The relationship between WAPI and Wi-Fi is subtle.

While the industry is still struggling with the question of "When will Wi-Fi be lifted", China's self-defined Wireless LAN Standard WAPI is gradually starting, A number of first-line manufacturers, including Motorola, Lenovo, and Nokia, have expressed great interest in Chinese standards and have begun to deploy their products online, this makes it possible for a technology that has been born for a long time but has been developing slowly. In addition, the comprehensive arrival of the 3G era in China also gives WAPI popularity. driven by strong policies, more "China's national condition" WAPI may really replace Wi-Fi applications in mainland China.

What is WAPI?

First of all, we need to know what WAPI is. In fact, this is a WLAN wireless network connection protocol developed by adding security algorithm design based on Wi-Fi technology in China. Theoretically, WAPI is the improvement of Wi-Fi, but it has no civil experience. Besides mobile phones, many other types of digital products provide Wi-Fi modules directly, at the same time, in the home wireless network and more public environments, Wi-Fi base stations and hotspots are also very common. Therefore, WAPI is often interpreted as a way for domestic operators to protect their own interests, because once mobile phone Wi-Fi is released, users may make phone calls over the network, the traditional billing mode will be challenged.

However, with the launch of the "C + W" Tianyi business by China Telecom, carriers do not care about the impact of Wi-Fi, who else will worry about the problems caused by the popularity of Wi-Fi. From another perspective, we also feel the tremendous strength of WAPI in terms of policy. Of course, WAPI does have its own unique advantages in terms of security, which also enables WAPI to have sufficient "Confidence" in promotion and popularization ".

The confidentiality system of WAPI includes two parts: WAI authentication and key management, and WPI data transmission protection. Compared with traditional transmission technologies such as WEP encryption and IEEE 802.11i, WAPI does greatly enhance the security at the technical level. It adopts a two-way authentication mechanism, but the authentication process is more convenient. Users and wireless access locations are in the same status, and the client supports multiple certificates, this allows users to avoid having to worry about changing keys during roaming.

In contrast, today's Wi-Fi uses the WEP encryption protocol. The one-way authentication mechanism of the WEP encryption protocol and the open system authentication method make it easy to crack, for example, many wireless networks in the family can always have outsiders "network", because no matter how the address is hidden, it is still possible to crack it.

Subtle relationship between WAPI and Wi-Fi

Although there are two different protocols, the policy side and the market side fully disagree with the application of these two technologies, but in fact, these two protocols have some commonalities-in terms of technology itself, the difference between WAPI and Wi-Fi lies only in the Protocol security system, but in fact, in the current WLAN application, there are not many opportunities for the security of WAPI to play a role in both public and home wireless LAN environments. Because the two technologies are identical on the physical layer, but different protocols, it is feasible to support the two standards in multimode mode on the same WLAN Chip Based on the technology superposition principle. Therefore, the connectivity between WAPI and Wi-Fi is not a technical obstacle.

Wi-Fi has played a critical role in all wireless network application environments. Therefore, although WAPI technology continues to receive policy support, however, we also need to take care of all the first-line manufacturers in the industry that fully utilize Wi-Fi technology. It is undoubtedly a good solution to achieve compatibility in a dual mode. According to the ideas of relevant national departments, the current wireless city construction, wireless hotspot settings in public environments, and home wireless networks may gradually upgrade the technology to WAPI, then "include" Wi-Fi "from top to bottom -- use wapi in a wapi hotspot, where WAPI is not yet popular, the system automatically selects the suitable Wi-Fi network.

1. What is the difference between WAPI and Wi-Fi?
2. WAPI actively follows up on the International Standard Industry Chain