Next-Generation Wi-Fi a Reality With More Than 95 Products Wi-Fi Certified(TM) for Draft 802.11n

Next-Generation Wi-Fi a Reality With More Than 95 Products Wi-Fi Certified(TM) for Draft 802.11n

September 25, 2007

Products certified by the Wi-Fi Alliance(R) support rich
multimedia devices for home, small office and enterprise
networks

    AUSTIN, Texas and BEIJING, Sept. 25 /Xinhua-PRNewswire/
-- The Wi-Fi Alliance today announced that more than 90
next-generation 802.11n draft 2.0 products have been Wi-Fi
CERTIFIED(TM) since the organization's testing program
began just three months ago. This first wave of products,
which include access points, laptop computers, routers and
wireless networking cards, enable consumer and enterprise
users to select from a growing number of interoperable
next-generation Wi-Fi gear.

    "Wi-Fi is a pervasive wireless technology used by
more than 350 million people at more than 200,000 public
hotspots, millions of homes and businesses worldwide,"
said Wi-Fi Alliance Senior Director Karen Hanley.
"Wi-Fi CERTIFIED 802.11n draft 2.0 products are
transforming the wireless landscape by combining increased
throughput and range in products that have passed rigorous
tests for interoperability. We expect the rate of adoption
of next-generation Wi-Fi will continue to accelerate in new
devices and multi-media applications."

    802.11n enables Wi-Fi networks to do more, faster, and
over a larger area.  ABI Research forecasts more than 90
percent of Wi-Fi chipset shipments will support 802.11n in
2012. "For many, 802.11n will revolutionize the way
Wi-Fi is deployed and enjoyed, enabling larger data-heavy
applications, including video," said Phil Solis,
principal analyst at ABI Research. "At the same time
we expect that many people who have not previously tried
Wi-Fi will, substantially growing the market."

    802.11n is based on the MIMO
(Multiple-Input-Multiple-Output) air interface technology,
which employs multiple receivers and transmitters to
transport two or more data streams simultaneously in the
same frequency channel. Wi-Fi CERTIFIED 802.11n draft 2.0
products can achieve data rates of up to 300 Mbps,
providing the best wireless connection available for
enterprise and home networks alike -- delivering the range,
bandwidth, and performance today's multimedia applications
and products require.  

    Companies that have been first to achieve 802.11n draft
2.0 certifications include the following: 

    Accton Technology      Conexant Systems,      
Metalink
      Corporation            Inc.                  NEC
Corporation
    Apple Inc.             D-Link Corporation/     Netgear
    Atheros                D-Link Systems, Inc.    Planex
      Communications       Edimax Technology        
Communications Inc.
    AsusTek Computer Inc.  Fujitsu Computer        Ralink
Technology,
    AzureWave                Systems Corporation     Corp.
      Technologies Inc.    Hewlett-Packard         Realtek
    Belkin International,    Development Company    
Semiconductor Corp.
      Inc.                 Intel Corporation       SMC
Networks, Inc.
    Broadcom Corporation   Lenovo                  Sony
Corporation
    Buffalo Technology,    Linksys                 Toshiba
America, Inc.
      Inc.                 Marvell Technology      Z-com,
Inc.
    Cisco Systems, Inc.      Group Ltd.


    Consumer and enterprise users should look for the Wi-Fi
CERTIFIED logo or certification validation when purchasing
802.11n draft 2.0 products. Wi-Fi CERTIFIED products are
tested for interoperability, adherence to WPA2(TM) 
(Wi-Fi Protected Access(TM)) security protocols and
backward compatibility with 802.11a/b/g. WMM(R) (Wi-Fi
Multimedia(TM)) quality of service is also part of the
testing program, helping to ensure the best user experience
with applications such as voice, video and gaming. This
testing and the Wi-Fi CERTIFIED "seal of
approval" indicate to Wi-Fi users that their Wi-Fi
CERTIFIED products have been tested to work together.

    The Wi-Fi Alliance plans to certify products based on
the final version of the 802.11n standard once ratified by
the IEEE (Institute of Electrical and Electronics
Engineers). 

    A list of all Wi-Fi CERTIFIED 802.11n draft 2.0
products and free white papers on 802.11n technology are
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
mobile wireless devices, the Wi-Fi Alliance's testing and
certification programs 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 3,500 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. More information is available at
http://www.wi-fi.org.

    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(TM) (WPA(TM)), Wi-Fi Multimedia(TM), and the Wi-Fi
Alliance logo are trademarks of the Wi-Fi Alliance.



    For more information, please contact:

     Dominic Ybarra
     Edelman
     Tel:   [phone]
     Email: [e-mail]