WiFi 5 (802.11a) Wireless standard is dead in the water?

~~David~~ · Oct 7, 2002, 03:40 PM

The name "Wi-Fi5" has died a quiet death.
Wi-Fi5 was the moniker the Wi-Fi Alliance planned to give any wireless networking product it certified that used the 802.11a standard.

But Thursday, the alliance--an association of companies that certifies whether wireless local area networking products meet Institute of Electrical and Electronic Engineers (IEEE) standards--scrapped those plans. It instead decided to call the new products "Wi-Fi," the same name it gives certified equipment based on the 802.11b standard, said Wi-Fi Alliance President Dennis Eaton.

Those who got an early glimpse of the Wi-Fi5 name on certification labels didn't get it, Eaton said. It left them wondering, "what happened to WiFi2, WiF3 and Wi-Fi4," Eaton said. But those technologies don't exist. The "5" in Wi-Fi5 referred to the 5GHz radio frequency that 802.11a uses. 802.11b equipment operates within the 2.4GHz radio frequency.

Read the full story HERE

Oct 7, 2002, 03:40 PM	#1
~~David~~ Banned Join Date: May 2002 Location: Atlanta Posts: 959 Rep Power: 0	WiFi 5 (802.11a) Wireless standard is dead in the water? The name "Wi-Fi5" has died a quiet death. Wi-Fi5 was the moniker the Wi-Fi Alliance planned to give any wireless networking product it certified that used the 802.11a standard. But Thursday, the alliance--an association of companies that certifies whether wireless local area networking products meet Institute of Electrical and Electronic Engineers (IEEE) standards--scrapped those plans. It instead decided to call the new products "Wi-Fi," the same name it gives certified equipment based on the 802.11b standard, said Wi-Fi Alliance President Dennis Eaton. Those who got an early glimpse of the Wi-Fi5 name on certification labels didn't get it, Eaton said. It left them wondering, "what happened to WiFi2, WiF3 and Wi-Fi4," Eaton said. But those technologies don't exist. The "5" in Wi-Fi5 referred to the 5GHz radio frequency that 802.11a uses. 802.11b equipment operates within the 2.4GHz radio frequency. Read the full story HERE