The first Wi-Fi CERTIFIED™ product was announced in 2000. Since then, thousands of products have been certified and numerous certification programs have been launched – while preserving legacy interoperability for a good user experience. The Wi-Fi CERTIFIED product from today connects with products certified during the first year of the program’s operation.
Wi-Fi CERTIFIED products offer benefits to all players in the value chain. Certified interoperability supports lower return rates, reduced support costs, higher consumer satisfaction and increased sales volumes.
| Audience | Benefits of Wi-Fi CERTIFIED Equipment |
|---|---|
| Chipset designers, Original Design Manufacturers (ODMs) | Interoperability among Wi-Fi CERTIFIED equipment opens a large addressable market for Wi-Fi chipset designers and ODMs, where economies of scale can significantly bring costs down. Wi-Fi integration in devices with multiple wireless interfaces is an emerging and attractive market for chipset designers and ODMs and one that requires certified devices, as interoperability is an essential requirement. |
| Original Equipment Manufacturers (OEMs) of networking equipment and consumer electronics | Certification helps ensure interoperability with other equipment vendors' products and allows OEMs a further measure to test quality in their equipment before introducing it into the market, thus reducing overall support costs. Wi-Fi CERTIFIED branding enables worldwide recognition and facilitates entry into new markets. |
| Application developers | The global reach of Wi-Fi means that applications that support Wi-Fi can be marketed worldwide, lowering development costs and enlarging the addressable market. Wi-Fi Alliance certification programs such as WMM, WMM Power Save, and Wi-Fi Protected Setup provide additional functionality that enables application developers to bring more advanced applications to market. |
| Service providers | Certification brings interoperability to large-scale deployments. Support for Wi-Fi devices is streamlined, even in multi-vendor deployments, helping to contain costs. High awareness of the Wi-Fi CERTIFIED brand among subscribers and can increase marketing impact of new product offerings. |
| Retailers | The Wi-Fi CERTIFIED logo is conducive to higher sales and higher customer satisfaction, supporting lower return rates and customer service costs. It also helps sales representatives to direct customers to the appropriate product and to identify the functionality it supports. |
| Consumer users | Wi-Fi CERTIFIED is a trusted brand that offers interoperability, standards-based security, and easy installation. It is an assurance that an independent third party has tested the product in numerous configurations and with a diverse sampling of other devices to ensure compatibility with other Wi-Fi CERTIFIED equipment. |
| Enterprise customers | Whether deploying a new infrastructure or integrating new equipment into an existing infrastructure, using Wi-Fi CERTIFIED products ensures interoperability of Wi-Fi products from multiple vendors. Fewer network problems and support calls are often additional advantages of using Wi-Fi CERTIFIED products. |