Wireless LAN Interoperability Forum Announces 802.11 Interoperability Testing Results
CHICAGO — October 4, 1999 — The Wireless LAN Interoperability Forum (WLI Forum) today announced results from the industry's first IEEE 802.11 interoperability test suites for certification, with assistance from the University of New Hampshire Interoperability Lab (UNH-IOL). The WLI Forum Buyer's Guide, highlighting these test results, will be available at the SCANTECH tradeshow, in Chicago, Oct. 5-7, at the Rosemont Convention Center. WLI Forum addresses the growing concern of multiple vendors utilizing proprietary standards. With IT managers in mind, the Buyer's Guide will assist customers in building an interoperable 802.11 wireless network, saving IT managers considerable time and money.
The WLI Forum 802.11 Buyer's Guide is intended to provide an overview of the IEEE 802.11 interoperability testing, company and certified product listing, and an explanation of the certification conditions for end users. Five companies including Intermec, Maxtech, Teklogix, Citadel, and Proxim participated in WLI Forum's testing and certification program for the direct sequence and frequency hopping spread spectrum standards supporting the 1-and 2-Mbps data rates.
The WLI Forum is the industry's only established organization focused solely on increasing the growth of the wireless LAN industry by delivering interoperable solutions. WLI Forum members currently deliver the broadest range of interoperable products via the OpenAir standard, established in 1996. Currently, WLI Forum member companies have certified more than 40 products, including mobile computers and portable devices, which interoperate under the OpenAir standard. "The WLI Forum is the only interoperability association that utilizes an independent testing house and tests multiple standards.
Our goal is to provide customers with the most accurate information to make educated purchasing decisions," says WLI Forum Chairman Michael Jones of Intermec Technologies Corporation. "These results will provide wireless LAN customers a variety of technologies that are certified to work within their existing infrastructure ensuring a greater ROI on their wireless investment by saving time and money."
About IEEE 802.11
IEEE 802.11 was first conceived in 1990 and ratified as a standard by the Institute of Electrical and Electronic Engineering in 1997. IEEE 802.11 defines three physical (PHY) characteristics for wireless LANs — diffused infrared, and direct sequencing and frequency hopping spread spectrum, the latter two networks operating at the 2.4 GHz band. While all these standards support the same media access control (MAC) protocol, the PHY layers are different and do not offer over-the-air compatibility. The standard supports 1- and 2-Mbps data rates, and work is underway with the IEEE 802.11 Working Group for higher speed standards in the 2.4 GHz and 5 GHz frequency bands. These new standards are expected to be completed next year.
About the Wireless LAN Interoperability Forum
The WLI Forum is a nonprofit organization founded in 1996 to promote the growth of the wireless LAN industry by delivering interoperable products and services at all levels of the value chain. The WLI Forum actively supports the development of all standards that foster interoperability and industry growth. Currently, the WLI Forum is providing the OpenAir specification that allows independent parties to develop compatible products. To ensure interoperability, the WLI Forum has defined a clear method of testing and labeling OpenAir-certification and 802.11-certified products through the national independent test lab XXCAL Testing Laboratories. With technical oversight from the University of New Hampshire Interoperability Lab, the WLI Forum technical committee has developed and ratified interoperability test suites for both the IEEE 802.11 frequency hopping and direct sequencing standards. For more information, see www.wlif.com. Membership is open to all companies that develop, manufacture or sell open specification-compatible wireless LAN products, or plan to do so.
For more information about membership, call Mike Jones, WLI Forum Chairman, at 425/348-2681. WLI Forum members include Citadel, Data General, Fujitsu Personal Systems, Hand Held Products, Hewlett-Packard, IBM, IDWare, Intermec, Kansai, Kinetic Computer, LXE, MaxTech, Mitsubishi Electronics America, Monarch Marketing Systems, Motorola, NEC-CSD, Percon, Proxim, Sharp, Symbionics, Ltd., Telos, and TX-COM SA.
All company and product brand names mentioned are trademarks or registered trademarks of their respective companies.
SCANTECH
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