802.11n Wi-Fi uploaded to SD card spec

CES 2012

The SD Association - the organisation behind the ubiquitous memory card - has written 802.11n Wi-Fi into the technology's specification.

Prosaically called the "Wireless LAN SD" standard, the new spec allows card makers to build in 802.11n radios that operate in the 2.4GHz and 5GHz bands. They can do so with full-size SDs and with Micro SD cards.

Wi-Fi SD card specialist EyeFi has been doing this kind of thing for years.

But the new spec should ensure that future cards - and the gadgets they go into - interoperate more effectively. The SDA said "most existing digital cameras and digital video cameras" will be able to use the new cards out of the box.

The SDA's standard takes in two usage models: peer-to-peer operation, and working through a home network. Both support uploading content to remote servers. Two decals will show which - or both - of these modes a card supports:

  

P2P (left) and Home LAN