The purpose of MLO is to ensure that the Wi-Fi 7 client has the fastest possible connection to the router, given the current conditions. For example, connecting to the 6 GHz band on your router might give you great performance at close range but taper off dramatically the farther away you are, especially if there are walls between you. While the performance might drop, the signal is still strong enough to keep you connected to the 6 GHz SSID.
With MLO, the wireless client can automatically determine whether and when to switch to another band to maintain performance and signal strength. So, if you’re moving farther from the router and the 5 GHz band is a better fit for data throughput, your Wi-Fi 7 client will switch on the fly.
In real-world testing, I have found little to no benefit to enabling an MLO SSID on Wi-Fi 7 routers (which is why I also don’t run individual tests with MLO). At most, I’ve seen a 1-2 percent difference compared to not having MLO enabled. In most cases, the non-MLO SSID provides better performance.
Automated Frequency Coordination (AFC) is even harder to find on Wi-Fi 7 routers, as it enables a power-hungry, higher-performance operating mode for the 6 GHz radio. Although AFC was previously available with Wi-Fi 6E, it’s more prevalent (though still underutilized) with Wi-Fi 7 routers.
Think of AFC as a turbocharger for your router, boosting performance on the 6 GHz band. In the default Low Power Indoor (LPI) mode, the 6 GHz band can deliver higher performance than the 5 GHz band on Wi-Fi 7 routers, but at the expense of range. LPI is used to minimize local interference in the 6 GHz band. With AFC, the router is switched to Standard Power (SP), which improves signal strength and enables wireless connections beyond 50 feet.
However, you don’t automatically get free range to use AFC on your Wi-Fi 7 router. First, your country has to support the use of the 6 GHz band for consumer devices. And even if it does, there are still further local restrictions that could prevent you from using AFC.
Let’s take the Asus ROG Strix GS-BE18000 , for example. This gaming router supports AFC; however, you must use the Asus Router smartphone app to set up the features. That’s because the Asus Router app uses your smartphone’s location data to check local databases and ensure SP mode can be enabled.
With AFC, broadcasting power can be boosted, bringing the 6 GHz band's maximum range on par with that of the 5 GHz band. But to take advantage of AFC, both your Wi-Fi 7 router and Wi-Fi 7 client have to support the feature.
The first Wi-Fi 8 routers are expected to launch globally in late 2027, with companies like Asus having already showcased prototype devices. If you were hoping that some of the confusion surrounding tri-band, dual-band, MLO, and AFC would subside with Wi-Fi 8, we have some bad news. The bifurcation in the market between tri-band routers (which include the 6 GHz band) and dual-band Wi-Fi 8 will continue.
(Image credit: Tom's Hardware) Asus Wi-Fi 8 router prototypes (Image credit: Tom's Hardware) In addition, hardware support for MLO and AFC will remain with the router OEMs, so you will need to do your research before purchase if those technologies are important to you. Perhaps more importantly, Wi-Fi 8 won’t offer a huge generational leap in wireless performance compared to Wi-Fi 7. Each generation of Wi-Fi has placed a strong emphasis on performance to spur consumer upgrades, but we’d consider Wi-Fi 8 more of a “maintenance” release.
Full-spec Wi-Fi 8 hardware will still use three bands (2.4 GHz, 5 GHz, and 6 GHz), along with 4096 QAM and a maximum channel bandwidth of 320 MHz. In fact, the maximum data rate remains at 46 Gbps. Instead, Wi-Fi 8’s tentpole feature is Ultra High Reliability (UHR), to improve real-world data rates by 25 percent. At CES 2026, Asus was already showing a 10 percent improvement in mid-range throughput with prototype Wi-Fi 8 hardware .
The IEEE claims that the up to 25 percent increase in real-world speeds isn’t the only benefit; you should also notice reduced latency across your network. Several new technologies are tasked with achieving these goals.
Coordinated Spatial Reuse (Co-SR) : Dynamically regulates signal strength between wireless clients and the access point in heavily congested network environments (dependent on the distance between client and access point). This feature alone could improve network efficiency by up to 25 percent.
Coordinated Beamforming (Co-BF) : Allows access points to direct their wireless signals only to areas where active devices are present, helping reduce interference with other devices. Up to a 50 percent improvement in throughput was seen by MediaTek in early testing using Co-BF.
Dynamic Sub-Channel Operation (DSO) : Allows devices to tap unused portions of the wideband spectrum (which is often underutilized by 6 GHz devices) to maximize utilization (especially in mixed device networks).
Enhanced Modulation Coding Scheme (MCS) : Offers fine-grain coding rate adaptation when the signal-to-noise ratio is unstable. This results in smoother transitions, particularly in networks with high device utilization.
Extended Long Range : Provides a more stable wireless link for devices that typically sit at the edge of your router/access point's coverage range (think wireless security cameras, doorbells, outdoor lighting, garage door openers, etc.).
It remains to be seen whether all, or even some, of these features will be implemented across the full range of Wi-Fi 8 hardware that becomes available over the next several years. However, it looks like Wi-Fi 8 will help devices better realize the performance potential originally promised with Wi-Fi 7.
Brandon Hill is a senior editor at Tom's Hardware. He has written about PC and Mac tech since the late 1990s with bylines at AnandTech, DailyTech, and Hot Hardware. When he is not consuming copious amounts of tech news, he can be found enjoying the NC mountains or the beach with his wife and two sons. ","collapsible":{"enabled":true,"maxHeight":250,"readMoreText":"Read more","readLessText":"Read less"}}), "https://slice.vanilla.futurecdn.net/13-4-13/js/authorBio.js"); } else { console.error('%c FTE ','background: #9306F9; color: #ffffff','no lazy slice hydration function available'); } Brandon Hill Social Links Navigation Brandon Hill is a senior editor at Tom's Hardware. He has written about PC and Mac tech since the late 1990s with bylines at AnandTech, DailyTech, and Hot Hardware. When he is not consuming copious amounts of tech news, he can be found enjoying the NC mountains or the beach with his wife and two sons.
Key considerations
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Reference reading
- https://www.tomshardware.com/networking/routers/SPONSORED_LINK_URL
- https://www.tomshardware.com/networking/routers/wi-fi-7-mlo-afc-wi-fi-8#main
- https://www.tomshardware.com
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