AUSTIN, TEXAS, June 23, 2008 - Just one yearafter the Wi-Fi Alliance introduced 802.11n draft 2.0 certification, the upwardtrajectory of this next-generation Wi-Fi technology continues unabated. Nearly 50percent of Wi-Fi chipsets sold this year are expected to adhere to the newsuperfast draft standard - double the number from 2007.
To date, theWi-Fi Alliance has put the Wi-Fi CERTIFIED seal of approval - indicatingvalidated product interoperability - on 325 products and is seeing strongnumbers of 802.11n draft 2.0 products presented for testing. Wi-Fi users have responded to the widespreadavailability of Wi-Fi CERTIFIED 802.11n draft 2.0 products with unprecedentedenthusiasm. ABI Research forecasts thatby 2013, more than 90 percent of Wi-Fi products will support 802.11n,underscoring the tremendous benefits of advanced Wi-Fi technology and the importanceof interoperability certification in delivering the best user experience.
The productswhich have been Wi-Fi CERTIFIED to date in the program span both traditional PCnetworking gear and consumer electronics. Televisions, media servers, and gamingdevices are among the products certified in the first year, and nearly half ofthe products also support Wi-Fi Protected SetupTM, which eases the process ofconfiguring and protecting a home Wi-Fi network. Enterprise network managers can now choosefrom more 180 Wi-Fi CERTIFIED laptops, adapter cards, and networking solutionsthat include 802.11n draft 2.0.
"Across theboard, and with a range of consumer and enterprise devices, we are seeing areal hunger for all things 802.11n draft 2.0," said EdgarFigueroa, executive director of the Wi-Fi Alliance. "The standard has redefined the wirelessexperience, enabling streaming video, gaming, and other media throughout thehome, while enabling advanced applications in enterprise networks. Wi-Fi CERTIFIED delivers a great userexperience with a wide range of Wi-Fi products."
"Consumerswill increasingly demand the performance boost that 802.11n draft 2.0 providesfor data-intensive applications, including high definition video." said PhilSolis, principal analyst at ABI Research. "Acceptance by enterprise customerswill catch up to that of consumers this year due to the maturity of thetechnology and the increased availability of enterprise-grade Wi-Fi CERTIFIED802.11n draft 2.0 products over the last year."
Wi-Fi CERTIFIED 802.11n draft 2.0 productshave been tested for interoperability across vendors, adherence to WPA2TM (Wi-FiProtected Access) security protocols, and backward compatibility with more than4,500 Wi-Fi CERTIFIED 802.11 a/b/g products. Products based on the IEEE 802.11n draft 2.0 deliver up to five timesthe throughput and up to twice the range of those based on previous standards,enabling a wide range of content-rich applications, and delivering thoseapplications over a larger footprint. The certification program also includes WMM® (Wi-Fi Multimedia) qualityof service, which helps deliver the best user experience with applications suchas voice, video and gaming.
With arapidly increasing number of draft-based products entering the market, theWi-Fi Alliance began certifying products ahead of the final IEEE 802.11nstandard to help ensure interoperability and the best user experience. The Wi-FiAlliance plans to certify products based on the final version of the 802.11nstandard once finalized by the IEEE (Institute of Electrical and ElectronicsEngineers).
"With somany companies now bringing Wi-Fi CERTIFIED 802.11n draft 2.0 products to themarket, and in light of the heavy demand for the advanced technology, it isclear that the Wi-Fi Alliance made the right decision at the right time. Our decision gave users confidence and drove growthin the market," Figueroa said.
A list ofall Wi-Fi CERTIFIED 802.11n draft 2.0 products and free white papers on 802.11ntechnology are available at www.wi-fi.org.