Intel to release 802.11n chip before final standard
Intel doesn't plan to wait for the Wi-Fi Alliance to certify the upcoming 802.11n standard before it releases an 802.11n chip for its Centrino package of chips next year, an executive said Monday.
When Intel releases its Santa Rosa platform in the first half of next year, it will upgrade the wireless chip in that package to 802.11n. But final ratification of the standard, once expected early next year, is now expected to drag on into next year. Nonetheless, Intel will stick to its schedule and join other wireless chipmakers in releasing so-called "draft standard" products that work at the faster speeds delivered by 802.11n, Mooly Eden, vice president and general manager of Intel's mobile platforms group, said in an interview with CNET News.com.
Releasing a product based on a draft of a new wireless standard, such as 802.11n, allows chipmakers and networking companies to get a jump on the competition with faster products. But interoperability problems can arise if the standard changes too drastically from the draft version to the final version, which is why the Wi-Fi Alliance recommends that consumers wait until it has certified wireless gear.
Most wireless companies assure customers they'll be able to upgrade to the final version by simply upgrading their products' firmware, but companies can't always guarantee that. Home networks that standardize on a certain company's gear for all devices on the network should be fine. The problems arise when taking the notebook out on the road to wireless hot spots. Users of draft-standard equipment will still get a wireless signal, but it won't always operate as fast as the standard can deliver.
Intel has historically waited for the final standard of wireless upgrades like 802.11g before releasing a product. But it believes it will have enough confidence in the interoperability of the 802.11n standard when it is ready to release products next year, Eden said.
