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IEEE Approves 802.11n Wi-Fi Standard
alphadogg writes "The IEEE has finally approved the 802.11n high-throughput wireless LAN standard. Bruce Kraemer, the long-time chairman of the 802.11n Task Group (part of the 802.11 Working Group, which oversees the WLAN standards), has sent out a notification to a listserv for task group members, which includes a wide range of Wi-Fi chip makers, software developers, and equipment vendors. A press release is available now as well. This process began in 2002."
Gee thanks. Appreciate the timely response, Bruce. I'm glad the 802.11n Task Group was so on this project that they got the 802.11n standard finally approved years after all vendors have already been making products. Yeah, thanks.
Next time... I don't know... maybe define the standard in a reasonable time frame, not 5 years after the fact.
now how long will it be before anyone actually supports the standard.
So what? There have been Wireless-N products out now for quite a long time. Who gives a flippin' **** about the official approval of the format? It's not like the manufacturers will go back and update the firmware on the older devices. They'll just put out new products, brand them as "Official Wireless-N", and drop support for older equipment which may or not work as well.
I expect to extend the celebration of the success , (while we continue work on the other amendments in process ) when we convene in Hawaii two weeks from now.
It only took seven years to get this far...may as well go relax.
I'm very jealous of that time table.
0 = 1 + e^(Alt something)
LOL - sounds like where I work. What about these new fangled 3.5 inch disks - are they ready to replace low density 5.25 inchers? You can't rush these things, otherwise there'll be too much choice.
Now they can finally optimize Duke Nukem Forever's network code to utilize this new standard at LAN parties!
I'm assuming that if it had been as simple as "take their legos and play elsewhere" (ie replace CSIRO patented technology), they would have done so. The article was written before CSIRO refused to sign the agreements, and before they secretly negotiated what amounted to licensing agreements with a number of top manufacturers.
Interestingly, someone just revised the Wikipedia article by wholesale-deleting any references to patent issues, CSIRO, or their licensing "settlements".
What is annoying is that I had to give up trying to find information on WHAT the infringements were. Nobody seems to know, or want to say.
Please help metamoderate.
They built the products early because the IEEE was dragging their feet on the final approval. The IEEE defined the standard exceptionally late - that's WHY the vendors built early. You've got the cause and effect totally reversed.
And it's not like the vendors had anything to do with the delay. They certainly worked together in a harmonious fashion without trying to push their own technological agenda into the working group. /sarcasm
Who do you think was in the IEEE effort? It was the vendors themselves. Just look at the 802.11 member list:
http://www.ieee802.org/11/Voters/votingmembers.htm
It was the members themselves that couldn't decide between the competing technologies (TGn Sync and WWiSE):
http://www.wi-fiplanet.com/news/article.php/3490926
http://www.networkworld.com/net.worker/news/2005/020705netleadside.html
The IEEE is not some ivory tower institution sending down standards from the clouds like Zeus and his lightning bolts. It is made up of members, and those members are sponsored by their employers to work on these standards (and there may even be a few "independents" as well).
The IEEE took a long time to come to a consensus because the vendors (through their paid employees) took a long time to come to a consensus.
All IEEE 802 standards are available for free:
http://standards.ieee.org/getieee802/
http://standards.ieee.org/getieee802/portfolio.html
Besides, what's wrong with them charging for it? Even a non-profit has bills to pay.
(And 802.11-2007 is 1184 pages.)