802.11n approved, loses the "draft" tag

7 years after conception it becomes standard

14 September 2009 22:02 GMT / By Stuart Miles

You've probably been using the technology for months if not years, but 802.11n, the wireless standard, has finally been approved by the body that approves these things 7 years after its first conception.

More than 2 years after the first 802.11n draft routers and products started hitting the shelves, the IEEE, the world's leading professional association for the advancement of technology, has finally issued a formal certification for the standard.

"This was an extraordinarily wide-ranging technical challenge that required the sustained effort and concentration of a terrific variety of participants. When we started in 2002, many of the technologies addressed in 802.11n were university research topics and had not been implemented", said Bruce Kraemer, chair of the IEEE Wireless LAN Working Group.

The move, which is unlikely to affect most home users (who are probably already using the 700-odd devices that are 802.11n already on the market) should mean that "big business" will now be happy to get involved.

Until now "big business" has been reluctant to adopt the standard in case there were any last minute changes.

802.11n or Wireless n as it is more commonly known is considerably faster than 802.11g or Wireless g. It is already in many devices with manufacturers opting to list the specification as "draft", something they will no longer have to do.