Wi-Fi Alliance - Wi-Fi Certification

Wi-Fi Certification

The Wi-Fi Alliance also owns and controls the Wi-Fi CERTIFIED logo, a registered trademark, which is permitted only on equipment which has passed testing. Purchasers relying on that trademark will have greater chances of interoperation than otherwise. Testing is rigorous because the standards involve not only radio and data format interoperability, but security protocols, as well as optional testing for Quality of Service and power management protocols.

From a Wi-Fi Alliance paper on Wi-Fi Certification A focus on user experience has shaped the overall approach of the Wi-Fi Alliance certification program: Wi-Fi CERTIFIED products have to demonstrate that they can perform well in networks with other Wi-Fi CERTIFIED products, running common applications, in situations similar to those encountered in everyday use.

This pragmatic approach stems from three tenets, around which certification is centered:

• Interoperability is the primary target of certification. Rigorous test cases are used to ensure that products from different equipment vendors can interoperate in a wide variety of configurations.
• Backward compatibility has to be preserved to allow for new equipment to work with existing gear. Backward compatibility protects investments in legacy Wi-Fi products and enables users to gradually upgrade and expand their networks.
• Innovation is supported through the introduction of new certification programs as the latest technology and specifications come into the marketplace. These certification programs may be mandatory (e.g. WPA2) or optional (e.g. WMM). Equipment vendor differentiation and inventiveness are preserved in areas that are not covered by certification testing.

The Wi-Fi Alliance definition of interoperability goes well beyond the ability to work in a Wi-Fi network. To gain certification under a specific program, products have to show satisfactory performance levels in typical network configurations and have to support both established and emerging applications. A user that purchases a Wi-Fi enabled laptop, for instance, would not be satisfied if the laptop established a connection with the home network, only to get the throughput of a dial-up connection. Similarly, subscribers using a Wi-Fi enabled mobile phone would be disappointed, if a voice call could not go through or was dropped.

The Wi-Fi Alliance certification process includes three types of tests to ensure interoperability. Wi-Fi CERTIFIED products are tested for:

• Compatibility: certified equipment has been tested for connectivity with other certified equipment . Compatibility testing has always been, and still is, the predominant component of interoperability testing, and it is the element that most people associate with "interoperability". It involves tests with multiple devices from different equipment vendors. Compatibility testing is the program component that helps to ensure devices purchased today will work with Wi-Fi CERTIFIED devices already owned or purchased in the future.
• Conformance: the equipment conforms to specific critical elements of the IEEE 802.11 standard. Conformance testing usually involves standalone analysis of individual products and establishes whether the equipment responds to inputs as expected and specified. For example, conformance testing is used to ensure that Wi-Fi equipment protects itself and the network when the equipment detects evidence of network attacks.
• Performance: the equipment meets the performance levels required to meet end-user expectations in support of key applications. Performance tests are not designed to measure and compare performance among products, but simply to verify that the product meets the minimum performance requirements for a good user experience as established by the Wi-Fi Alliance. Specific performance tests results are not released by the Wi-Fi Alliance.