Wireless for VoIP phones becomes standard

Wi-Fi protocol 802.11r, which has been used as a de facto wireless technology for VoIP phones, has become a published standard of the Institute of Electrical and Electronics Engineers (IEEE).

The protocol, the newest of its kind, was developed to provide a Wi-Fi connection that would be able to pass between access points quickly.

It began its life in 2004 and a green light for publishing the final draft of the standard was given by the 802.11r task group in January.

Devices which support the protocol will be able to hand over connections in around 50 milliseconds, which is just under half of the time of existing standards.

Up until now, businesses which use wireless VoIP networks have had to improvise because of the slow reconnection times, and have reported mixed results.

Mobile VoIP phones differ from standard mobile phones because while basestations for mobiles have ranges which can be measured in hundreds or even thousands of yards, Wi-Fi connections are usually measured in terms of feet.