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What Is Wifi
What Is Wifi
Initially, Wi-Fi was used in place of only the 2.4GHz 802.11b standard,
however the Wi-Fi Alliance has expanded the generic use of the Wi-Fi term
to include any type of network or WLAN product based on any of the 802.11
standards, including 802.11b, 802.11a, dual-band, and so on, in an attempt
to stop confusion about wireless LAN interoperability.
Wi-Fi works with no physical wired connection between sender and receiver
by using radio frequency (RF) technology, a frequency within the
electromagnetic spectrum associated with radio wave propagation. When
an RF current is supplied to an antenna, an electromagnetic field is created
that then is able to propagate through space. The cornerstone of any
wireless network is an access point (AP). The primary job of an access point
is to broadcast a wireless signal that computers can detect and "tune" into.
In order to connect to an access point and join a wireless network,
computers and devices must be equipped with wireless network adapters.
It’s Advantages
Wi-Fi allows the deployment of local area networks (LANs) without wires for
client devices, typically reducing the costs of network deployment and
expansion. Spaces where cables cannot be run, such as outdoor areas and
historical buildings, can host wireless LANs.
As of 2010 manufacturers are building wireless network adapters into most
laptops. The price of chipsets for Wi-Fi continues to drop, making it an
economical networking option included in even more devices. Wi-Fi has
become widespread in corporate infrastructures.
Different competitive brands of access points and client network-interfaces
can inter-operate at a basic level of service. Products designated as "Wi-Fi
Certified" by the Wi-Fi Alliance are backwards compatible. "Wi-Fi"
designates a globally operative set of standards: unlike mobile phones, any
standard Wi-Fi device will work anywhere in the world.
Wi-Fi operates in more than 220,000 public hotspots and in tens of millions
of homes and corporate and university campuses worldwide.
The current version of Wi-Fi Protected Access encryption (WPA2) as of
2010 is considered secure, provided users employ a strong pass phrase. New
protocols for quality-of-service (WMM) make Wi-Fi more suitable for
latency-sensitive applications (such as voice and video); and power saving
mechanisms (WMM Power Save) improve battery operation.
Limitations
Reach
Mobility
The very limited practical range of Wi-Fi essentially confines mobile use to
such applications as inventory-taking machines in warehouses or in retail
spaces, barcode-reading devices at check-out stands, or receiving/shipping
stations. Mobile use of Wi-Fi over wider ranges is limited, for instance, to
uses such as in an automobile moving from one hotspot to another (known
as Wardriving). Other wireless technologies are more suitable as illustrated
in the graphic.
A wireless network or Wireless Local Area Network (WLAN) serves the same
purpose as a wired one — to link a group of computers. Because "wireless"
doesn't require costly wiring, the main benefit is that it's generally easier,
faster and cheaper to set up.
The Basics
Conclusion
For years, it has been understood that the acronym Wi-Fi was short for
“Wireless Fidelity”. Recently, however, there has been a dust up
of debate about whether this is really the case.
Apparently, when the Wi-Fi Alliance (then called the Wireless Ethernet
Compatibility Alliance) first begun trying to brand their new wireless
networking technology, they couldn’t agree on a name. So the Alliance
decided to call up Interbrand, the well-known branding company
responsible for such names as Prozac and Compaq.
Of course, when people saw this name, they immediately wanted to give it
a meaning. Customers begun asking what the acronym stood for, so the
Alliance begun calling it “Wireless Fidelity” – and it stuck.
The recent debate on this issue stems from the fact that “Wireless Fidelity”
literally means, well, absolutely nothing. It was just a convenient way of
fusing “Wireless” with “high-fidelity”.
But think a little deeper and you’ll realize that the very name Wi-Fi is non
existent. It’s just a pun on an earlier phrase that happened to include the
word “Fidelity”.
The fact of the matter is, however, that it is now a household term used to
describe the world’s most popular wireless networking protocol. That, in
itself, has given it meaning, and “Wireless Fidelity” was branded right along
with it from the beginning.
So yes, in reality, the term doesn’t mean anything by itself, but neither
does the abbreviation. The simple fact is that they are both arbitrary brand
names, and neither has any more literal meaning than the other.
Because they have been used, however, and continue to be used, gives
them both the power of co-existent association. And that’s more real that
any literal meaning I’ve ever seen.