WiFi Alliance OKs 802.11g Gear

MOUNTAIN VIEW, Calif. -- The Wi-Fi Alliance today announced that the first round of products based on the Institute for Electrical and Electronics Engineers (IEEE) 802.11g standard amendment have successfully completed Wi-Fi certification testing.

This is the fourth Wi-Fi product certification developed by the Wi-Fi Alliance since the program began in March of 2000. Previous certification programs were for products based on IEEE 802.11a and 802.11b (including dual band products) and Wi-Fi Protected Access. To date, over 795 products from 110 companies have received Wi-Fi certification.

"Many companies and market segments have been waiting until products based on the final IEEE 802.11g standard amendment were certified for interoperability by the Wi-Fi Alliance. That day has come," said Frank Hanzlik, Managing Director of the Wi-Fi Alliance. "Until now, interoperability and performance have been uncertain for pre-standard IEEE 802.11g products. As of today, customers can get the interoperability and performance benefits associated with Wi-Fi Alliance product certification."

For the past three years, the Wi-Fi Alliance has been certifying amendments to the IEEE 802.11 standard. The growing number of amendments, including IEEE 802.11g, and the vendors' use of different chipsets within the same product line continue to highlight the importance of the Wi-Fi interoperability certification for consumers and enterprises. Public access services such as Wi-Fi ZONEs (www.wi-fizone.org) use equipment from several different vendors. Wi-Fi certification assures that people who visit locations using Wi-Fi CERTIFIED equipment will be able to get connected whether they use 802.11b, 802.11g or dual band 802.11a/g products.

Initial testing included eight products from six companies û four access points and four PC cards. These products are based on chipsets from four different silicon suppliers. Wi-Fi CERTIFIED IEEE 802.11g products will be identified by a new element on the capabilities label on packaging and on the Wi-Fi Alliance Web site.

The following products have received interoperability certification from the Wi-Fi Alliance for IEEE 802.11g functionality:

Wi-Fi Alliance