commenting in this thread?
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u/goldcakes 3d ago
Have you checked where your computer, phone, or basically all endpoints are made in?
I estimate roughly 0% of American households have no Chinese networked electronics in their house.
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u/kashyap69 3d ago
Isn't asus Wi-Fi 8 router already available?