N-game: After seven years, ratification of 802.11n is mostly a formality

Recently we were treated to the news that the Institute of Electrical and Electronics Engineers (IEEE) had achieved final ratification of the 802.11n-2009 amendment to its wireless networking standard. Approval came seven years to the day after the gavel banged at the first meeting to discuss the need for a change in wireless technology, although actual work toward this goal didn’t start for more than a year after that. It makes a kind of perverse sense that the fastest wireless technology was the slowest to be finalized.

Of course, development might have gone a bit faster if practically every major IT manufacturer in the world hadn’t been suing the Commonwealth Scientific and Industrial Research Organisation over certain patent issues in 2007. The suits prevented the Australia-based CSIRO, a major contributor to 802.11a, g, and n, from assuring the IEEE in writing that no lawsuits would be filed against anyone implementing the 802.11n standard. This pretty much meant that no amendment would be published until these lawsuits were resolved. They finally were earlier this year.

So, now, after 11 major revisions and six years of hard work, the “wireless-n” amendment is finally ratified, to be published in mid-October. So what does this mean to the industry at-large? Not too terribly much, in my opinion.

See, back in 2007, just before the lawsuit reared its ugly head, the Wi-Fi Alliance (the trade association for wireless manufacturers) put forth an official interoperability certification for the Draft 2.0 of 802.11n. At that point, many manufacturers put out “Pre-N” or “Draft-N” devices, and GCN was right in there reviewing them. Even though there have been nine new drafts since then, the basic functionality has not changed; only some new features have been added.

So, while they may have some new bells and whistles, the new generation of 802.11n appliances will still work basically the same as last year, or the year before. Of course, there will be more of them, as previously gun-shy manufacturers will now be churning them out.

I can only hope that the next amendment that improves wireless throughput doesn’t take nearly as long.

Posted by Greg Crowe on Sep 28, 2009 at 2:59 PM