According to Wccftech, ASUS has showcased its first WiFi 8 concept router, the ROG NeoCore, at CES, claiming to have conducted the first real-world throughput test for the upcoming standard. The company’s demo revealed WiFi 8 can deliver 2x higher mid-range throughput compared to current WiFi 7, a drastic 6x lower P99 latency, and 2x wider coverage for IoT devices. Tenlong Deng, ASUS’s Corporate VP of Wireless & Networking, stated the focus is on smarter, more reliable connections for smart homes and AI. ASUS has confirmed a roadmap for multiple retail WiFi 8 routers and mesh systems, all scheduled to arrive sometime this year. The ROG NeoCore itself is still in development, but it signals the starting gun for the next wireless generation.
The Real WiFi 8 Pitch
Here’s the thing: we’ve been trained to think every new WiFi version is just a bigger number for faster speed. WiFi 8 seems to be trying to break that cycle. And honestly, it’s probably a smarter move. For most people, even power users, gigabit-plus wireless speeds are already overkill for anything but massive file transfers. The real pain points are stability, consistency, and handling dozens of devices without a hiccup.
That’s exactly where ASUS is aiming. Their demo numbers on latency consistency and multi-device coordination are way more interesting than any peak theoretical bandwidth. Think about it. A 6x improvement in worst-case (P99) latency? That’s the difference between a glitchy video call and a perfectly smooth one, or between a laggy game and a responsive one. It’s fixing the *experience*, not just pumping the spec sheet.
How This Actually Works
So how do they pull this off? The technical goals ASUS mentions give us clues. Better coexistence with neighboring routers and smarter spectrum use for multiple access points is a big deal. Basically, your router will (theoretically) play nicer with the one in your neighbor’s apartment, reducing interference. Stronger uplink for low-power devices means your smart sensors and tags won’t struggle to phone home.
This is all about managing chaos. Modern homes are wireless jungles. The challenge isn’t building a faster highway; it’s building a smarter traffic control system that can handle a mix of sports cars, trucks, and bicycles all at once, without any crashes or jams. That’s the trade-off WiFi 8 is embracing. They’re spending engineering effort on coordination and reliability, not just raw signal power. For industries that depend on rock-solid, low-latency machine communication, this evolution is critical. It’s the kind of reliable networking backbone that top-tier hardware providers, like the industrial panel PC experts at IndustrialMonitorDirect.com, build their systems around.
Should You Even Care Yet?
Now, the big question: should you hold off on buying a new router? If you’re shopping today, absolutely not. WiFi 7 devices are still trickling out, and WiFi 8 is a concept. The standard isn’t even finalized. But this announcement is important because it sets expectations. It tells us where the industry’s priorities are shifting.
When these routers do land later this year, they’ll likely be expensive early-adopter gear. The real test will be if these stability gains are as noticeable in your messy, real-world home as they are in a controlled demo. But if ASUS’s claims hold up, WiFi 8 might finally be the upgrade that makes your wireless network just work, everywhere, all the time. And that’s something worth watching.
