Microsoft and Intel have joined the board of directors at the Wireless Ethernet Compatibility Alliance (WECA), “an industry group pushing Wi-Fi as a universal platform for small wireless networks.” Wi-Fi is the new marketing term for the IEEE 802.11 standard that we commonly know as Airport.<
Microsoft and Intel have joined the board of directors at the Wireless Ethernet Compatibility Alliance (WECA), “an industry group pushing Wi-Fi as a universal platform for small wireless networks.” Wi-Fi is the new marketing term for the IEEE 802.11 standard that we commonly know as Airport.
WECA?s mission is to certify interoperability of Wi-Fi? (IEEE 802.11) products and to promote Wi-Fi? as the global wireless LAN standard across all market segments.
Although still committed to Bluetooth, the emerging short-range wireless technology, both companies are putting their support behind the pervasive wLAN technology. The problem is that both companies also support Bluetooth a similar but shorter range wireless protocol that operates on the same unlicensed 2.4 GHz frequency causing known compatibility problems with 802.11.
The move by the two industry titans is a huge endorsement of 802.11 technology and helps to ensure that it will continue to develop, evolve and proliferate over time. Hopefully the support of Microsoft and Intel will hasten the arrival of more 802.11 devices, lower prices and the solve the compatibility issues with Bluetooth.
To brush up on the alphabet soup of wireless networking protocols, I recommend reading Bluetooth vs. 802.11 and the Northern Light Special Edition on Wireless Technology.
