Next-Generation Wi-Fi a Reality With More Than 95 Products Wi-Fi Certified(TM) for Draft 802.11n

Products certified by the Wi-Fi Alliance(R) support rich multimedia devices for home, small office and enterprise networks

AUSTIN, Texas and BEIJING, Sept. 25 /Xinhua-PRNewswire/ -- The Wi-Fi Alliance today announced that more than 90 next-generation 802.11n draft 2.0 products have been Wi-Fi CERTIFIED(TM) since the organization's testing program began just three months ago. This first wave of products, which include access points, laptop computers, routers and wireless networking cards, enable consumer and enterprise users to select from a growing number of interoperable next-generation Wi-Fi gear.

"Wi-Fi is a pervasive wireless technology used by more than 350 million people at more than 200,000 public hotspots, millions of homes and businesses worldwide," said Wi-Fi Alliance Senior Director Karen Hanley. "Wi-Fi CERTIFIED 802.11n draft 2.0 products are transforming the wireless landscape by combining increased throughput and range in products that have passed rigorous tests for interoperability. We expect the rate of adoption of next-generation Wi-Fi will continue to accelerate in new devices and multi-media applications."

802.11n enables Wi-Fi networks to do more, faster, and over a larger area. ABI Research forecasts more than 90 percent of Wi-Fi chipset shipments will support 802.11n in 2012. "For many, 802.11n will revolutionize the way Wi-Fi is deployed and enjoyed, enabling larger data-heavy applications, including video," said Phil Solis, principal analyst at ABI Research. "At the same time we expect that many people who have not previously tried Wi-Fi will, substantially growing the market."

802.11n is based on the MIMO (Multiple-Input-Multiple-Output) air interface technology, which employs multiple receivers and transmitters to transport two or more data streams simultaneously in the same frequency channel. Wi-Fi CERTIFIED 802.11n draft 2.0 products can achieve data rates of up to 300 Mbps, providing the best wireless connection available for enterprise and home networks alike -- delivering the range, bandwidth, and performance today's multimedia applications and products require.

Companies that have been first to achieve 802.11n draft 2.0 certifications include the following:

Accton Technology Conexant Systems, Metalink

Corporation Inc. NEC Corporation

Apple Inc. D-Link Corporation/ Netgear

Atheros D-Link Systems, Inc. Planex

Communications Edimax Technology Communications Inc.

AsusTek Computer Inc. Fujitsu Computer Ralink Technology,

AzureWave Systems Corporation Corp.

Technologies Inc. Hewlett-Packard Realtek

Belkin International, Development Company Semiconductor Corp.

Inc. Intel Corporation SMC Networks, Inc.

Broadcom Corporation Lenovo Sony Corporation

Buffalo Technology, Linksys Toshiba America, Inc.

Inc. Marvell Technology Z-com, Inc.

Cisco Systems, Inc. Group Ltd.

Consumer and enterprise users should look for the Wi-Fi CERTIFIED logo or certification validation when purchasing 802.11n draft 2.0 products. Wi-Fi CERTIFIED products are tested for interoperability, adherence to WPA2(TM)

(Wi-Fi Protected Access(TM)) security protocols and backward compatibility with 802.11a/b/g. WMM(R) (Wi-Fi Multimedia(TM)) quality of service is also part of the testing program, helping to ensure the best user experience with applications such as voice, video and gaming. This testing and the Wi-Fi CERTIFIED "seal of approval" indicate to Wi-Fi users that their Wi-Fi CERTIFIED products have been tested to work together.

The Wi-Fi Alliance plans to certify products based on the final version of the 802.11n standard once ratified by the IEEE (Institute of Electrical and Electronics Engineers).

A list of all Wi-Fi CERTIFIED 802.11n draft 2.0 products and free white papers on 802.11n technology are available at http://www.wi-fi.org.

About the Wi-Fi Alliance

The Wi-Fi Alliance is a global, non-profit industry association of more than 300 member companies devoted to promoting the growth of wireless Local Area Networks (WLANs). With the aim of enhancing the user experience for mobile wireless devices, the Wi-Fi Alliance's testing and certification programs ensure the interoperability of WLAN products based on the IEEE 802.11 specification. Since the introduction of the Wi-Fi Alliance's certification program in March 2000, more than 3,500 products have been designated as Wi-Fi CERTIFIED(TM), encouraging the expanded use of Wi-Fi products and services across the consumer and enterprise markets. More information is available at http://www.wi-fi.org.

Wi-Fi(R), Wi-Fi Alliance(R), WMM(R), the Wi-Fi CERTIFIED logo, the Wi-Fi logo, and the Wi-Fi ZONE logo are registered trademarks of the Wi-Fi Alliance; Wi-Fi CERTIFIED(TM), Wi-Fi Protected Setup(TM), Wi-Fi Protected Access(TM) (WPA(TM)), Wi-Fi Multimedia(TM), and the Wi-Fi Alliance logo are trademarks of the Wi-Fi Alliance.