Wi-Fi is one of the great backward compatibility success stories
1 min read
Summary
Wi-Fi is a rare technology in that it supports backward compatibility, meaning that devices spanning five generations of Wi-Fi can connect to the internet, most of it wirelessly through a router.
This is achieved because Wi-Fi devices are “shapeshifters” – when connecting to another device, the device using the newest generation of Wi-Fi will switch to the highest generation the other device is equipped for.
Device compatibility and long-term support are achieved through a rigorous testing regime, maintaining old parts of the standard and ensuring that existing technology is made more viable through new developments.
In order to enforce this, the Wi-Fi Alliance was set up to offer certification for products, with a logo that assures the customer that products will be interoperable with all other Wi-Fi certified devices.
While some companies, such as Amazon-owned Eero, do not submit to this process as it takes time, they achieve the same result through internalprocesses, checking connections to outdated devices and emulating high usage to ensure their routers are compatible with older devices.