Better multi-storey Wi-Fi performance promised with Archer 8 router

Wi-Fi 8 may not yet be officially certified, but TP-Link is getting a head start by teasing the Archer 8 router series, along with a range of Wi-Fi 8 devices set to launch later this year.

It’s not the first time TP-Link has gotten ahead of official certification: it was one of the first brands to launch Wi-Fi 7 routers, eventually leading to the first router certified by the Wi-Fi Alliance for the then-emerging standard.

While Wi-Fi 7 introduced various speed gains, Wi-Fi 8, shorthand for the in-development IEEE 802.11bn standard, is said to focus on reliability and keeping up with the increasing number of internet-connected household devices. It’s the main message behind TP-Link’s push to release one of the first consumer Wi-Fi 8 routers with the new Archer.

“Wi-Fi has always been sold on peak speed, but that is not what households experience day to day,” said Neville Wang, Managing Director, TP-Link Australia and New Zealand. “What people actually notice is the dropout in the back bedroom, the lag when the whole family is on at once, the video call that freezes when someone else hits a stream.”

According to Wang, the Archer 8 is “a meaningful step forward” for household connectivity, based on the company’s lab testing.

What is Wi-Fi 8 meant to improve?

Multi-storey dwellings appear set to be among the major beneficiaries of the latest technology. Compared to Wi-Fi 7, TP-Link claims that its Wi-Fi 8 technology provides up to 30 per cent better signal performance for single device connections across multiple floors, and as much as 20 per cent improvements for multi-device connections.

Other cited improvements range from higher throughput and more stable speeds at longer distances, to better performance in high-interference scenarios.

A lot of the reasoning behind the reported gains is highly technical, including better signal modulation, improvements to router antenna design, and various AI-based optimisations.

For most people, though, the most important thing is whether Wi-Fi 8 delivers on its promises in the real world, outside of lab testing.

Australian early adopters of the technology will get to find out later in the year, when TP-Link plans to launch the Archer 8. The networking company also has plans to upgrade its entire range with Wi-Fi 8 versions, including Deco, Roam, and extender devices.

Although scant on specifics for now, like ports and exact speeds, TP-Link’s Archer 8 announcement signals that consumer-level Wi-Fi 8 technology isn’t far away.

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