Certification program expanded to include Near-Field Communication method
to set up and protect Wi-Fi networks
AUSTIN, Texas, Feb. 11 /PRNewswire/ -- The Wi-Fi Alliance today
announced that more than 200 products have achieved the Wi-Fi CERTIFIED(TM)
seal of approval for Wi-Fi Protected Setup. This program, launched in
January 2007, helps consumer and small-business users more easily set up
Wi-Fi networks with strong security protections. The 200-product milestone
reflects wide industry commitment to delivering the best user experience
with Wi-Fi technology.
Products certified for Wi-Fi Protected Setup include dual-mode
Wi-Fi/cellular phones, Wi-Fi enabled printers, and more than 80 products
featuring next-generation Wi-Fi CERTIFIED 802.11n draft 2.0 technology.
More than half of the devices are also certified for WMM(R) (Wi-Fi
Multimedia) Quality of Service, which optimizes them for voice, gaming, and
multimedia applications.
"As consumers increasingly demand Wi-Fi connectivity, not just in
laptops, but also in phones and entertainment devices, it's more important
than ever that it be easy to connect and protect those devices," said Wi-Fi
Alliance executive director Edgar Figueroa. "Wi-Fi Protected Setup reduces
by half the steps involved in setting up a Wi-Fi network, and consumers
should look for Wi-Fi Protected Setup icon on products bearing the Wi-Fi
CERTIFIED logo."
"Because it dramatically eases the network configuration process, Wi-Fi
Protected Setup enables further proliferation of Wi-Fi in consumer
electronics and handsets," said Kurt Scherf, vice president and principal
analyst with Parks Associates. "We expect more and more of those devices to
ship with Wi-Fi on board, and it's good to see that the industry has
embraced this tool to make Wi-Fi easier for consumers to set up."
The organization has also launched testing support for NFC (Near-Field
Communication) as an additional Wi-Fi Protected Setup network configuration
method. In the NFC method, a user touches a card or token to designated
areas on an access point and a client device to connect them. NFC joins two
previously-tested mechanisms, push-button and PIN entry, to simplify the
process of joining devices to a security-enabled Wi-Fi network.
Like the push-button method, the NFC technique is especially useful to
connect devices that don't have a keyboard-oriented user interface, such as
cameras, gaming devices, and other consumer electronics. Manufacturers now
have even more flexibility in how to deploy Wi-Fi Protected Setup,
ultimately giving consumers more choice when they buy Wi-Fi CERTIFIED
phones and consumer electronics.
A list of all products Wi-Fi CERTIFIED for Wi-Fi Protected Setup, as
well as a free white paper which describes the specification in detail, is
available at http://www.wi-fi.org.
About the Wi-Fi Alliance
The Wi-Fi Alliance is a global, non-profit industry association of more
than 300 member companies devoted to promoting the growth of wireless Local
Area Networks (WLANs). With the aim of enhancing the user experience for
wireless portable, mobile, and home entertainment devices, the Wi-Fi
Alliance's testing and certification programs help ensure the
interoperability of WLAN products based on the IEEE 802.11 specification.
Since the introduction of the Wi-Fi Alliance's certification program in
March 2000, more than 4,000 products have been designated as Wi-Fi
CERTIFIED(TM), encouraging the expanded use of Wi-Fi products and services
across the consumer and enterprise markets.
Wi-Fi(R), Wi-Fi Alliance(R), WMM(R), the Wi-Fi CERTIFIED logo, the
Wi-Fi logo, and the Wi-Fi ZONE logo are registered trademarks of the Wi-Fi
Alliance; Wi-Fi CERTIFIED(TM), Wi-Fi Protected Setup(TM), Wi-Fi Protected
Access (WPA)(TM), Wi-Fi Multimedia(TM), and the Wi-Fi Alliance logo are
trademarks of the Wi-Fi Alliance.
|
