Pharmaceutical Business review

Wi-Fi Alliance partners with Continua Health Alliance

The agreement will promote cooperative efforts for joint technical review of Wi-Fi Alliance and Continua Health Alliance specifications and guidelines.

The idea is to facilitate interoperability of personal health and fitness applications, giving a great user experience and faster adoption.

Wi-Fi technology has become standard to connect personal health devices, and provide whole-home coverage, IP-based communications, industry-standard security protections, and advanced power management mechanisms.

The addition of Wi-Fi Direct will fuel new ways in which devices can connect in the absence of a Wi-Fi network.

Continua released its first set of design guidelines in January 2009, and also established a product certification program with a consumer-recognizable logo to depict the promise of interoperability across certified products.

The Wi-Fi Alliance also has a Wi-Fi CERTIFIED program which was launched in March 2000 to provide widely recognized designation of interoperability, quality and best user experience.

Wi-Fi Alliance CEO Edgar Figueroa said this will help drive the advancement and evolution of Wi-Fi by providing a known and trusted technology to connect health and fitness devices.

Continua Health Alliance executive director Chuck Parker said that working with the base that the Wi-Fi Alliance has established will help enrich the marketplace of interoperable health devices and services.