A faster Wi-Fi format aims to eliminate most wires
Ready to cut the cord? The next generation of Wi-Fi technology could make most wires obsolete. — The Wi-Fi Alliance, an organization that certifies wireless industry standards, announced the specification for a new format …
Context & Ripple Effects
The Wi-Fi Alliance’s specification follows a 2009 WiGig effort to define next-generation wireless networking and an earlier push to make wireless links suitable for IPTV delivery. Coverage of the announcement frames the development around Wi-Fi and WiGig standards at 60 GHz.
The significance is institutional as much as technical: an Alliance that certifies wireless standards is defining an interoperable path for products intended to replace wired connections, rather than leaving manufacturers to pursue separate implementations.
First-order effects
- The Wi-Fi Alliance gives equipment makers seeking its certification a common specification for wireless links designed to reduce dependence on physical cables.
- Buyers planning IPTV or other in-home networked equipment gain a standards-based wireless alternative to cable-dependent installation.
Second-order effects
- The WiGig Alliance’s next-generation networking standard becomes more valuable if vendors can align it with the Wi-Fi Alliance’s certification ecosystem rather than ask buyers to choose between incompatible wireless approaches.
- Manufacturers of cable-connected home-networking equipment face greater pressure to compete on interoperability and installation simplicity, not only on wired performance.
Third-order effects
- If Alliance-led certification becomes the route to interoperability, competitive advantage in home networking shifts toward standards participation and device compatibility rather than proprietary connection schemes.
The trend: Home networking is moving toward certified wireless interoperability as the mechanism for replacing dedicated in-home cabling.