Programs

Since 2000, the Wi-Fi Alliance has worked with our members to certify more than 15,000 products. Through comprehensive testing, the Wi-Fi Alliance certification program ensures that wireless local area networking (WLAN) products from multiple manufacturers work together.

Wi-Fi CERTIFIED™ leads to improved user-experience, higher customer satisfaction rates, fewer support calls and product returns, and reduced costs. As a result, the Wi-Fi Alliance certification programs have been a catalyst for the rapid adoption of Wi-Fi products in homes, offices and public access locations around the world.

Our certification programs cover the following categories:

Core programs

  • Wi-Fi products based on IEEE radio standards - 802.11a, 802.11b, 802.11g in single, dual mode (802.11b and 802.11g) or multi-band (2.4GHz and 5GHz) products. Now also required by CTIA for Wi-Fi enabled handsets seeking CTIA certification.
  • WPA2™ (Wi-Fi Protected Access 2): Wi-Fi wireless network security -  offer government-grade security mechanisms for personal and enterprise
  • EAP (Extensible Authentication Protocol) - An authentication mechanism used to validate the identity of network devices (for enterprise devices)
  • Protected Management Frames: Wi-Fi CERTIFIED WPA2 with Protected Management Frames extends WPA2 protection to unicast and multicast management action frames, which will play an increasing role in emerging applications
  • Wi-Fi CERTIFIED n: The latest-generation of Wi-Fi operation - supports the IEEE 802.11n ratified standard. This test program also includes Wi-Fi Multimedia (WMM) testing.

 

Optional programs

  • Miracast™: Provides seamless display of content between devices, regardless of brand, without cables or a network connection. Miracast certifies products which implement technology defined in the Wi-Fi Display Technical Specification.
     
  • TDLS (Tunneled Direct Link Setup): Allows network-connected devices to create a secure, direct link to transfer data more efficiently
     
  • Passpoint™: Enables mobile devices to automatically discover and connect to Wi-Fi networks. Passpoint also automatically configures industry-standard WPA2 security protections without user intervention. Passpoint certifies products which implement technology defined in the Wi-Fi Alliance Hotspot 2.0 Technical Specification.
     
  • Wi-Fi Direct™: Allows Wi-Fi client devices that connect directly without use of an access point, to enable applications such as printing, content sharing, and display. Wi-Fi Direct certifies products which implement technology defined in the Wi-Fi Alliance Peer-to-Peer Technical Specification.
     
  • Wi-Fi Protected Setup™: Facilitates easy set-up of security features using a Personal Identification Number (PIN) or other defined methods within the Wi-Fi device. Wi-Fi Protected Setup certifies products which implement technology defined in the Wi-Fi Simple Configuration Technical Specification.
     
  • WMM® (Wi-Fi Multimedia™): Support for multimedia content over Wi-Fi networks enabling Wi-Fi networks to prioritize traffic generated by different applications using Quality of Service (QoS) mechanisms. WMM certifies products which implement technology defined in the WMM Technical Specification.
     
  • WMM-Power Save: Power savings for multimedia content over Wi-Fi networks - helps conserve battery life while using voice and multimedia applications by managing the time the device spends in sleep mode
     
  • Voice-Personal: Voice over Wi-Fi - extends beyond interoperability testing to test the performance of products and help ensure that they deliver good voice quality over the Wi-Fi link
     
  • CWG-RF: For converged devices with both Wi-Fi and cellular technology - provides detailed information about the performance of the Wi-Fi radio in a converged handset, as well as how the cellular and Wi-Fi radios interact with one another. Now mandatory for Wi-Fi enabled handsets seeking CTIA certification.
     
  • Voice-Enterprise: Supports a good experience with voice applications over Wi-Fi, enabling fast transitions between access points and providing management.  Voice-Enterprise builds on the Voice-Personal certification features.
     
  • WMM-Admission Control: Enhanced bandwidth management tools to optimize the delivery of voice and other traffic in Wi-Fi® networks.  WMM-Admission Control certifies products which implement technology defined in WMM Technical Specification.  
     
  • IBSS with Wi-Fi Protected Setup: Enables ad-hoc connections between devices to complete tasks such as file printing or sharing.  Designed to ease setup of connection for devices with limited user interface. IBSS with Wi-Fi Protected Setup certifies products which implement technology defined in the IBSS with Wi-Fi Protected Setup Specification.

 

Wi-Fi CERTIFIED tests are conducted by 17 independent laboratories. Learn more about our Authorized Test Laboratories.

Additional related topics that can be found in our Knowledge Center: