Super Wi-Fi Isn't Really Wi-Fi

adeelarshad82 writes "As reported yesterday lucky residents of Wilmington, N.C., will be the first in the nation to have access to a 'Super Wi-Fi' network. However, the only issue is that Super Wi-Fi isn't really Wi-Fi: Mobile analyst Sascha Segan explains the difference and also gets into why it's incorrectly being dubbed as Super Wi-Fi."

Comments

Apparently not even compatible?

[Anonymous Coward]

I think if something is to be called Wifi, it should at least work with most of the Wifi devices out there.

If it is yet another compatible implementation of the 802.11 family of protocols using the same spectrum, it is okay.

If it is 802.11 on a different part of the spectrum, calling it wifi is a stretch.

If it is 802.22, then it isn't wifi at all. Calling it so can cause user confusion.

Re:'wireless' is generic, wifi is not!

[gstrickler]

Agreed, even ignoring the obvious trademark issues and lack of compatibility, Wi-Fi has never been the generic term. Wi-Fi didn't exist until the Wi-Fi Alliance created the term specifically to promote inter-operable 802.11a/b/g products. Wireless is the generic term.

Wi-Fi, WiMAX, LTE, Bluetooth, and other such terms are specific implementations of wireless data communications. None of those inter-operate with the others, but they don't interfere with each other either so they can be used concurrently. If the "Wireless Innovation Alliance" doesn't know that, then they're ignorant. If they do know it, then they've deliberately violated a competitor's registered trademark and opened themselves to a lawsuit that could potentially end their group before they really get started. It's unlikely that will happen. The appropriate response when called-out on it would have been something like "We're sorry, we will use another term.", not the insolent BS response claiming "The term 'wifi' has always been a general term for the family of 802.11 protocols...."