My home network is a small miracle of backward compatibility, as the data is raised across 60 devices more than five generations of Wi-Fi. Everything on that, from my country iPhone 15 Pro Along the way to my country Nintendo WeiIt can connect to the Internet, most of which are wirelessly through my router, with a few problems. This is mainly possible due to Wi-Fi operating line, which extends from the introduction to 1999 in consumer products to today.
Wi-Fi devices do so by being hard-line. When two of them connect, the latest generation of the standard will automatically turn to the highest version of the other Wi-Fi. It means ensuring that work works mean a lot of tests for compatibility, maintaining old parts of the standard, and reaching new ways to make current technology more applicable. This approach has led to a level of backward compatibility and long -term support that can match a few tools or standards in the world of technology.
One of the reasons for the Wi-Fi work in this way is the ice shifts between the prestige generations. It may take a long time until a new version multiplies – see 2022 Apple HomePod And its use of Wi -Fi 4, which first appeared in 2009. Even when new products move forward, old technology is still standing in homes and companies everywhere.
Sandeep Harpalani, Vice President of Netgear, Sandeep Harpalani, says the backward compatibility is “essential” in Wi-Fi-products that you should closely enjoy to the specifications according to the design. But they still need a test to ensure that things are working. In many cases, this is done by the Wi-Fi alliance.
As of early 2024The Wi-Fi coalition consisted of more than 900 member companies, many of which offer their products to be tested and approved by Wi-Fi coalition test laboratories. According to the 2020 Wi-Fi coalition test guide, products that pass a certificate “ensure the final customer of the inter-operation with other network equipment compatible with the criteria also bearing the approved Wi-Fi logo.” Basically, if you see this logo on the package, the product should work with any approved Wi-Fi device.
Given that the Wi-Fi alliance, which was formed in 1999 as a wireless ethernet coincidence, was Products certification on Wi -Fi’s interim operation since 2000This is a long list of devices. The initial certificate is optional, but once a product is adopted, the Wi-Fi alliance imposes that the certificate by asking each product to re-test after making any changes that affect the Wi-Fi functions. Otherwise, the product risks the loss of its evil.
“An 85 -year -old grandmother has a Jeddah, and they want to have a network only.”
The certification process takes some time, so some companies will completely abandon the emblem. Amazon -owned Router mesh Router is among those who exceed the certificate. ERO CEO Nick Weaver says that the company has a “strict internal certificate” and that it does not want to wait for external approval to charge its products.
He says: “The last thing we want to do, is to withdraw the product again for something we knew that it will be repaired by updating the zero day program when preparing the customer.”
Part of the ERO process is to check the connections of the outdated devices or simulate large numbers of tools that link them once to make sure that their routers can handle them. Similar to the process of issuing a Wi-Fi Alliance certificate, Weaver says that EERO repeats its tests for every fixed programs as well.
Wafer tells me that maintaining support issues for ERO because their routers are often delivered by customers who have been replaced by newer models, as we told me. “Some people have a 85 -year -old grandmother, and they want to have a network only.”
When there are compatible problems, they usually belong to the manufacturer of a specific device, according to Mourin Gallagher, Vice President of Marketing in the Wi-Fi Alliance. Gallagher says that, often, if no older device calls, this is not due to any contrast in the Wi-Fi version. Instead, uncomplicated devices are usually not properly implemented by the Wi-Fi standard or use ownership features that do not play well with other versions of Wi-Fi. So in these two cases, she says: “The backward compatibility can be at risk, but this is very rare. “
“Do you like a world where there is no 2.4 GHz? … Yes, definitely?”
When things get worse and see problems such as extraordinary congestion, Waver says it is often due to a bad -made device that does not “hear” always bundles sent to it, which prompted the router to try again, and sometimes again and again. This eats the time of broadcasting and keeps other devices waiting, and it becomes quickly noticeable on the 2.4 GHz band, which are the only band devices that you can use from Wi-Fi 4 (except for the rare 80 GHz 5 GHz device, or what may be called Wi-Fi 2 under the current Wi-Fi chart) and has a large tight spectrum compared to a 5 GB.
If there is any threat to the continuation of the backward compatibility, the support of the 2.4 GHz band is. Harpalani says he wants to see “a world where there is no 2.4 GHz.” It is a narrow strip, and one half -spectrum is used. Its advantages begin to slip when your neighbors’ signals start 2.4 GHz to overlap with business and complete. For this reason, your currents look like garbage and downloads begin to crawl when you accidentally end up on that band.
In fact, according to Gallagher, the certificate stopped requesting 2.4 GHz support with Wi-Fi 6, although it says 99 percent of the approved products come with this support. But getting rid of it will break the Wi-Fi connection for all the devices that precede Wi-Fi 4, which provided 5 GHz as a second group. It will be destroyed for smart homes, as smart home products that support Wi-Fi are generally dependent on a 2.4 GHz due to low energy requirements and longer. These benefits are difficult to leave behind. Even Harpalani does not see a future without it.
That’s all that adds to Wi-Fi continues to be rare technology without major compatibility issues. Your new phone will work with the old router. And when you eventually upgrade the router to something better, all your devices will come with it.
