IEEE source: draft 802.11n timeline slipping yet again
By Evan Blass 
posted May 22nd 2006 11:45AM
posted May 22nd 2006 11:45AM
More bad news for MIMO fans (if there is such a thing): Glenn Fleishman over at Wi-Fi Net News is reporting that an IEEE member has informed him of a delay in the timetable for expected approval of the final draft of the 802.11n Wi-Fi standard, from sometime this summer to late fall or even early winter. Fleishman's source claims that Task Group N received around 12,000 comments on the proposed draft -- compared to the 2,000-some that most drafts generate -- which is yet another bad sign following the group's earlier failure to garner even a simple majority in favor of the current proposal, much less the 75% supermajority needed for passage. With draft approval seemingly several months off at the least, it could be a year or even a year and a half before a final 802.11n standard is ratified, meaning that those folks who are already snatching up pre-N gear will have to wait even longer to find out if their hardware ends up being compatible.[Via Ars Technica]
good. means they might actually get it right and we can have a standard that is going to last for a while. Then again perhaps not...
i just want to take my laptop anywhere and have decent speed internet to check my engadget RSS feeds
lol i mean how hard would it be for Dumbass Bush to enact a National Wifi Policy
What are the chances that the Linksys draft n router they are now selling will work with the final specification? I need a new router for a simple home network, and wondering if I should buy a G spec router, or go for the extra $50 for the draft n.
Looks like we are just waiting for the NSA to figure out ways through-out the new networking protocols. Way to go !!!
The NSA is like heaven for members of the IEEE, myself included. Where else can you play with the latest semiconductor and communications technology? I bet they have open labs and all the resources you'd want to build toys and gadgets. *drool*
#2 - "means they might actually get it right and we can have a standard that is going to last for a while."
Well, they don't necessarily have to get it right, all they have to do to make the 802.11n protocol last longer is to keep screwing up the post-n protocol so it doesn't get released... I mean, who'd have thought 802.11g would last this long without an upgrade?
Those who buy now are "selber schuldig", like the Germans say.
#3, do you really want the Fed's dictating WiFi policy? That can lead to no good regardless of one's political leanings. This is something for a private industry group (IEEE for example???) to manage, not government.
Flashback to IEEE 802.11g pre-ratified specification: A lot of lower-priced Wi-Fi gear makers promised firmware upgrades later, but never delivered (they went out of business or just used it as a planned obsolecence strategy). It you are a hobbiest with some disposable fun money, go for it. Buy pre-N and play. If you expect to deploy enterprise-level production pre-N gear, take a deep breath, roll the dice, and dust off your resume.