My Wi-Fi History
1993
Author of Wi-Fi Foundation Protocol
In 1993 I authored the proposal (along with two co-authors) that was adopted by the IEEE 802.11 Wireless LAN standards committee as the foundation protocol for the wireless LAN standard. On November 11, 1993 our specification was voted by the committee to be the winning foundation technology, over competing proposals from 13 other companies including IBM, Raytheon, Spectrix, and National Semiconductor. The fundamental concepts incorporated in our “Distributed Foundation Wireless MAC” proposal, including the use of CSMA with collision avoidance, are still at the heart of Wi-Fi.
Click here for the section in my Computer History Museum interview where I describe our development of the Wi-Fi foundation protocol.
1993 - 97 I serve as Chief Technical Editor of the original IEEE 802.11 standard
The original specification for the IEEE 802.11 standard was approved and published in 1997 — all 447 pages of it. I served as “Chief Technical Editor”. This original standard would be enhanced in 1999 with the higher speed 11-megabit/second “802.11b” variant — which we would christen as “Wi-Fi” .
Click here for the section in my Computer History Museum interview where I talk about the creation of the original 802.11 standard.
1999 We create WECA (subsequently renamed the Wi-Fi Alliance) — and Wi-Fi is launched
In 1999, six companies — 3Com, Lucent, Nokia, Harris, Symbol, and Aironet — founded an organization called WECA (the “Wireless Ethernet Compatibility Alliance”) and trademarked the “Wi-Fi” brand as a consumer-friendly name for the IEEE 802.11b wireless LAN standard. The primary purpose of the organization was to test and certify products to ensure their interoperability with other similarly-certified products. I was named Technical Director at the founding, with the responsibility of establishing and managing the actual certification program. I continued to serve in the organization’s chief technical leadership position for 16 years, retiring as Vice President, Technology in 2016. Today the Wi-Fi Alliance has over 800 member companies and serves as “the worldwide network of companies that bring you Wi-Fi”. www.wi-fi.org
Click here for the section in my Computer History Museum interview where I talk about creation of the “Wi-Fi” brand name, and the founding of the Wi-Fi Alliance.
1999 - 2016 Wi-Fi Alliance Technology Leadership
For sixteen years I served in the lead technical position for the Wi-Fi Alliance, the organization of over 800 member companies that launched Wi-Fi in 1999 and which continues today to shepherd Wi-Fi’s ongoing development. During my years with the Wi-Fi Alliance as Vice President, Technology, in addition to my executive responsibilities I served as a primary technical spokesperson for the entire Wi-Fi industry, presenting keynotes at conferences in Europe, China, and the US.
Click here for the section in my Computer History Museum interview where I describe the explosive worldwide growth of Wi-Fi.
