
TP-Link will be the first manufacturer to sell WiFi 8 equipment in Australia, with pre-orders for its Archer 8 Ultra router and Deco 8 Ultra wireless mesh system starting on September 30.
The Archer 8 Ultra is a standalone router capable of 19Gbps combined wireless speeds and 10Gbps wired speeds. It features 18 internal antennas.
Meanwhile, the Deco 8 Ultra is a wireless mesh system capable of 22Gbps combined wireless speeds and 10Gbps wired speeds. TP-Link says a three-pack can cover up to 910 square metres, and support over 200 devices.
Pricing has yet to be confirmed for either device. Given early WiFi 7 equipment pricing, it wouldn't be surprising to see the pair sell for over $1,000, however, especially given their high-end propostion.
TP-Link says WiFi 8 is less about "incremental speed gains" and more about addressing "connectivity problems people actually notice", citing issues like weak coverage at range, congestion, and interference. Of course, the WiFi 8 standard has yet to be finalised, and there aren't any phones or laptops that support WiFi 8 yet. While WiFi 8 is backward compatible with WiFi 7 and WiFi 6 devices (and older), they won't take advantage of new features.
A TP-Link spokesperson told WhistleOut that older devices can still benefit from a Deco 8 Ultra mesh setup, however.
"Improvements to network coordination, scheduling and interference management can lift efficiency for everything connected, whatever generation it's on," said the spokesperson. "That one depends on having more than one Wi-Fi 8 unit coordinating with each other, so it applies to a Deco mesh set rather than a single router."
Alex Choros
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