Broadcom announces that they've built in Cisco Compatible Extensions V2, a set of security add-ons to 802.11 networks: We at Wi-Fi Networking News remain dubious about proprietary add-ons, regardless of how widely and openly available, that circumvent industry bodies such as the Wi-Fi Alliance that have successfully prevented a fork in interoperability among devices in consumer, enterprise, logistics, and other spaces. With the 802.11 family through the Wi-Fi certification program remaining one of the most unified and successful long-term implementations of technology across an entire industry, anything appearing from one company outside of this process should be looked at long and hard.
Most chipmakers jumped on Cisco's ship. They're the biggest gorilla by far with their dominance in the enterprise and, with their purchase of Linksys, substantial minority ownership of the consumer space. Could Cisco's extensions hurt? Unlikely. But they're a chink in the wall. Cisco couldn't get its way through committee, so it appealed to commerce. So far, it's working.