1. Liaison report from the Wi-Fi Alliance to 802.11 WG
Jan 07
doc.: IEEE /0141r0
Jan 2007
Liaison report from the Wi-Fi Alliance to WG
Date:
Authors:
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Andrew Myles (Cisco)
Andrew Myles (Cisco)

2. Jan 2007
This liaison reports on wild success, enabling security & problematic liaisons 1
802.11/WiFi was wildly successful in 2006, but a “new way” might be needed for continuing success 2
The WFA is now certifying Wi-Fi Protected Setup to enable easy security setup 3
The recent liaison from to the WFA is problematic and raises a bigger question 4
How can I find out more?
Summary
Andrew Myles (Cisco)

3. Jan 2007
802.11/WiFi was wildly successful in 2006, but a “new way” might be needed for continuing success
In December 2006, the WFA made an announcement regarding the success of /WiFi in the market
“Wi-Fi chipset sales are poised to exceed 200 million units in 2006 …”
“The 25% annual growth rate seen in 2006 …”
This announcement is a reflection of successful partnership of IEEE WG in creating standards and the WFA in certifying products
In the last liaison it was noted some issues might need to be addressed to ensure continuing success of this partnership in the future
In a recent on the reflector, the liaison comments were characterised to say as “lead, follow, or get out of the way “
A better characterisation of the intent of the last liaison is, “please lead in a timely manner, but recognise market reality and fix some of the internal problems that are slowing progress”
Some changes in the way standards are created and products certified might accelerate a PR in the near future announcing 1B chips!
Wild success
Andrew Myles (Cisco)

4. Jan 2007
The WFA is now certifying Wi-Fi Protected Setup to enable easy security setup
IEEE i defined protocols for secure operation & the WFA defined the WPA & WPA2 certifications to ensure interoperability
However, for many consumers it was too hard to turn on security, meaning many were left (sometimes unknowingly) unprotected
In response, on the 8 Jan 07 the WFA announced a new certification called Wi-Fi Protected Setup
Wi-Fi Protected Setup is a simplified method for configuring security-enabled networks in the home that is designed to be used by all types of consumer devices
The first release supports use of push-button & PIN methods, but support for methods using NFC & USB drives is planned in 1H07
A white paper (free) & the full specification (small charge) are available on
Protected setup
Andrew Myles (Cisco)

5. Jan 2007
The recent liaison from to the WFA is problematic and raises a bigger question
Recently TGu sent a liaison to the WFA, which invited the WFA to participate in the review of the u draft
However, the liaison noted that it was “not possible to share this document with you at the moment, due to IEEE procedures”
It is not clear why the liaison was sent to the WFA when it was known it as not possible to execute the request in any practical sense
It also raises a bigger question as to why the IEEE procedures make unapproved drafts secret at all?
It appears to have hurt the development process in the early critical stages
The drafts are only secret for a short period anyway
Liaisons
Andrew Myles (Cisco)

6. Jan 2007
Advertisement: the best way to get information about the activities of the WFA is to join!
Contact Frank Hanzlik (Managing Director of WFA)
Contact Andrew Myles (Chair of WFA)
Look at the website at
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Andrew Myles (Cisco)