The Wi-Fi Alliance® is one of the most important organizations in connectivity. Due to the successful cooperation between member companies, people world-over can enjoy powerful interoperability in wireless networks. The story of the alliance goes back 14 years, and we would like to look back to the beginning to see how the organization grew into what it is today, and where it will be headed into the future.
When you think about it, there are a lot of different connectivity technologies that can be found within a modern home. After all, there are a lot of devices connected through Ethernet, and what home doesn’t have a Wi-Fi network broadcasting? HomePlug Powerline communications is an excellent way to connect a home entertainment center to the network, and MoCA does an excellent job of transmitting multimedia content. With each of them playing important roles within the connected home, the challenge is ensuring smooth, seamless interoperability.
Fortunately, there was some very big news recently: the IEEE 1905.1 standard for Hybrid Networking is now published in final form. If you aren’t familiar with IEEE 1905.1, it is a software abstraction layer that enables a single hybrid network in the home. It allows for the interoperability of products using multiple widely adopted standards, such as Wi-Fi, Ethernet, HomePlug Powerline and MoCA, and it is interoperable with existing products already on the market that are using these technologies.
I cannot be the only one who experiences regular angst around that large “miscellaneous cords” box full of disparate battery chargers, adapters and AV cords. Throw in some regional electrical adapters for international travel, some Ethernet wires that I’ve had since college and I have a real mess. Yet, somehow, there is a very real possibility none of these will work for my guest who needs a mobile charge. Fortunately, other areas of the tech industry have developed agreed-upon standardized technologies to avoid brand incompatibilities and consumer frustrations such as this.
Take Wi-Fi as an obvious example. My guest may not be able to charge his mobile, but he WILL be able to connect to my Wi-Fi. When I attempt to explain the inner workings of standards to friends and family, I regularly get a response along the lines of “huh… I never thought about how it is my HTC phone can get Internet via my NETGEAR router and I can use it to wirelessly stream video to my Samsung TV.” Standards, such as Wi-Fi for wireless connectivity, provide people with choice of products and brands and accelerate innovation by leveraging the expertise of not one, but many companies to deliver cutting edge technologies to the world that work together.
Who are these standards organizations? Here are a few groups that we are involved with:
Have you ever seen the size of some of the hotels in Las Vegas? They’re as immense and extravagant as, well, Las Vegas is. Fortunately, guests staying at MGM Resorts, which include The Bellagio, Aria and Mandalay Bay among others, will be able to navigate these properties with confidence and ease via new indoor location technology that is being implemented. MGM Resorts hopes to provide a new mobile experience to their guests and visitors via a resort specific mobile app that they can download onto their devices. With this app on their trusty smartphone or tablet, it serves as a gateway for both guests and visitors to receive location context as to what is around them at the resort. Interested in seeing the resort’s latest featured show? The app can direct you to the box office to purchase your tickets.
Small cells have been a pretty big topic around here. Really that isn’t surprising when you consider how much potential they have to help improve our connected lives and to overcome the challenges posed by the massive increase in mobile data use. Yet, you still might be wondering, if they’re called “small cells”, just how small are they? If you consider the size of most cellular towers, “small” could be a pretty relative term.
Would you believe that they can be smaller than a deck of cards? That your smartphone is probably larger? In fact, you could hold the silicon for a small cell in the palm of your hand.
