Towards Ultra-High Reliability in Wi-Fi 8: IEEE 802.11bn Core Mechanisms, mmWave Integration, and Performance Verification

Xiaoqian Liu, Ming Gan, Weijie Dai, Yuhan Dong, Calvin Chun-Kit Chan, Jian Song

As the demand for wireless connectivity expands from high-speed data transmission to high-reliability applications, such as the Industrial Internet of Things and immersive communications, traditional Wi-Fi technologies optimized primarily for peak throughput face new challenges in reliability and latency. Consequently, Wi-Fi 8 aims to achieve ultra-high reliability (UHR), improve communication performance in complex environments, and drive the transition from high-speed connectivity to highly reliable intelligent connectivity. This article provides a comprehensive review of the core mechanisms of Wi-Fi 8 and conducts system-level performance verification. We focus on the key enhancement mechanisms at the physical (PHY) and medium access control (MAC) layers in IEEE 802.11bn, elaborating on their theoretical principles and key application scenarios. Additionally, this paper explores the potential role of integrated millimeter-wave (IMMW) technology as a complementary solution for spectrum expansion in the Wi-Fi 8 era, analyzing its basic architecture and implementation. Finally, system-level simulations are performed to verify the effectiveness of the key technologies in IEEE 802.11bn in achieving their performance targets, while further validating the robust performance of the IMMW scheme under practical hardware impairments.