"How can manufacturers cope with the confusion and promise surrounding the future of 802.11 and the Draft-N Standard?
The crucial interoperability of wireless network devices built around the 802.11 standard is threatened by the advent of new and faster technologies. The IEEE is trying to cope by introducing the 802.11n standard-but it's still in draft form. Meanwhile, how can manufacturers cope with the confusion and promise surrounding 802.11's future? The situation is outlined, and a forward path, based on strategic testing, is proposed."
Future-Forward to 802.11 n The Testing Challenge in Wireless Networking White Paper | Copyright Lionbridge 2009
White Paper | Copyright Lionbridge 2009 | WP-538-0309-2|Page 1 White Paper
At a Glance How can manufacturers cope with the confusion and promise surrounding the future of 802.11 and the Draft-N Standard?
Abstract The crucial interoperability of wireless network devices built around the 802.11 standard is threatened by the advent of new and faster technologies. The IEEE is trying to cope by introducing the 802.11n standard-but it's still in draft form. Meanwhile, how can manufacturers cope with the confusion and promise surrounding 802.11's future? The situation is outlined, and a forward path, based on strategic testing, is proposed.
The Situation Wireless networking has been the most rapidly-adopted technical innovation since broadband access to the home. Beyond its intrinsic utility, wireless networking shares an appealing feature with the Internet itself: interoperability. Wireless networking promises that everyone's products-even products that compete against one another-will work together in the same environment, by the same technical standards. The standards for virtually all wireless network technology today are based on a group of documents referred to collectively as Specification 802.11. This standard is maintained and amended by a steering committee controlled by the Institute of Electrical & Electronic Engineers (IEEE), which is an industry-wide professional association with more than 300,000 members. The technology has evolved fast enough to justify amendments to the 802.11 specification, periodically introduced and implemented by the IEEE organization. These updates to the specification are appended with a letter, with the latest currently accepted standard being ?g,? or ?802.11g? in IEEE parlance. Not all amendments to the specification end up being released into the industry, and the currently planned successor to the 802.11g specification is 802.11n. It's critical that all revisions to the 802.11 wireless specifications not break compatibility: one 802.11 device should work with any other 802.11 device, regardless of the amendment each device was designed to follow. This interoperability assures users in consumer and commercial markets that they can commit to an investment in wireless technology, believing they will not be isolated from the modern networked world by developments in the marketplace after that investment. Recent breakthroughs in wireless networking technology not implemented in any 802.11 standard include MIMO (Multiple In-Multiple-Out), spatial filtering, and multiple antennas. These technologies have made possible devices with real-world bandwidth and range performance an order of magnitude better than any standardized 802.11 technology can currently offer. MIMO is especially significant, as it introduces more than one transmitter and receiver operating between
White Paper | Copyright Lionbridge 2009 | WP-538-0309-2|Page 2
two devices, and spatial filtering enables the wireless devices to detect reflected as well as line-of-sight (LOS) signals. These features are not an evolution of the 802.11 standard, but entirely new additions to the technical specification with no previous counterparts in any consumer networking technology, wireless or otherwise. Recognizing these developments, the IEEE started an internal working group in 2004 known as ?TGn? to implement a technical amendment to the 802.11 specification referred to as ?draft N.? The ?draft? term indicates this standard is neither finalized nor official. Despite considerable progress, the N release has encountered many difficulties. Originally intended to be finalized in late 2006, the N specification for 802.11 is projected to be finalized and official in December of 2009. Unfortunately, the marketplace moves faster than steering committees. Numerous companies in the wireless networking marketplace have developed and marketed wireless networking devices based on previous draft iterations of the N specification. Industry trade groups such as the Wi-Fi Alliance have implemented their own compliance programs to ensure interoperability of the new ?draft-N? devices, but these programs are based on draft specifications, which could be considerably differ... [download for more]
