Good going, Wi-Fi Alliance. The Digital Living Network Alliance (DLNA) is now requiring a WLAN interoperability certification from the Wi-Fi Alliance as part of DLNA's own certification program for home networked devices. The DLNA will no longer allow WLAN-enabled gear to carry the group's certification and logo unless they have been certified for WiFi interoperability and security. The DLNA was formed in 2003 to set up a platform for interoperability based on open industry standards. The platform is used by manufacturers to support sharing of media through wired or wireless networks. In addition to making sure that the WiFi-enabled DLNA test bed meets the specifications of the Wi-Fi Alliance, the DLNA test bed will use Wi-Fi CERTIFIED network equipment to ensure that the entire suite of DLNA tests can be executed using WiFi network connectivity.
We should view this as an indication of the Wi-Fi Alliance's move to look for new WLAN-relevant applications and technologies beyond the PC sector. Watch for the Alliance to become more involved in consumer electronics devices, converged handsets, various configurations of WLAN security, and more.
For more on the collaboration between the two groups:
- see the websites of the Alliance [1] | DLNA [2]
Links:
[1] http://www.wi-fi.org/OpenSection/ReleaseDisplay.asp?TID=4&ItemID=208&StrYear=2005&strmonth=9
[2] http://www.dlna.org/home