Upgrading and Repairing Networks

Why Wi-Fi?

The Wireless Ethernet Compatibility Alliance, now known as the Wi-Fi Alliance, was formed specifically to test 802.11-based wireless network products from different manufacturers to ensure interoperability. The brand name chosen by the Wi-Fi Alliance for these products is Wi-Fi (Wireless Fidelity). You can access the organization's Web site at www.weca.net or www.wi-fi.org.

Although the Wi-Fi Alliance was originally created to encourage testing for interoperability for 802.11b products, the scope of the organization has continued to expand to include new wireless products and standards. Table 19.3 lists the current certifications supported by the Wi-Fi Alliance.

Table 19.3. Wi-Fi Alliance Certifications

Certification	Type	Features/Definition	Notes
IEEE 802.11a	Wireless Ethernet	5GHz frequency, 54Mbps maximum signal rate	See also IEEE 802.11d and IEEE 802.11h certifications
IEEE 802.11b		2.4GHz frequency, 11Mbps maximum signal rate	Compatible with 802.11g
IEEE 802.11g		2.4GHz frequency, 54Mbps maximum signal rate	Backward-compatible with 802.11b; see also IEEE 802.11d and IEEE 802.11h certifications
IEEE 802.11d	Optional WLAN features	Enables configuration changes to Media Access Control (MAC) layer to meet requirements of different countries	Supported by some 802.11a and multimode (802.11a/g) hardware
IEEE 802.11h		Dynamic frequency selection (DFS) and Transmit power control (TPC) to improve coexistence between 802.11a and other 5GHz RF devices	Supported by some 802.11a and multimode (802.11a/g) hardware
WPA Enterprise	Security	Uses 802.1x authentication with TKIP encryption and an authentication server	See also WPA2 Enterprise
WPA Personal		Uses a shared key with TKIP encryption	See also WPA2 - Personal
WPA2 Enterprise		Improved version of WPA Enterprise using AES encryption	Based on IEEE 802.11i
WPA2 Personal		Improved version of WPA Personal using AES encryption	Based on IEEE 802.11i
EAP-TLS		Extensible Authentication Protocol Transport Layer Security	Used for WPA/Enterprise authentication
EAP-TTLS/MSCHAPv2		EAP-Tunneled TLS/Microsoft Challenge Authentication Handshake Protocol	Used for WPA/WPA2 Enterprise authentication
EAP-SIM		Version of EAP for GSM-based mobile phone services	Used for WPA/WPA2 Enterprise authentication
WMM	Multimedia	Certification for VoIP and various types of media players; prioritizes traffic into four categories (voice, video, best effort, background)	Subset of 802.11e WLAN Quality of Service (QoS) draft standard

Because of the popularity of Wi-Fi Certification, many 802.11-compatible products are now referred to as Wi-Fi products, even if they have not passed Wi-Fi Alliance testing. However, only products that have passed Wi-Fi Alliance certification testing are permitted to use the Wi-Fi Certified logo. Thus, when you hear a product advertised as Wi-Fi Certified, you can be assured that it's based on one of the IEEE 802.11 standards supported by the Wi-Fi Alliance and that it should work with other products that have the Wi-Fi logo and use the same frequency.