Now the client device will only "ping" the AP when it wants to talk, said Ben Gibson, director of wireless and mobility marketing at Cisco. The technology requires software in both the client and in the AP.

According to Gibson, this technology will dramatically increase battery life. Gibson said a VOIP-enabled phone will most likely have the same battery life as non-VOIP phones.

A second load-balancing technology recognizes when an AP has been fully subscribed and boosts power output or hands off a call to an adjacent AP.

Call Admission Control, a third technology, is designed to improve the quality of service for VOIP by allowing network managers to cap the number of users on a single AP.

"If there is no more bandwidth available, the system needs to recognize that and not admit another call," Gibson said. Gibson noted that this capability is extremely important for VOIP to handle e911 calls.