802.11n Wi-Fi to go unchanged in final spec
updated 11:35 am EDT, Thu July 23, 2009
802 11n WiFi Same in Final
The Wi-Fi Alliance on Thursday said that the final version of the 802.11n Wi-Fi standard should effectively remain the same as it is in the Draft 2.0 spec. The organization says that the test program for the finished version will only have some "optional additions" to support some minor new features. Choosing the conservative approach will result in most Draft 2.0 devices already supporting the final 802.11n format without any changes or even having to change logos.
In addition to detailing the absence of changes, the group also confirmed that the complete 802.11n standard will be approved in September and added that the first products should start testing against the new version later that same month.
802.11n has been extensively delayed in part through conflicting approaches that ultimately pushed the IEEE and the Wi-Fi Alliance to start certifying for Draft 2.0 in March 2007. The technology promises a much higher theoretical peak speed of 300Mbps (versus 54Mbps for 802.11g) and supports MIMO (multiple in, multiple out) antennas both to extend range and to keep speed higher towards the outer edges of service. In real-world conditions, maximum speeds are typically between 80Mbps and 100Mbps and are fast enough to handle faster Internet connections, such as 50Mbps Comcast and Verizon services, without bottlenecks on the local network.
