In his session, Coleman positioned Wi-Fi 8 (based on 802.11bn, branded Ultra High Reliability) as a pivot away from pure-throughput marketing. The technical targets include a 25% increase in throughput (rate over range), a 25% reduction in latency spikes, and roughly 25% lower packet loss. In other words, it’s about fewer dropped Zoom calls, smoother video, and consistent experiences at the edge, not just headline PHY rates.
“This is all about reliability and a little bit about latency,” summed up Coleman, who is Extreme’s director of wireless networking at the office of the CTO.
This shift is important for the continued growth of Wi-Fi. The technology is widely available and easy to use, but its reliability makes it less than ideal for bandwidth-rich applications. Wi-Fi has lacked predictable behavior under load, during roaming, and at cell edges.
Smarter spectrum efficiency
Wi‑Fi 8 introduces several mechanisms to extract more value from the existing spectrum rather than simply widening channels. Many of these will be mandatory on the AP side in the 5 GHz and 6 GHz bands.
