Voice Over Wi-Fi’s Dirty Little Secret:

Security and Reliability Require Proprietary Additions

With the adoption of a tough security standard for wireless LANs (IEEE 802.11i) and the recent adoption of a standard for quality of service (QoS), it is easy to assume that Voice over Wi-Fi is now ready for prime time. It’s not. There are still gaps in standards-based security and reliability specifications that are large enough to drive a truck through. The dirty little secret is that currently the only way for customers to build a secure and reliable VoWi-Fi network is to use proprietary extensions and, in some cases, add-on products from third party vendors. For early adopters, the trade-off of being locked into a proprietary solution with a single vendor is worthwhile. VoWi-Fi equipment manufacturers need to address several issues to help this market take off: