An Overview of the Wi-Fi Alliance Approach to Certification

Wi-Fi Alliance certification has been a key driver for worldwide Wi-Fi adoption. Wi-Fi CERTIFIED™ devices have been tested for interoperability to improve the user experience. Consumers show a clear preference for Wi-Fi CERTIFIED™ devices and many enterprise users require Wi-Fi Alliance certification.

Wi-Fi CERTIFIED™ products offer benefits to all players in the value chain. Certified interoperability supports lower return rates, reduced support costs, higher consumer satisfaction and increased sales volumes. High volumes lead to economies of scale and lower product costs that can then be passed along from component vendors to systems manufacturers and on to end users.

The Wi-Fi Alliance certification program has been a catalyst for the industry because it has led to a positive user experience. The Wi-Fi Alliance approach to certification is based on principles that help ensure interoperability, backward compatibility and innovation.

Wi-Fi was initially a technology found predominantly in laptops, PC cards, access points and wireless routers. This is changing rapidly, with an increasing number of phones, PDAs, consumer electronics devices, printers, and all manner of mobile and stationary devices now available with embedded Wi-Fi connectivity. Wi-Fi Alliance certification has evolved to meet the specific requirements introduced by these new devices and the applications they support. Recently added certification programs, such as Wi-Fi Multimedia™ (WMM®) and WMM Power Save, are ideal for mobile phones, consumer electronics, and real-time applications.

The first Wi-Fi CERTIFIED™ product was announced in 2000. Since then thousands of products have been certified and numerous certification programs have been launched. Certification programs include basic connectivity, security, authentication, and Quality of Service (QoS). Some of the most anticipated programs that will be introduced in the future are in the areas of simplified setup of security-enabled home networks, radio performance, convergence with cellular, and high throughput.

This white paper explains some of the unique elements of the Wi-Fi Alliance certification program and the certification process, and provides insight into how the program is evolving.

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