Wireless Home Networking - Index of

choose the flavor that best fits your needs and budget. (Note: There are
other wireless standards, such as Bluetooth for short-range communications,
for other applications in the home. We talk about these standards in Chapter 3
and elsewhere wherever their discussion is appropriate.)
The Institute for Electrical
and Electronics Engineers
The Institute for Electrical and Electronics Engineers (IEEE) is a standardsmaking
industry group that has for many years been developing industry
standards that affect the electrical products we use in our homes and businesses.
At present, the IEEE 802.11g standard is the overwhelming market
leader in terms of deployed wireless networking products. Products that
comply with this standard weren’t the first wireless networking technology
on the market — but they are now, by far, the dominant market-installed
base. As you will soon see, however, the new generation of 802.11n products
are entering the market and will eventually replace 802.11g.
The Wi-Fi Alliance
Chapter 2: From a to n and b-yond
In 1999, several leading wireless networking companies formed the Wireless
Ethernet Compatibility Alliance (WECA), a nonprofit organization (www.
weca.net). This group has recently renamed itself the Wi-Fi Alliance and is
now a voluntary organization of more than 200 companies that make or support
wireless networking products. The primary purpose of the Wi-Fi Alliance
is to certify that IEEE 802.11 products from different vendors interoperate (work
together). These companies recognize the value of building a high level of consumer
confidence in the interoperability of wireless networking products.
The Wi-Fi Alliance organization has established a test suite that defines how
member products will be tested by an independent test lab. Products that
pass these tests are entitled to display the Wi-Fi trademark, which is a seal of
interoperability. Although no technical requirement in the IEEE specifications
states that a product must pass these tests, Wi-Fi certification encourages
consumer confidence that products from different vendors will work together.
The Wi-Fi interoperability tests are designed to ensure that hardware from
different vendors can successfully establish a communication session with
an acceptable level of functionality. The test plan includes a list of necessary
features. The features themselves are defined in detail in the IEEE 802.11 standards,
but the test plan specifies an expected implementation.
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