This week both Qualcomm and Quantenna have used the word SON, a convenient acronym stolen from LTE, in conjunction with WiFi. In our view, it is a misnomer and SON (self-organizing/optimizing network) should be left firmly in the cellular camp. Quantenna has used this as its answer to total home connectivity, calling its software framework looking after WiFi in the home SONiQ, while Qualcomm has added features to its year old WiSON. First, WiFi is not a network, it is a cluster of individual separate networks which allow local network access. Access Points are aware of each other purely as interference, and avoid one another. SON implies a central controlling intelligence that makes a cluster of APs – be they…