Wi-Fi 8 Unveiled: Key Features, Multi-AP Coordination, and the Role of C-TDMA

Wi-Fi 8, the anticipated next generation of Wi-Fi based on the IEEE 802.11bn standard, is designed to meet the growing demands of high-reliability and low-latency applications, such as real-time video, virtual reality, and industrial Internet of things (IoT) communications. This article explores the key technical advances of IEEE 802.11bn, highlighting improvements in the physical and medium access control layers. We emphasize multi-access point coordination as a critical feature for enhancing reliability and reducing latency, specifically coordinated-time division multiple access (Co-TD-MA). Performance evaluations of Co-TDMA in various scenarios demonstrate Co-TDMA's effectiveness in optimizing channel access and supporting time-sensitive applications.