Wi-Fi Vantage certification adds support for managed wireless advancements

The Wi-Fi Alliance, a collaboration forum representing companies from across the Wi-Fi ecosystem, has announced new features for its Wi-Fi Certified Vantage certification programme that is designed to make it easy to identify and select devices providing an elevated Wi-Fi experience in managed networks.

Since 2000, the Wi-Fi Alliance has completed more than 50,000 Wi-Fi certifications and its Wi-Fi Certified seal of approval, which designates products with proven interoperability, backward compatibility and industry-standard security protection.

Wi-Fi Vantage is designed to bundle what are described as pertinent Wi-Fi Alliance certifications that improve overall network performance, deliver the latest in Wi-Fi security and encryption standards, and alleviate congestion on mobile data networks.

It is said to deliver a more reliable and consistent connectivity experience for users when establishing network access, onboarding devices, accessing services and traversing Wi-Fi networks.

In this latest development, the programme will now support the latest generation of Wi-Fi, Wi-Fi 6, to bringing greater efficiency and capacity to devices. Wi-Fi Vantage also now supports the latest developments on WPA3 security and delivers improved protections in open networks with Wi-Fi Enhanced Open.

With a growing technology portfolio, Wi-Fi Vantage is said to enable service providers, IT managers and network operators to deliver a more consistent and quality experience in densely populated Wi-Fi networks, including education campuses, stadiums, public venues, airports and corporate venues.

Wi-Fi Vantage is also engineered to deliver next-generation use cases both in the consumer arena and in the enterprise, particularly those involving lower latency and greater mobility. Key technologies in Wi-Fi Vantage, such as Passpoint, Wi-Fi Agile Multiband and Wi-Fi Optimised Connectivity, are intended to streamline integration of Wi-Fi and cellular networks and aid the coexistence of both technologies.

The alliance says Wi-Fi Vantage provides users with a more seamless mobility experience when accessing Wi-Fi networks, roaming between access points or Wi-Fi networks, or transitioning from Wi-Fi to cellular networks without losing connections. Features in Wi-Fi Vantage are claimed to allocate network resources more appropriately and reduce airtime overhead, enabling a better experience with more latency-sensitive applications such as video conferencing, gaming and augmented/virtual reality (AR/VR).

New features in Wi-Fi Vantage further enable Wi-Fi to support high-density environments with increased speeds, lower latency and enhanced security. Wi-Fi Vantage will also continue to be available for Wi-Fi 5 generation devices.

“Wi-Fi Vantage delivers on four key pillars of a positive Wi-Fi experience in dynamic environments – manageability, mobility, performance and security,” said Kevin Robinson, senior vice-president of marketing at Wi-Fi Alliance. “Key mechanisms in Wi-Fi Vantage make Wi-Fi increasingly suited for scenarios requiring greater mobility and aid in a higher-quality experience, which today often includes frequent transitions between Wi-Fi and cellular networks.”