Faster Wi-Fi Hits Hurdles New Devices for Improved Technology Lack a Unifying Standard
By DON CLARK June 13, 2006; Page B3
Today's wireless networks struggle with some jobs, such as sending high-definition video signals from a personal computer to a television set. Companies have been racing for years to fix the problem.
But they can't agree on whether the race is over.
Computer equipment makers this spring introduced devices incorporating a faster version of Wi-Fi, the wireless technology commonplace in laptop computers. But chips in those devices were based on interpretations of an unfinished set of technology specifications.
Among the results: The new devices often can't communicate with one another at their intended top speeds.
The Wi-Fi Alliance, an industry organization that tries to ensure products work together, is withholding its endorsement of any of the new products until a formal standard is approved -- a milestone not expected until next year.