I just tested the first Wi-Fi 8 router and it’s a major upgrade — even if device support is still a year away

The Asus ROG Rapture GT-BN98 Pro is the first Wi-Fi 8 router on the market, promising significant improvements in reliability, range, and performance. Built on the draft IEEE 802.11bn specification, the router utilizes a quad-band approach with 4x4 data transmission across each band, reaching a theoretical top speed of over 30 Gbps.

It features eight antennas, a 2.6 GHz quad-core processor, 2GB of DDR4 RAM, and 256MB of flash storage, all of which work together to deliver high-speed performance. The router also boasts extensive connectivity options, including four 2.5Gbps ports, one 10Gbps WAN input port, and one 1Gbps downstream networking port. Although Wi-Fi 8 client hardware is still a year away, the ROG Rapture GT-BN98 Pro successfully demonstrates the potential of Wi-Fi 8 technology in a high-performance gaming router.