What is Wi-fi?

 

Wi-fi is a local area network that uses high-frequency radio signals to transmit and receive data over distances of a few hundred feet. It uses ethernet protocol.

 

 

­As long as they all have wireless adapters, several devices can use one router at the same time to connect to the Internet. This connection is convenient, virtually invisible and fairly reliable; however, if the router fails or if too many people try to use high-bandwidth applications at the same time, these same users can experience interference or even lose their connections.

 

Now, let's take a look at how to connect to the Internet from a wi-fi hotspot.

 

 

You may also be interested in our About SecPoint, IT Security Products and IT Security Jobs

 

 

Wi-Fi, which stands for wireless fidelity, a play on the older term Hi-Fi, is a wireless networking technology used all over the globe. Wi-Fi refers to any system that uses the 802.11 standard, which was developed by the Institute of Electrical and Electronics Engineers (IEEE) and released in 1997. The term Wi-Fi, which is alternatively spelled WiFi, Wi-fi, Wifi, or wifi, was pushed by the Wi-Fi Alliance, a trade group that pioneered commercialization of the technology.

 

In a Wi-Fi network, computers with wifi network cards connect wirelessly to a wireless router. The router is connected to the Internet by means of a modem, typically a cable or DSL modem. Any user within 200 feet or so (about 61 meters) of the access point can then connect to the Internet. However, for those who wish to have good transfer rates, distances of 100 feet (30.5 meters) or less are more common. Retailers also sell wireless signal boosters that extend the range of a wireless network.

 

Wifi networks can either be "open", such that anyone can use them, or "closed", in which case a password is needed. An area blanketed in wireless access is often called a wireless hotspot. There are efforts underway to turn entire cities, such as San Francisco, Portland, and Philadelphia, into big wireless hotspots. Many of these plans will offer free, ad-supported service or ad-free service for a small fee. San Francisco recently chose Google to supply it with a wireless network.

 

Wifi technology uses radio for communication, typically operating at a frequency of 2.4GHz. Electronics that are "WiFi Certified" are guaranteed to interoperate with each other regardless of brand. Wifi technology designed to cater to the lightweight computing systems of the future, which are mobile and designed to consume minimal power. PDAs, laptops, and various accessories manufactured in the last five years or so are typically designed to be wifi-compatible or wifi-ready. There are even phones under development that would switch seamlessly from cellular networks to wifi networks without dropping the current call.

 

New wifi technologies will extend range from 300 feet (91.5 meters) to 600 feet (183 meters) and beyond, while boosting data transfer rates. Most new laptops nowadays come equipped with internal wireless networking cards.

 

In some countries (and in this article) the term Wi-Fi[1][2] is often used by the public as a synonym for IEEE 802.11-wireless LAN (WLAN).

 

 

Not every IEEE 802.11 compliant device is certified by the Wi-Fi Alliance, which may be because of certification costs that must be paid for each certified device type. The lack of the Wi-Fi logo does not imply that a WLAN-device is incompatible to certified Wi-Fi-devices.

 

Wi-Fi is supported by most personal computer operating systems, many game consoles, laptops, smartphones, printers, and other peripherals.

 

 

 

A wireless network uses radio waves, just like cell phones, televisions and radios do. In fact, communication across a wireless network is a lot like two-way radio communication. Here's what happens:

 

 

The process also works in reverse, with the router receiving information from the Internet, translating it into a radio signal and sending it to the computer's wireless adapter.

 

The radios used for WiFi communication are very similar to the radios used for walkie-talkies, cell phones and other devices. They can transmit and receive radio waves, and they can convert 1s and 0s into radio waves and convert the radio waves back into 1s and 0s. But WiFi radios have a few notable differences from other radios: