Expect More Wi-Fi Location Capabilities, Wi-Fi as Standard Feature in new Cars in 2016, Wi-Fi Alliance Says

From more ubiquitous Wi-Fi to "smart everything," 2016 will bring with it several technological advances, the Wi-Fi Alliance said in a news release Thursday. The group's predictions for the year include progress on a test regimen for LTE-U/Wi-Fi coexistence, resulting in an industry-agreed-upon test plan; increased use of Wi-Fi location capabilities in new applications; an updated Wi-Fi Certified ac, which is based on IEEE 802.11ac certification and will bring with it new features such as multiple-input and multiple-output technologies for wireless communication; and the launch of the WiGig certification for wireless devices working at multigigabit speeds. With the number of connected devices expected to hit 38.5 billion by 2020, the Wi-Fi Alliance said more companies will look to its Implementer membership category, which makes Wi-Fi certification accessible to more companies that don't specialize directly in connectivity technology development. And it said municipal Wi-Fi deployments will increase, as will Wi-Fi networks in such locations as sports stadiums, and Wi-Fi connectivity will become a standard feature in new cars.