The paint may be still be fresh on 802.11n, but that hasn't stopped Wi-Fi honchos from touting the next big thing in wireless. Here's what you need to know.
Wireless N may be still be in draft spec, but Wi-Fi honchos are already lining up another - this time in the form of 802.11v. So what does the arrival of yet another Wi-Fi standard mean to you?
So what is it?
802.11v is an extension of existing 802.11 Wi-Fi devices, just like the a, b, g and n standards we're familiar with now. It was first proposed in 2004 to beef up Wi-Fi's networking capabilities and to address power management issues.
Why should I care?
802.11v promises to cut the amount of energy consumed by Wi-Fi radio chips in everything from modem routers to laptops and mobile phones. It'll work by automatically cutting power to the Wi-Fi chip when it's not being used, which should help improve battery life in devices like the Apple iPhone. That, in turn, should help Wi-Fi become much more eco-friendly than it is right now.
Key elements of the standard include Wake On WLAN and Wireless Network Management Sleep Mode, both of which should cut the amount of power 802.11v-equipped devices consume.
