The Wi-Fi Alliance said Wednesday that it will begin certifying wireless routers, network cards, microchips and other Draft N products in June. The products should be available from retailers soon after that.
The different Wi-Fi "flavors" — "b," "a," "g" and soon "n" — refer to the subsection of the technical guidelines issued by the Institute of Electrical and Electronics Engineers, a technical professional organization.
The "n" version is expected to be about five times faster than the widely used "g" variety, although speeds may not reach that mark when put into practice. Draft N products are expected to offer better reach through walls and into dead spots and will use multiple radios to send and receive data, to better handle larger files.
N-level wireless equipment is available now, but the Wi-Fi Alliance said that certified Draft N items are guaranteed to work together and with older certified Wi-Fi products, regardless of the vendor.
A spokesperson for the Wi-Fi Alliance said the wireless industry shipped 200 million Wi-Fi products worldwide last year, and over the next few years Wi-Fi will expand from mostly laptops and access points to Wi-Fi enabled cellphones, TVs and video games.
For more information, visit the Wi-Fi Alliance website.