* Wi-Fi Alliance gives vendors warning over draft 802.11n standard
The Wi-Fi Alliance this week issued an interesting statement regarding the still-draft standard for IEEE 802.11n – saying it won’t certify any equipment as compliant with the standard until it is officially complete.
More interesting is the fact that the alliance took the stand specifically in response to what happened with 802.11g. Quoting Gartner analyst Ken Dulaney, the group’s press release said, “Vendors took advantage of unsuspecting buyers when they touted pre-standard technology for 802.11g that later did not meet the standard. Left unchecked, the industry is unfortunately poised to repeat itself with 802.11n.”
The release also says that any pre-standard IEEE 802.11n products that create interoperability issues will lose their Wi-Fi certification.
These are strong words – and perhaps necessary for this industry. As I’ve noted before, wireless LAN (WLAN) equipment makers have very strong proprietary roots and a history of putting off standardization in favor of high-speed equipment that can’t interoperate with gear from other vendors.
IEEE 802.11b was a breakthrough in standardization in this field that kick-started widespread use of WLAN technology. By fostering interoperability, the Wi-Fi Alliance (despite what I originally saw as a goofy name) has done a lot to encourage this growth.
It’s a shame that some vendors can’t see that, even now. Perhaps this new warning from the Wi-Fi Alliance will knock some sense into them. And perhaps users will put pressure on the vendors to be fully compliant.
IEEE 802.11n promises to raise throughput rates to 100M bit/sec – that’s after you subtract for overhead, which can be substantial when it comes to wireless technology. With potential like that, the case for losing your wires gets a tremendous boost, and vendors should try not to blow it with products that are too early and too different from the eventual standard.
The standard is expected to complete in about two years.
