802.11ac is ratified
In the closing days of 2013, the 802.11ac standardization project completed. The IEEE has published the 802.11ac-2013 standard.
Ratification of the standard was never in doubt, of course. The 802.11 timeline showed that as additional drafts were madeavailable, support for the standard approached unanimity, with an approval in its final ballot of 99%.
Like 802.11n before it, the 802.11ac effort took about half a decade to complete.
While the specification is important, it was rightly overshadowed by the introduction of the first wave of products earlier this summer, including Aerohive’s AP370 and AP390. Many wireless LAN users were quite happy with gigabit-speed interoperability based on the emerging standard, safe in the knowledge that the Wi-Fi Alliance interoperability program would ensure that investments in 802.11ac would make their networks better for years to come.
Matthew Gast (@MatthewSGast)
Matthew Gast is Director of Advanced Technology at Aerohive Networks. He currently serves as chair of both the Wi-Fi Alliance's security task groups, was the first chair of the Wireless Network Management Marketing task group, and is the past chair of the IEEE 802.11 revision task group. Matthew is also the author of 802.11 Wireless Networks: The Definitive Guide (O'Reilly), which is now in its second edition and has been translated into six languages. His companion book, 802.11n book, 802.11n: A Survival Guide (O’Reilly), was recently published and provides information on how 802.11n works and what it means for the WLAN planning process. Most recently, Matthew completed 802.11ac: A Survival Guide (O'Reilly).