AUSTIN, Texas, June 23, 2021 (GLOBE NEWSWIRE) -- Wi-Fi Alliance® is introducing QuickTrack as a new certification path that provides a simpler, lower cost option to achieve Wi-Fi CERTIFIED™ product certification. QuickTrack allows Wi-Fi Alliance members to build products based on Qualified Solutions – modules, chipsets, and other solutions which have undergone prerequisite testing. Using the QuickTrack path, end product developers may pursue Wi-Fi®certification by testing new, innovative Wi-Fi products based on trusted Qualified Solutions designed to meet industry-agreed Wi-Fi CERTIFIED requirements.
QuickTrack enables Wi-Fi product vendors to introduce quality devices into the market faster. The new QuickTrack certification path lowers testing costs and reduces the time needed to complete Wi-Fi certification testing. By relying on Qualified Solutions which have already completed Wi-Fi functionality testing, QuickTrack builds upon the testing already completed for core Wi-Fi components. QuickTrack also offers the convenience of testing at a member’s own testing site, or at an Authorized Test Laboratory (ATL).
“Wi-Fi CERTIFIED provides companies tailored testing options to deliver the highest quality Wi-Fi, whether certifying an enterprise-class access point or the latest Internet of Things gadget,” said Kevin Robinson, SVP of Marketing, Wi-Fi Alliance. “Wi-Fi Alliance is excited to now offer QuickTrack, enabling solution providers to deliver great value to their customers by jump-starting the end product certification process and empowering end product developers to integrate industry-standard testing into their ongoing quality programs to ensure products meet Wi-Fi CERTIFIED requirements throughout their lifetime.”
To meet the diverse needs of more than 800 member companies, Wi-Fi Alliance now offers three paths to certify Wi-Fi products. These paths accommodate multiple product development approaches – from creating a product design built from original components to branding products designed and manufactured by another entity. Wi-Fi Alliance members will find the right testing and certification path to meet their needs, with tools that support variation in testing methods and test location options. Wi-Fi CERTIFIED paths include:
- QuickTrack (newest option): Tailored to products based on suppliers’ solutions that have already completed core Wi-Fi functionality testing as part of a Qualified Solution. QuickTrack allows targeted modifications to Wi-Fi components and functionality. Testing is completed in-house at the member’s testing site or at an ATL.
- FlexTrack: Tailored to highly differentiated products designed from the ground up. FlexTrack allows extensive flexibility in product design, including Wi-Fi functionality customization and optimization. Testing is completed at an ATL.
- Derivative: Tailored to product portfolios where multiple products use identical Wi-Fi designs, such as multiple television models with the same Wi-Fi module or appliances designed by one vendor for distribution under other vendors’ brands. Members apply for certification of derivative products without the requirement to complete testing.
Member companies providing the first Qualified Solutions which serve as the basis for creating and certifying other products through QuickTrack include: ASR Microelectronics Co., Ltd, Intel®, Microchip and Qualcomm Technologies. The first products certified using the new QuickTrack method include: the Midea IoT Application from Midea Group, that will be used as a source to certify millions of secure, interoperable IoT and smart appliances in China, and the PIC32MZ-W1 Wi-Fi® SoC and Module Family from Microchip. SRTC is the first Authorized Test Lab supporting QuickTrack certification for members.
Qualified Solutions available include:
- ASR Wi-Fi ComBo Module
- ASR Wi-Fi Module
- Intel® Wi-Fi 6E AX210
- Microchip PIC32MZ-W1 Wi-Fi® SoC and Module Family
- Qualcomm Technologies 2x2 Wi-Fi 6E SoC for Mobile and Compute
Industry support for QuickTrack
“To support large venue operations connecting thousands of devices, next-generation Wi-Fi equipment needs to meet high-quality standards. QuickTrack certification marks an important quality assurance step to support Wi-Fi deployments in demanding environments. At Boingo, we’re seeing more and more Wi-Fi 6E equipment coming to the market and we applaud industry efforts to establish respected quality standards to help bring best-in-class connectivity to enterprises.” – Dr. Derek Peterson, CTO, Boingo Wireless
“We’d like to congratulate Wi-Fi Alliance on the launch of the new QuickTrack certification path. This new approach will positively impact the future of the Wi-Fi industry by helping to make it much easier and less costly for companies to obtain Wi-Fi certification for their products. We were delighted to actively participate in QuickTrack’s development and that our Intel® Wi-Fi 6E AX210 product will be one of the first Qualified Solutions for QuickTrack.” – Carlos Cordeiro, Wireless CTO, Client Computing Group, Intel Corporation
“We are glad that Midea Group’s IoT application product is the first to get certified following the new QuickTrack certification path that significantly lowers the time and cost to get Wi-Fi CERTIFIED. We believe the industry will benefit from this new, simple and fast process when more and more products are certified and compliant with the Wi-Fi standards.” – Joshua Xiang, CTO and VP of IoT, Midea Group
“The new QuickTrack certification path is a real milestone. With this streamlined process, the Wi-Fi Alliance enables even small and medium-sized Wi-Fi manufacturers to certify their products quickly and with manageable effort. In future, consumers will be able to choose from a wider variety of certified products on the market and compare product features more easily.” – Jan Buis, Vice President Business Development, LANCOM Systems
“Microchip is excited to take a leading position in the rollout of Wi-Fi Alliance’s new QuickTrack program. The streamlined process allows our customers to quickly and easily certify their applications. By partnering early on with QuickTrack, Microchip is able to provide out-of-the-box access to the most up-to-date, advanced Wi-Fi Alliance certification programs on our latest generation of Wi-Fi silicon.” – Steve Caldwell, vice president of Microchip’s wireless solutions business unit.
“QuickTrack provides effective certification procedures and tools, and shortens the test time and certification cycle of some Wi-Fi products. Using QuickTrack, laboratories can adopt more flexible certification strategies to quickly obtain Wi-Fi certification from Wi-Fi Alliance.” – PengZhen, Director of International Certification Department (ICD), The State Radio monitoring Testing Center (SRTC)
For more information on Wi-Fi CERTIFIED, please visit: https://www.wi-fi.org/certification
About Wi-Fi Alliance® | www.wi-fi.org
Wi-Fi Alliance® is the worldwide network of companies that brings you Wi-Fi®. Members of our collaboration forum come together from across the Wi-Fi ecosystem with the shared vision to connect everyone and everything, everywhere, while providing the best possible user experience. Since 2000, Wi-Fi Alliance has completed more than 65,000 Wi-Fi certifications. The Wi-Fi CERTIFIED™ seal of approval designates products with proven interoperability, backward compatibility, and the highest industry-standard security protections in place. Today, Wi-Fi carries more than half of the internet’s traffic in an ever-expanding variety of applications. Wi-Fi Alliance continues to drive the adoption and evolution of Wi-Fi, which billions of people rely on every day.
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Media Contact:
Stephanie Burke
Highwire PR for Wi-Fi Alliance
wi-fi@highwirepr.com