The Wireless Ethernet Compatibility Alliance, now known as the Wi-Fi Alliance, was formed specifically to test 802.11-based wireless network products from different manufacturers to ensure interoperability. The brand name chosen by the Wi-Fi Alliance for these products is Wi-Fi (Wireless Fidelity). You can access the organization's Web site at www.weca.net or www.wi-fi.org. Although the Wi-Fi Alliance was originally created to encourage testing for interoperability for 802.11b products, the scope of the organization has continued to expand to include new wireless products and standards. Table 19.3 lists the current certifications supported by the Wi-Fi Alliance. Table 19.3. Wi-Fi Alliance CertificationsCertification | Type | Features/Definition | Notes |
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IEEE 802.11a | Wireless Ethernet | 5GHz frequency, 54Mbps maximum signal rate | See also IEEE 802.11d and IEEE 802.11h certifications | IEEE 802.11b | | 2.4GHz frequency, 11Mbps maximum signal rate | Compatible with 802.11g | IEEE 802.11g | | 2.4GHz frequency, 54Mbps maximum signal rate | Backward-compatible with 802.11b; see also IEEE 802.11d and IEEE 802.11h certifications | IEEE 802.11d | Optional WLAN features | Enables configuration changes to Media Access Control (MAC) layer to meet requirements of different countries | Supported by some 802.11a and multimode (802.11a/g) hardware | IEEE 802.11h | | Dynamic frequency selection (DFS) and Transmit power control (TPC) to improve coexistence between 802.11a and other 5GHz RF devices | Supported by some 802.11a and multimode (802.11a/g) hardware | WPA Enterprise | Security | Uses 802.1x authentication with TKIP encryption and an authentication server | See also WPA2 Enterprise | WPA Personal | | Uses a shared key with TKIP encryption | See also WPA2 - Personal | WPA2 Enterprise | | Improved version of WPA Enterprise using AES encryption | Based on IEEE 802.11i | WPA2 Personal | | Improved version of WPA Personal using AES encryption | Based on IEEE 802.11i | EAP-TLS | | Extensible Authentication Protocol Transport Layer Security | Used for WPA/Enterprise authentication | EAP-TTLS/MSCHAPv2 | | EAP-Tunneled TLS/Microsoft Challenge Authentication Handshake Protocol | Used for WPA/WPA2 Enterprise authentication | EAP-SIM | | Version of EAP for GSM-based mobile phone services | Used for WPA/WPA2 Enterprise authentication | WMM | Multimedia | Certification for VoIP and various types of media players; prioritizes traffic into four categories (voice, video, best effort, background) | Subset of 802.11e WLAN Quality of Service (QoS) draft standard |
Because of the popularity of Wi-Fi Certification, many 802.11-compatible products are now referred to as Wi-Fi products, even if they have not passed Wi-Fi Alliance testing. However, only products that have passed Wi-Fi Alliance certification testing are permitted to use the Wi-Fi Certified logo. Thus, when you hear a product advertised as Wi-Fi Certified, you can be assured that it's based on one of the IEEE 802.11 standards supported by the Wi-Fi Alliance and that it should work with other products that have the Wi-Fi logo and use the same frequency. Note Although it is common usage to equate Wi-Fi and 802.11, this is not correct. Although every Wi-Fi Certified device corresponds to one of the 802.11 standards, some 802.11-compatible devices have not been Wi-Fi Certified. You can mix-and-match Wi-Fi Certified and non-certified 802.11 devices, but to avoid problems, you're better off using only Wi-Fi Certified devices. |