802.11n getting prelim certification in March 2007

Starting in March 2007 the Wi-Fi Alliance will start certifying next-gen WiFi products, which puts us at ease a little bit. As CNET reports, the ultimate goal is, of course, to make sure that all the prelim 802.11n stuff out there plays nice with each other, which currently can mess up existing legit WiFi networks. For those of you who haven't been keeping score at home, 802.11n has been fraught with total confusion since the beginning. Back in May 2006, the IEEE rejected the first 802.11n draft by a wide margin, failing to garner a simple majority, let alone the required 75 percent supermajority. Later that month, Glenn Fleishman at Wi-Fi Net News told us 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 another very bad sign. Unfortunately though, it still looks like the real deal officially official final ratification won't be done until 2008. The short version? Just to be safe, stick with your current WiFi setup until there's a new man in the White House, ok?

[Via Wi-Fi Net News]

[TeddyN @ Aug 29th 2006 6:54PM]

So what's new/special about 802.11n?
And what would make them reject it?
I'm confused :s

[tristanfey @ Aug 29th 2006 7:58PM]

802.11g
Release Date - June 2003
Op. Frequency - 2.4 GHz
Data Rate (Typ) - 25 Mbit/s
Data Rate (Max) - 54 Mbit/s
Range (Indoor) - ~30 meters (~100 feet)

802.11n
Release Date - July 2007
Op. Frequency - 2.4 GHz
Data Rate (Typ) - 200 Mbit/s
Data Rate (Max) - 540 Mbit/s
Range (Indoor) - ~50 meters (~160 ft)

802.11n builds upon previous 802.11 standards by adding MIMO (multiple-input multiple-output). MIMO uses multiple transmitter and receiver antennas to allow for increased data throughput through spatial multiplexing and increased range by exploiting the spatial diversity, perhaps through coding schemes like Alamouti coding.

In lamens terms, faster transfer speeds and further range. There were two competing standards proposed for how to implement the new amendment (n), but eventually the backers of each decided to combine their efforts. Unfortunately, they are still arguing specifics among each other.

[Intrepid @ Aug 29th 2006 8:04PM]

"So what's new/special about 802.11n?
And what would make them reject it?"
Very high speeds - 4-5 times the speed of 'g', and much better range. I don't know why they keep rejecting proposals...

[Tull @ Aug 29th 2006 8:34PM]

Do they seriously call themselves the "Wifi Alliance"? I can see why it's taken them so long to ratify the N draft, I can almost swear I've seen a WoW guild named that...

[Brendan @ Aug 29th 2006 9:17PM]

Frankly I've had N-nuf of this ;)

[Ted @ Aug 29th 2006 10:35PM]

A "new man" in the White House, eh?

[adaminc @ Aug 29th 2006 11:56PM]

I dont see why they dont focus more on WiMax, much longer distances, and way higher speeds, the equipment is too expensive right now though.

[Basel @ Aug 30th 2006 6:48AM]

Hmm, does that mean that the 802.11n stuff Dell is offering these days might not be 'the' n standard... and could be obsolete next July?

[John Stracke @ Aug 30th 2006 11:21AM]

The Wi-Fi Alliance is taking a big chance here. If the final IEEE spec is sufficiently different from the current draft, then their interoperability testing is basically going to create their own de facto standard; call it WFA(n) instead of 802.11n. Nobody will have a formal spec for WFA(n); there'll just be the draft 802.11n spec, plus folk wisdom along the lines of, "Yes, I know the draft says do X, but you can't; D-Link didn't do it that way, and they were one of the first ones to get WFA testing, so everybody else has to be compatible with them". Worse, the testing won't cover ever conceivable situation, so real interop will still be a crapshoot. In the long run, they aren't doing anybody any favors. Vendors may get more sales from the early adopters, but MIMO will get a reputation for being unreliable, and that'll kill mass-market adoption.

[Scottie @ Aug 30th 2006 12:48PM]

I use a Pre-N Belkin router right now and it works like a charm with my MacBook Pro. That said, I think city-wide Wi-Max is ultimately the future.

[Paul @ Aug 30th 2006 7:38PM]

"until there's a new man in the White House"

Did you just call Hillary a man???

[tristanfey @ Sep 1st 2006 6:50PM]

"Did you just call Hillary a man??? by Paul"

I think it's been said she is often mistaken for one, much like Martha Stewart.