The Wi-SUN Alliance has launched its Field Area Network (FAN) certification program. Starting a little later than planned, the program aims to certify products according to the alliance’s low power mesh networking standard. The target is still utilities, but the alliance is hoping to expand into smart cities too. Wi-SUN has already proven popular among utilities, using it to connect both smart meters and grid infrastructure. Now, there is a formal certification for compliance, which should improve the device and product ecosystem. According to the group, the first approved products will appear in Q4. The alliance argues that proprietary systems are no longer sufficiently flexible or cost effective, compared to open standards like Wi-SUN – itself mostly based on IEEE…