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 The past two Standards columns provided an extensive update on the latest standardization development of Wi-Fi in IEEE 802.11, which is a working group operating under the IEEE LAN/MAN Standards Committee (LMSC). This month, I would like to share an update on Wi-Fi Alliance®, a global, non-profit industry association of approximately 700 leading companies from dozens of countries devoted to seamless interoperability.
I believe many of you may be familiar with IEEE 802.11, which is a standards development organization (SDO) that is responsible for writing standards focusing on Wireless Local Area Network. Wi-Fi Alliance, on the other hand, is an international trade association (ITA) whose primary responsibility is to develop technical specifications and test plans for interoperability certification. In this context, certification means that a product has been tested
extensively in various configurations with a diverse sampling of
previously Wi-Fi CERTIFIED devices, to validate interoperability with
other equipment operating in the same frequency band. This Wi-Fi CERTIFIED logo is one of the most recognizable brands in the world, which gives confidence to consumers that the Wi-Fi products they are using meet industry standards (e.g., those developed by IEEE 802.11 working group) for seamless interoperability and security. With technology development, market building, and regulatory programs, Wi-Fi Alliance has enabled widespread adoption of Wi-Fi worldwide, certifying thousands of Wi-Fi products each year.
The certification programs run by Wi-Fi Alliance cover the following six categories: connectivity, security, access, applications and services, optimization, and RF coexistence. In the next Standards Column of the VT Magazine (December 2016), four popular and recently-launched programs among these six categories will be highlighted. |
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