One year after the launch of its Wi-Fi Certified 802.11n testing
program, the Wi-Fi Alliance reported that more than 1,100 products
have been certified for the high-speed ultra robust wireless
technology.
The certification process has recorded 127 phones as Wi-Fi
Certified, which represents 20 percent of handsets certified in the
last 12 months, the Wi-fi Alliance said this week as it released
figures for the 802.11n products. The trade association also said
the newest tally represents 251 consumer electronics products that
have been awarded the Wi-Fi Certified designation.
The figures released also found that dual-based products -- in the
2.4 and 5GHz bands -- are on the rise. The Wi-Fi Alliance said that
143 products can support both 2.4 and 5 GHz operations
concurrently.
Earlier, there had been some question how 802.11n would fare in the
enterprise marketplace. The Wi-Fi Alliance numbers indicate that IT
managers are demanding the 802.11n technology for its range,
robustness and performance capacity. A total of 157
enterprise-grade infrastructure devices have achieved the coveted
Wi-Fi Certified designation since the program was unveiled a year
ago. Enterprise-grade access points support operation in either 2.4
or 5 GHz.
Suppliers of the 802.11n technology are finding that many IT
enterprise installations are moving to the technology. "Legacy
802.11 a/b/g wireless LANs were not designed to serve the high
densities of mobile devices entering the enterprise, especially
when coupled with latency-sensitive multimedia applications," said
Wilson Craig, a spokesperson for Aruba Networks in an email. "It's
critical that users consider the advanced functionality of the
networks they choose, and that they include leading application
monitoring and control capabilities in addition to solid security.
Upgrading to 802.11n is a start."
ABI Research has predicted that nearly 60 percent of Wi-Fi products
sold in 2010 will include 802.11n technology.
"From televisions to mobile phones and points in between," said
Kelly David-Feiner, Wi-Fi Alliance's marketing director, "Wi-Fi now
connects a majority of consumer electronics.