Exceptional network discovery, rapid authentication, and outstanding Wi-Fi network efficiency

Austin, TX – February 19, 2018 – Wi-Fi CERTIFIED Optimized Connectivity™ is a new Wi-Fi Alliance® certification program that optimizes the process of discovering Wi-Fi® networks, establishing connectivity, and ensuring users are best connected as they move across access points (APs) serving the same or different networks. Wi-Fi Optimized Connectivity™ brings mobile device users a more seamless connectivity experience across Wi-Fi networks and delivers high-quality connections and improved quality of experience. A core component of Wi-Fi CERTIFIED Vantage™, Wi-Fi Optimized Connectivity brings greater manageability and mobility in Wi-Fi networks and opens new opportunities for service providers to increase network coverage while providing high-level service.

Based on the global standards IEEE 802.11ai, 802.11k, and on Wi-Fi Alliance defined technologies, Wi-Fi Optimized Connectivity brings a harmonized approach to ensuring users are connected to the best quality Wi-Fi network. Wi-Fi Optimized Connectivity leverages the benefits of Wi-Fi CERTIFIED Agile Multiband™. Key benefits of Wi-Fi Optimized Connectivity include:

• Optimized network discovery enables client devices to quickly discover available networks
• Standardized link quality assessment helps client devices determine the most appropriate AP or network that will deliver the best connection
• Optimized authentication reduces overhead and enables faster initial authentication to a Wi-Fi network
• Streamlined transmissions allow devices to spend less time responding to network management traffic overhead and more time moving user data

“Wi-Fi Optimized Connectivity enables users to experience more consistent connections when roaming within and across Wi-Fi networks,” said Edgar Figueroa, president and CEO of Wi-Fi Alliance. “Wi-Fi Alliance continues to introduce new tools in its portfolio that improve mobility, manageability, and performance in Wi-Fi networks.”

The first Wi-Fi CERTIFIED Optimized Connectivity devices which comprise the test bed for interoperability certification are:

• Broadcom BCM4361 11ac STA Reference Design
• Intel® DUAL BAND WIRELESS-AC 8265
• Intel® Home Wi-Fi Chipset WAV500 Series
• Marvell 802.11ac Wave2 Wi-Fi Test Bed Evaluation Kit
• Qualcomm® Home Networking Wi-Fi AC4 chipset

For more information, including a technology overview and technology highlights, please visit: https://www.wi-fi.org/discover-wi-fi/wi-fi-vantage.

About Wi-Fi Alliance®
www.wi-fi.org
Wi-Fi Alliance® is the worldwide network of companies that brings you Wi-Fi®. Members of our collaboration forum come together from across the Wi-Fi ecosystem with the shared vision to connect everyone and everything, everywhere, while providing the best possible user experience. Since 2000, Wi-Fi Alliance has completed more than 40,000 Wi-Fi certifications. The Wi-Fi CERTIFIED seal of approval designates products with proven interoperability, backward compatibility, and the highest industry-standard security protections in place. Today, Wi-Fi carries more than half of the internet’s traffic in an ever-expanding variety of applications. Wi-Fi Alliance continues to drive the adoption and evolution of Wi-Fi, which billions of people rely on every day.

Media contacts:
Stephanie Burke
Highwire PR for Wi-Fi Alliance
wi-fi@highwirepr.com
+1-646-838-1190 ext. 48

New Wi-Fi® security features available in 2018

Las Vegas, NV – January 8, 2018 – Wi-Fi Alliance® introduces enhancements and new features for Wi-Fi Protected Access®, the essential family of Wi-Fi CERTIFIED™ security technologies for more than a decade. Wi-Fi Alliance is launching configuration, authentication, and encryption enhancements across its portfolio to ensure Wi-Fi CERTIFIED devices continue to implement state of the art security protections.

WPA2™ provides reliable security used in billions of Wi-Fi® devices every day, and will continue to be deployed in Wi-Fi CERTIFIED devices for the foreseeable future. Wi-Fi Alliance will continue enhancing WPA2 to ensure it delivers strong security protections to Wi-Fi users as the security landscape evolves. Advanced Wi-Fi applications will rely on WPA2 with Protected Management Frames, broadly adopted in the current generation of Wi-Fi CERTIFIED devices, to maintain the resiliency of mission-critical networks. New testing enhancements will also reduce the potential for vulnerabilities due to network misconfiguration, and further safeguard managed networks with centralized authentication services.

Building on the widespread adoption and success of WPA2, Wi-Fi Alliance will also deliver a suite of features to simplify Wi-Fi security configuration for users and service providers, while enhancing Wi-Fi network security protections. Four new capabilities for personal and enterprise Wi-Fi networks will emerge in 2018 as part of Wi-Fi CERTIFIED WPA3™. Two of the features will deliver robust protections even when users choose passwords that fall short of typical complexity recommendations, and will simplify the process of configuring security for devices that have limited or no display interface. Another feature will strengthen user privacy in open networks through individualized data encryption. Finally, a 192-bit security suite, aligned with the Commercial National Security Algorithm (CNSA) Suite from the Committee on National Security Systems, will further protect Wi-Fi networks with higher security requirements such as government, defense, and industrial.

“Security is a foundation of Wi-Fi Alliance certification programs, and we are excited to introduce new features to the Wi-Fi CERTIFIED family of security solutions,” said Edgar Figueroa, president and CEO of Wi-Fi Alliance. “The Wi-Fi CERTIFIED designation means Wi-Fi devices meet the highest standards for interoperability and security protections.”

“Wi-Fi security technologies may live for decades, so it’s important they are continually updated to ensure they meet the needs of the Wi-Fi industry,” said Joe Hoffman, SAR Insight & Consulting. “Wi-Fi is evolving to maintain its high-level of security as industry demands increase.”

About Wi-Fi Alliance®
www.wi-fi.org
Wi-Fi Alliance® is the worldwide network of companies that brings you Wi-Fi®. Members of our collaboration forum come together from across the Wi-Fi ecosystem with the shared vision to connect everyone and everything, everywhere, while providing the best possible user experience. Since 2000, Wi-Fi Alliance has certified more than 35,000 Wi-Fi products. The Wi-Fi CERTIFIED™ seal of approval designates products with proven interoperability, backward compatibility, and the highest industry-standard security protections in place. Today, Wi-Fi carries more than half of the internet’s traffic in an ever-expanding variety of applications. Wi-Fi Alliance continues to drive the adoption and evolution of Wi-Fi, which billions of people rely on every day.

Media contacts: 
Stephanie Burke
Highwire PR for Wi-Fi Alliance
wi-fi@highwirepr.com
+1-646-838-1190 ext. 48

Advances in home Wi-Fi, enhanced capabilities, and next generation connectivity coming soon

Las Vegas, NV, January 5, 2018 – The Wi-Fi® industry is not slowing down, and 2018 will see cumulative device shipments surpassing 20 billion units (ABI Research). With more than three billion devices shipping in 2018 and an installed base reaching 9.5 billion, Wi-Fi continues to impact everything from home networking and retail applications to critical business operations around the world. 2018 will present numerous exciting Wi-Fi enhancements, further improving security, capacity, and performance.

The home becomes an enterprise network.

Wi-Fi is the digital foundation of the home, and the industry is incorporating best practices from enterprise network deployments into the home. With the emergence of popular personal assistants and everyday connected "things" to next-generation technology such as cordless virtual reality (VR), high-performance Wi-Fi will become even more critical. Wi-Fi Alliance is actively working on a program that will enable Wi-Fi networks to become more sophisticated, bringing a standards-based approach to networks that organize and manage themselves and allowing for greater flexibility and choice in the way Wi-Fi networks are deployed. Wi-Fi CERTIFIED Home Design™, delivering professionally-designed, builder-installed Wi-Fi networks, will bring enterprise design practices to more new home developments. With fixed operators using their own Wi-Fi networks to better control customer experience, managed network features typically associated with stadium, airport, or hotel environments are increasingly making their way into the home. Wi-Fi CERTIFIED Vantage™ will be deployed in more networks and user devices to help service operators differentiate customer experience by bringing a common approach to manageability, mobility, and performance – providing a better experience to users in their own homes.

Global Wi-Fi access expands.

While Wi-Fi is nearly ubiquitous around the world, the reality is that not everyone has high-speed or, in some cases, basic access to Wi-Fi. The Wall Street Journal reports that about 39 percent of the U.S. rural population, or 23 million people, lack access to broadband Internet service, compared with 4 percent of urban residents. Microsoft’s Rural Airband Initiative and Google’s Project Loon are just two examples of the way organizations are looking to address the digital divide, while initiatives like LinkNYC will offer free public Wi-Fi to deliver connectivity to more users. Understanding the broader economic value enabled by Wi-Fi around the world, more companies like Facebook will continue to offer low-cost data packages for fast internet via local hotspots, allowing users to participate in the global economy. Companies and cities will continue to lead the way for high-speed Wi-Fi connectivity, not only in rural areas around the world with limited access, but also in metropolitan areas dealing with congested networks. As Wi-Fi network deployments increase, availability of unlicensed spectrum will become even more critical to support the best user experience and ability to innovate. Enterprises, governments, and users around the world will begin to benefit from $5 trillion in cost savings per year with the adoption of smart city technologies, and new research coming in 2018 will further quantify the value of Wi-Fi worldwide through identification of economic contributions across the globe.

Wi-Fi impacts everyday lifestyle.

Users depend on Wi-Fi every day at home and at work, often in ways they do not even realize. Companies including Amazon, Netflix, Facebook, and major airlines all depend on Wi-Fi to perform daily operations - including same-day shipping, streaming media services, mobile access to social media, and even on-time airline departures. In 2018, the industry will celebrate Wi-Fi’s understated role in society and come together to evaluate Wi-Fi’s broader impact. Users will come to understand the deep impact Wi-Fi plays in critical operations around the world.

Enhancing the retail experience.

Smartphones have become the hub for consumers’ digital lives. According to the Data & Marketing Association, 80 percent of millennials use their phones in-store as part of their purchase process, and recent App Annie data shows that the total time spent in retail apps on Android phones increased by nearly 40 percent over the past 12 months. With operators offloading more than 60 percent of mobile data traffic onto Wi-Fi and its availability in major retail stores, updates to existing Wi-Fi programs will further improve the technology behind emerging shopping experiences. Consumer trends such as voice command purchases through home personal assistants and location-based shopping experiences increase the need for strong Wi-Fi. Augmented Reality (AR) is elevating the consumer experience with its overlay capabilities, enabling shoppers to try on clothes virtually, determine if new furniture will fit and even test out paint colors on walls. Wi-Fi CERTIFIED™ ac brings high-performance to deliver AR capabilities and Wi-Fi CERTIFIED Location™ further optimizes retail experiences by providing location-based information for retailers and consumers. Wi-Fi Aware™ will bring even more benefits for applications to create more personalized retail experiences.

Wi-Fi technologies deliver new capabilities.

2018 will bring new enhancements to Wi-Fi technologies and Wi-Fi Alliance® certification programs. The ongoing Wi-Fi security evolution will continue with enhancements to Wi-Fi Protected Access® coming throughout the year. Users can also expect to see new Wi-Fi protocols to provide simplified onboarding of Wi-Fi devices to home networks, helping more easily connect Wi-Fi devices including sprinklers, light bulbs, and water heaters. Wi-Fi Aware will incorporate new capabilities to enhance peer-to-peer communications by enabling information exchange without a network infrastructure. WiGig® will extend its multi-gigabit speeds and expanded capacity to network infrastructure equipment, enabling service providers to use millimeter wave spectrum for point-to-point connectivity as an alternative to fiber. Power saving features will increase Wi-Fi efficiency in Internet of Things (IoT) scenarios. New enhancements will enable Wi-Fi to expand to new markets and be used in more scenarios than ever before.

The next generation of connectivity emerges.

The next generation of Wi-Fi, 802.11ax, will begin to emerge in an era where nearly everyone and a growing number of “things” are connected to the internet. 802.11ax will deliver greater capacity and the ability to provide more users access to high-bandwidth applications and services. 802.11ax builds on existing Wi-Fi techniques and will bring significant benefits in dense network environments. In 2018, 802.11ax will begin to make its way into Wi-Fi chipsets and will help meet growing demands on Wi-Fi networks. As a broader wave of next generation connectivity arrives, including the deployment of 5G networks, Wi-Fi Vantage will bring capabilities existing in cellular networks into the Wi-Fi sphere. Existing Wi-Fi technologies including WiGig and Wi-Fi CERTIFIED ac are already positioned to bring multi-gigabit speeds and high-performance connectivity to enable a range of 5G opportunities.

About Wi-Fi Alliance®
www.wi-fi.org
Wi-Fi Alliance® is the worldwide network of companies that brings you Wi-Fi®. Members of our collaboration forum come together from across the Wi-Fi ecosystem with the shared vision to connect everyone and everything, everywhere, while providing the best possible user experience. Since 2000, Wi-Fi Alliance has certified more than 35,000 Wi-Fi products. The Wi-Fi CERTIFIED™ seal of approval designates products with proven interoperability, backward compatibility, and the highest industry-standard security protections in place. Today, Wi-Fi carries more than half of the internet’s traffic in an ever-expanding variety of applications. Wi-Fi Alliance continues to drive the adoption and evolution of Wi-Fi, which billions of people rely on every day.

Media contacts:
Stephanie Burke
Highwire PR for Wi-Fi Alliance
wi-fi@highwirepr.com
+1-646-838-1190 ext. 48

Wi-Fi Agile Multiband™ brings consistent connectivity in changing Wi-Fi network environments

Austin, TX – December 12, 2017 – Wi-Fi CERTIFIED Agile Multiband™ is a new certification program from Wi-Fi Alliance® that enables devices to utilize Wi-Fi® network resources better, and networks to adapt and balance load as network conditions change. Wi-Fi Agile Multiband™ devices dynamically exchange information about a network environment, enabling devices to make smarter decisions and quicker connections in home, enterprise, and managed network environments. Wi-Fi Agile Multiband delivers new capabilities that provide a better experience with both static use cases, such as streaming a high-definition movie, and mobile use cases such as Wi-Fi calling.

Based on global standards, such as IEEE 802.11 k, v, u, r, and Wi-Fi Alliance® defined technologies, Wi-Fi Agile Multiband brings a standardized approach to efficient Wi-Fi network resource management that also ensures interoperability across device vendors. Key benefits of Wi-Fi Agile Multiband include:

• Dynamic monitoring (i.e. exchanging network information): Constant, parallel network information exchange about the Wi-Fi radio environment enables client devices to evaluate the best access point (AP), band, or channel connection, avoiding issues with devices that stick to a particular AP longer than appropriate
• Intelligent steering (i.e. making informed network loading): Mechanisms allow APs to intelligently guide clients to less congested or recommended APs, frequency bands, and channels to balance network traffic and meet other management needs
• Fast network transitions (i.e. authenticating quicker): Faster, secure roaming while traversing a network delivers improved mobility and better experiences with latency-sensitive applications such as voice-over Wi-Fi and mobile video streaming

“Today’s Wi-Fi delivers connectivity to services and content for many devices in different environments,” said Edgar Figueroa, president and CEO of Wi-Fi Alliance. “Wi-Fi Agile Multiband brings new capabilities that increase network and device performance and ultimately provide a better Wi-Fi user experience.”

The first Wi-Fi CERTIFIED Agile Multiband products which comprise the test bed for interoperability certification are:

• Broadcom BCM4361 11ac STA Reference Design
• Intel® Home Wi-Fi Chipset-based 802.11ac 4-stream Concurrent Dual Band Router 
• Intel® Dual Band Wireless-AC 8265
• Marvell 802.11ac Wave2 Wi-Fi Test Bed Evaluation Kit
• MediaTek MT7621A+MT7615 802.11abgn/ac Ref. AP
• Ruckus R710 Access Point
• Ruckus ZoneDirector™ 1200 Controller
• Qualcomm® mobile Wi-Fi AC2 chipset

For more information, including a technology overview and technology highlights, please visit: https://www.wi-fi.org/discover-wi-fi/wi-fi-agile-multiband

About Wi-Fi Alliance®
www.wi-fi.org
Wi-Fi Alliance® is the worldwide network of companies that brings you Wi-Fi®. Members of our collaboration forum come together from across the Wi-Fi ecosystem with the shared vision to connect everyone and everything, everywhere, while providing the best possible user experience. Since 2000, Wi-Fi Alliance has certified more than 35,000 Wi-Fi products. The Wi-Fi CERTIFIED™ seal of approval designates products with proven interoperability, backward compatibility, and the highest industry-standard security protections in place. Today, Wi-Fi carries more than half of the internet’s traffic in an ever-expanding variety of applications. Wi-Fi Alliance continues to drive the adoption and evolution of Wi-Fi, which billions of people rely on every day.

Media contacts:
Stephanie Burke
Highwire PR for Wi-Fi Alliance
wi-fi@highwirepr.com
+1-646-838-1190 ext. 48

Increased Wi-Fi efficiency powers Internet of Things (IoT) scenarios

Austin, TX – November 29, 2017 – Wi-Fi Alliance® introduces a new suite of capabilities to extend battery life in Wi-Fi® devices, making Wi-Fi even better suited for battery-powered applications. New power saving features in Wi-Fi CERTIFIED™ programs enable devices to benefit from longer sleep periods and contribute to improved network efficiency, prolonging battery life. Power saving features increase battery life for Wi-Fi enabled devices in a range of burgeoning environments such as smart home, smart city, industrial, and healthcare.

Enhanced Wi-Fi power efficiency is enabled through longer sleep periods and less frequent communication between clients and networks. Four specific new features are:

• Basic Service Set Max Idle Period: Devices running on smaller batteries, such as sensors, can sleep longer and conserve battery life because they remain associated with an access point (AP) without having to communicate directly with it for up to 18 hours.
• Directed Multicast Service (DMS): Network efficiency is improved by enabling client devices to request APs transmit multicast and broadcast frames directly to the device. Transmission rates for DMS are hundreds of megabits per second faster than regular multicast scenarios, enabling power savings of 50 percent over non-DMS infrastructure. This higher rate uses less spectrum and airtime, increasing airtime for other traffic.
• Proxy Address Resolution Protocol (ARP): Proxy ARP enables the AP to act as a proxy for an associated device. Supported APs can respond on behalf of the client devices, resulting in less broadcast traffic and longer sleep modes.
• Proxy Neighbor Discovery: The Neighbor Discovery protocol responds to specific messages on behalf of an associated client providing similar benefits to Proxy ARP.

“Wi-Fi Alliance is delivering features that are simple to implement and that will improve power efficiency in Wi-Fi networks while removing complexity for users,” said Kevin Robinson, vice president of marketing at Wi-Fi Alliance. “New features reduce power consumption to support a range of connected use cases, bringing even more Wi-Fi value to IoT scenarios.”

Wi-Fi already satisfies a diverse range of connectivity requirements, and power saving enhancements will only further solidify its role as a technology of choice for the IoT. Power saving features bring specific benefits to APs and provide enhancements for devices that require long battery life including door locks, door bells, security cameras, and other IoT sensor devices.

More information on power saving features is available here.

About Wi-Fi Alliance®
www.wi-fi.org
Wi-Fi Alliance® is the worldwide network of companies that brings you Wi-Fi®. Members of our collaboration forum come together from across the Wi-Fi ecosystem with the shared vision to connect everyone and everything, everywhere, while providing the best possible user experience. Since 2000, Wi-Fi Alliance has certified more than 35,000 Wi-Fi products. The Wi-Fi CERTIFIED™ seal of approval designates products with proven interoperability, backward compatibility, and the highest industry-standard security protections in place. Today, Wi-Fi carries more than half of the internet’s traffic in an ever-expanding variety of applications. Wi-Fi Alliance continues to drive the adoption and evolution of Wi-Fi, which billions of people rely on every day.

Media contacts: 
Stephanie Burke
Highwire PR for Wi-Fi Alliance
wi-fi@highwirepr.com
+1-646-838-1190 ext. 48

The Federal Communications Commission voted to adopt the second report & order (R&O) in the Spectrum Frontiers proceeding to take further action to facilitate the development of advanced wireless services and provide greater and more flexible access in spectrum bands above 24 GHz.

Austin, TX and Washington D.C. – November 16, 2017 – The Federal Communications Commission (FCC) took another important step toward enabling innovative technologies of the future by voting to maintain the unlicensed use of the 64-71 GHz band and allowing unlicensed operation in the 57-71 GHz band on board aircraft. Wi-Fi Alliance® applauds today's FCC decisions as they will enable Wi-Fi® technologies such as WiGig® to more readily deliver 5G use cases, including multi-gigabit connectivity to air travelers. Today’s decisions will hasten delivery of next-generation Wi-Fi services and associated socioeconomic benefits. 

About Wi-Fi Alliance®
www.wi-fi.org
Wi-Fi Alliance® is the worldwide network of companies that brings you Wi-Fi®. Members of our collaboration forum come together from across the Wi-Fi ecosystem with the shared vision to connect everyone and everything, everywhere, while providing the best possible user experience. Since 2000, Wi-Fi Alliance has certified more than 35,000 Wi-Fi products. The Wi-Fi CERTIFIED™ seal of approval designates products with proven interoperability, backward compatibility, and the highest industry-standard security protections in place. Today, Wi-Fi carries more than half of the internet’s traffic in an ever-expanding variety of applications. Wi-Fi Alliance continues to drive the adoption and evolution of Wi-Fi, which billions of people rely on every day.

Media contacts: 
Stephanie Burke
Highwire PR for Wi-Fi Alliance
wi-fi@highwirepr.com
+1-646-838-1190 ext. 48

Austin, TX and Washington, D.C. – November 8, 2017 – Wi-Fi Alliance® congratulates David Redl on being confirmed as National Telecommunications & Information Administration (NTIA) Administrator. As Chief Counsel for Communications and Technology at the U.S. House of Representatives Energy & Commerce Committee, Mr. Redl has contributed to the U.S. telecommunications policy and is uniquely qualified to lead NTIA. We look forward to working with Mr. Redl and the Federal agencies on achieving the United States broadband connectivity goals.

About Wi-Fi Alliance®
www.wi-fi.org
Wi-Fi Alliance® is the worldwide network of companies that brings you Wi-Fi®. Members of our collaboration forum come together from across the Wi-Fi ecosystem with the shared vision to connect everyone and everything, everywhere, while providing the best possible user experience. Since 2000, Wi-Fi Alliance has certified more than 35,000 Wi-Fi products. The Wi-Fi CERTIFIED™ seal of approval designates products with proven interoperability, backward compatibility, and the highest industry-standard security protections in place. Today, Wi-Fi carries more than half of the internet’s traffic in an ever-expanding variety of applications. Wi-Fi Alliance continues to drive the adoption and evolution of Wi-Fi, which billions of people rely on every day.

Media contacts: 
Stephanie Burke
Highwire PR for Wi-Fi Alliance
wi-fi@highwirepr.com
+1-646-838-1190 ext. 48

Austin, TX – October 16, 2017 – Wi-Fi Alliance® provides trusted security to billions of Wi-Fi® devices and continues to support Wi-Fi users, as we have done for more than a decade.

Recently published research identified vulnerabilities in some Wi-Fi devices where those devices reinstall network encryption keys under certain conditions, disabling replay protection and significantly reducing the security of encryption. This issue can be resolved through straightforward software updates, and the Wi-Fi industry, including major platform providers, has already started deploying patches to Wi-Fi users. Users can expect all their Wi-Fi devices, whether patched or unpatched, to continue working well together.

There is no evidence that the vulnerability has been exploited maliciously, and Wi-Fi Alliance has taken immediate steps to ensure users can continue to count on Wi-Fi to deliver strong security protections. Wi-Fi Alliance now requires testing for this vulnerability within our global certification lab network and has provided a vulnerability detection tool for use by any Wi-Fi Alliance member. Wi-Fi Alliance is also broadly communicating details on this vulnerability and remedies to device vendors and encouraging them to work with their solution providers to rapidly integrate any necessary patches. As always, Wi-Fi users should ensure they have installed the latest recommended updates from device manufacturers.

As with any technology, robust security research that pre-emptively identifies potential vulnerabilities is critical to maintaining strong protections. Wi-Fi Alliance thanks Mathy Vanhoef and Frank Piessens of the imec-DistriNet research group of KU Leuven for discovering and responsibly reporting this issue, allowing industry to proactively prepare updates. Wi-Fi Alliance also thanks Mathy Vanhoef for his support during the coordinated response, especially his contributions to the vulnerability detection tool.

For more information, please refer to statements from ICASI and CERT.

www.wi-fi.org/securityupdate2017overview

About Wi-Fi Alliance®
www.wi-fi.org
Wi-Fi Alliance® is the worldwide network of companies that brings you Wi-Fi®. Members of our collaboration forum come together from across the Wi-Fi ecosystem with the shared vision to connect everyone and everything, everywhere, while providing the best possible user experience. Since 2000, Wi-Fi Alliance has certified more than 35,000 Wi-Fi products. The Wi-Fi CERTIFIED™ seal of approval designates products with proven interoperability, backward compatibility, and the highest industry-standard security protections in place. Today, Wi-Fi carries more than half of the internet’s traffic in an ever-expanding variety of applications. Wi-Fi Alliance continues to drive the adoption and evolution of Wi-Fi, which billions of people rely on every day.

Media contacts:
Carol Carrubba
Highwire PR for Wi-Fi Alliance
wi-fi@highwirepr.com
+1-415-730-5647

Austin, TX and Washington, D.C. – October 3, 2017 – Wi-Fi Alliance® congratulates Chairman Pai on his reconfirmation for another term at the Federal Communications Commission (FCC). During his tenure at the FCC, Chairman Pai has demonstrated a thorough understanding of challenges facing the Wi-Fi® industry in the 21st century. In the few months under his leadership, the FCC launched a number of important initiatives including a proceeding to address much needed unlicensed access to the mid-band spectrum. We look forward to continuing to work with the Chairman, his fellow Commissioners, and FCC staff in delivering Wi-Fi connectivity to all Americans.

About Wi-Fi Alliance®
www.wi-fi.org
Wi-Fi Alliance® is the worldwide network of companies that brings you Wi-Fi®. Members of our collaboration forum come together from across the Wi-Fi ecosystem with the shared vision to connect everyone and everything, everywhere, while providing the best possible user experience. Since 2000, Wi-Fi Alliance has certified more than 35,000 Wi-Fi products. The Wi-Fi CERTIFIED™ seal of approval designates products with proven interoperability, backward compatibility, and the highest industry-standard security protections in place. Today, Wi-Fi carries more than half of the internet’s traffic in an ever-expanding variety of applications. Wi-Fi Alliance continues to drive the adoption and evolution of Wi-Fi, which billions of people rely on every day.

Media contacts:
Stephanie Burke
Highwire PR for Wi-Fi Alliance
wi-fi@highwirepr.com
+1-646-838-1190 ext. 48

Mobility and management capabilities enhance experience in Wi-Fi® networks

Austin, TX, September 7, 2017 – Wi-Fi Alliance® introduces two enhancements for Wi-Fi CERTIFIED Vantage™ which elevate the user experience in dynamic, managed network environments ranging from large-scale deployments in venues, airports, and subway stations, to enterprise and service provider-managed residential networks. Wi-Fi Vantage™ devices will soon include functionality to enable quick, secure authentication and consistent, quality connections in Wi-Fi® networks. Wi-Fi Vantage bundles Wi-Fi CERTIFIED™ features that deliver the greatest benefits in challenging Wi-Fi environments.

Wi-Fi Vantage delivers management and mobility capabilities to the market through two new Wi-Fi Alliance certifications – Wi-Fi CERTIFIED Agile Multiband™ and Wi-Fi CERTIFIED Optimized Connectivity™.

Wi-Fi Agile Multiband

Wi-Fi Agile Multiband is a new certification from Wi-Fi Alliance available now that allows infrastructure devices to work efficiently with mobile devices to manage network resources and efficiently respond to changing network conditions. Wi-Fi Agile Multiband provides intelligent steering by allowing devices to exchange information for the access point (AP) to guide a mobile device to a recommended band, channel, or AP. This steering capability avoids suboptimal client behavior in Wi-Fi Agile Multiband networks, such as a device remaining attached to an AP that is nearly out of range or experiencing high traffic loading. Steering capabilities maximize overall spectral efficiency by minimizing congestion and improving device connection speeds, as well as helping transition devices from Wi-Fi to cellular networks when appropriate.

Wi-Fi Agile Multiband supports fast transition, which allows devices to reauthenticate quickly with WPA2™ security when roaming within a Wi-Fi network, improving connections for latency-sensitive applications such as voice over Wi-Fi. Both service provider and consumer networks benefit from Wi-Fi Agile Multiband.

Wi-Fi Optimized Connectivity

Wi-Fi Optimized Connectivity complements Wi-Fi Agile Multiband and includes features that optimize the process of discovering Wi-Fi networks, establishing initial connectivity, and roaming between APs serving the same network or different networks. Network discovery enhancements prioritize which channels a device scans during the discovery process, assisting devices in more rapidly discovering APs. Devices can quickly pre-authenticate to a Wi-Fi network based upon environment information received automatically from access points. Wi-Fi Optimized Connectivity also reduces management frame overhead, resulting in more efficient sessions because devices spend less time sending or responding to network management traffic and more time moving user data. Certification for Wi-Fi Optimized Connectivity will be available in late 2017.

“Wi-Fi Vantage provides a better user experience with Wi-Fi devices in rapidly changing environments, such as when moving to a new gate in an airport or stepping onto a busy subway platform,” said Edgar Figueroa, president and CEO of Wi-Fi Alliance. “Wi-Fi Vantage enhances the Wi-Fi portfolio to service high-density environments at high performance levels.”

Wi-Fi Vantage addresses three key pillars – manageability, mobility, and performance – and provides a common approach to deliver these capabilities to the market. Features selected from Wi-Fi Agile Multiband, Wi-Fi Optimized Connectivity, and Wi-Fi CERTIFIED Passpoint® provide simple tools which enable service providers to better understand their network environment,  allocate resources appropriately, and simply provision and authenticate devices – improving manageability of their networks. Steering and transition mechanisms provide users with a more seamless mobility experience when accessing Wi-Fi networks, roaming between different Wi-Fi networks, or transitioning from a Wi-Fi to cellular network. Higher data rates and features like MU-MIMO from Wi-Fi CERTIFIED ac deliver better performance in dense environments, and combined with enhanced manageability and mobility capabilities improve overall performance of Wi-Fi Vantage networks.

Future releases of Wi-Fi Vantage will continue to support new technologies that benefit users and operators of managed networks. For more details on Wi-Fi Vantage, visit https://www.wi-fi.org/discover-wi-fi/wi-fi-vantage.

Industry support for Wi-Fi Vantage:

“The Wi-Fi CERTIFIED Vantage program gives service providers and users a clear designator of the best-in-class Wi-Fi products that meet the most exacting requirements for performance and reliability in managed networks. The Wi-Fi CERTIFIED Agile Multiband and Wi-Fi CERTIFIED Optimized Connectivity programs included in this new release will deliver cellular-class network steering and improved network management, increased capacity, and the lower latency necessary for livestreaming and other social applications in dense scenarios. Broadcom congratulates Wi-Fi Alliance on this important step; we’re proud to partner with them on this program and are pleased to have our implementations selected for use in the Wi-Fi Agile Multiband test bed.” – Christopher Szymanski, director of product marketing for the Mobile Connectivity Products Division at Broadcom Limited.

“CableLabs is pleased to participate in building out the framework of Wi-Fi CERTIFIED Vantage with our Wi-Fi industry partners to meet users’ growing demands. We look forward to continued success as the framework is deployed more broadly to benefit cable and mobile operators, the vendor community and, most importantly, consumers.” – Mark Poletti, director of wireless at CableLabs

"Wi-Fi Vantage continues to provide the capabilities our customers are seeking as they build a great user experience in dense, managed network environments. Marvell is excited to be a part of Wi-Fi Agile Multiband, a new enhancement in the second release of Wi-Fi Vantage, which enables devices to more efficiently manage network resources and make smarter network decisions." – Mark Montierth, General Manager of the Wireless Connectivity Business unit at Marvell

“Wi-Fi Vantage brings new tools to improve the user experience in managed Wi-Fi networks. It provides a standardised approach to deliver consistency, more manageability and higher performance to Wi-Fi devices from service providers for managed home networks, airports, stadiums and other scenarios.” – Philippe Lucas, SVP Strategy, Architecture & Standardisation at Orange

“Carrier Wi-Fi is an essential tool for enhancing consumer mobility and maximizing operator networks. As a driving force behind wireless innovations that are transforming connected experiences, Qualcomm Technologies is a proud supporter of Wi-Fi Alliance’s efforts to improve the way people connect to managed Wi-Fi networks. These enhancements to the Wi-Fi Vantage program represent a significant step toward better spectral efficiency, simplicity and roaming." –Irvind Ghai, vice president, product management, Qualcomm Technologies, Inc.

“Efficient and manageable Wi-Fi networks are critical for an enhanced subscriber wireless experience in enterprise and service-provider environments. Wi-Fi Vantage delivers enhanced capabilities for demanding network deployments including quick network discovery and connection, network-guided client steering, and reduced management traffic overhead which together aid the delivery of superior performance in today’s dense environments.” – Steve Martin, chief technology officer of Ruckus.

About Wi-Fi Alliance®
www.wi-fi.org
Wi-Fi Alliance® is the worldwide network of companies that brings you Wi-Fi®. Members of our collaboration forum come together from across the Wi-Fi ecosystem with the shared vision to connect everyone and everything, everywhere, while providing the best possible user experience. Since 2000, Wi-Fi Alliance has certified more than 35,000 Wi-Fi products. The Wi-Fi CERTIFIED™ seal of approval designates products with proven interoperability, backward compatibility, and the highest industry-standard security protections in place. Today, Wi-Fi carries more than half of the internet’s traffic in an ever-expanding variety of applications. Wi-Fi Alliance continues to drive the adoption and evolution of Wi-Fi, which billions of people rely on every day.

Media contacts:
Stephanie Burke
Highwire PR for Wi-Fi Alliance
wi-fi@highwirepr.com
+1-646-838-1190 ext. 48