Wi-Fi Alliance

The Wi-Fi Alliance is a non-profitable organization that promotes Wi-Fi technology and certifies whether the Wi-Fi products can meet the interoperability standards. The Wi-Fi Alliance created the term Wi-Fi and owns the Wi-Fi and related trademarks. Manufacturers can use the trademark for certified products that have been tested for interoperability.

Context

Wi-Fi certification is an internationally recognized product certification, indicating that it has reached industry-recognized standards for interoperability, security, and a series of specific application protocols. Wi-Fi certified products have passed rigorous testing by independent authorized testing laboratories. When the product passes the test, the manufacturer or supplier is granted the right to use the Wi-Fi certification mark. The product manufacturer must be a member of the Wi-Fi Alliance, which is a prerequisite for certification testing of its products and the use of Wi-Fi certification marks and related trademarks. Since 2000, Wi-Fi Alliance members have certified more than 35,000 products.

The Wi-Fi Alliance is the owner of the Wi-Fi certification project, protects the policies and requirements of the project, and distributes finalized interoperability letters and certificates to its members after certification approval. The Wi-Fi Alliance reviews the test results of the certification testing laboratory and has the final authority to approve Wi-Fi certified products according to the certification plan. The Wi-Fi Alliance also manages certification testing laboratories worldwide.

Membership level

The membership levels of the Wi-Fi Alliance are mainly divided into three types:

• Sponsor
• Contributor
• Implementer

Sponsors are the core members of the highest level, the latter two levels can receive new members. The main difference is that the Wi-Fi products of the implementer members only use the certified Wi-Fi module solution, they can certify the products but can not test, and cannot participate in the alliance’s marketing and technical group. For the new members of the small companies, a 2-year preferential membership level is set up.

Currently, there are more than 750 member companies of the Wi-Fi Alliance. For more information, visit the Wi-Fi Alliance.

The Wi-Fi Alliance owns the following Wi-Fi series trademarks.

Wi-Fi Alliance authentication method

Prototype certification (ASD prototype certification)

For special application equipment, the classic certification test is usually not performed, but the interoperability certification guarantee is still required.

Derived certification

There are methods for derived certification in the Wi-Fi Alliance certification. The way in which derivative products are certified based on the source product is called derived certification. Pay attention to 2 points below.

• A Wi-Fi terminal can only be derived as a Wi-Fi terminal (such as a router).
• The source certification of the Wi-Fi radio frequency module can be derived from the Wi-Fi radio frequency module, or it can be derived as a fully embedded terminal in the radio frequency module.

Derived certification must meet the following 3 requirements:

• Derived certification can only be used base on the source certification, not derived certification
• The Wi-Fi function of the derivative product should be the same as the source product
• Members should provide the necessary technical information of the derivative products and/or source certification to verify the eligibility of derivative product certification

The difference in membership level between Wi-Fi terminal products and Wi-Fi RF modules for derived certification.

Re-certification

The tested device has passed Wi-Fi certification before. Due to software or hardware changes, re-certification is required

Wi-Fi certification test fee

• Certified new products: $ 5,000 (excluding laboratory testing fees)
• Certify the derivative products based on the company’s certified products: $ 600
• Certification using derivative products that have passed the certification module or system: $ 600 ($ 4,000 for implementer members)

Certification process

The items that must be passed in the Wi-Fi certification test are the interoperability of the MAC/PHY layer of 802.11 a/b/g/n/ac (one or more of them) and the WPA2 security test, after July 2020, the product must support WPA3. Other optional items can be found at Wi-Fi Alliance.

Certification period

• Basic certification: 2~3 weeks; the number of samples: 2 complete one.
• The overall performance test is based on the selected test program, the full test period is about 5 weeks, the number of samples: 4 complete

Wi-Fi Authorized Testing Laboratory (ATL)

Until the end of 2017, there were 20 Wi-Fi Authorized Testing Laboratories (ATL) (including multiple laboratories under the same group), of which 6 are located on mainland China:

• Shanghai Tongyao Communication Technology Co., Ltd.
• Dekai Quality Certification (Shanghai) Co., Ltd. Baoan Branch
• National Radio Monitoring Center Testing Center
• South Branch of China Academy of Information and Communications Technology (Shenzhen Academy of Information and Communications Technology)
• Tail Laboratory of China Academy of Information and Communications Technology
• Allion Digital Testing (Shenzhen) Co., Ltd.