WHAT IS WIFI
WHAT IS WIFI ?
WiFi is a wireless networking technology that allows capable and enabled mobile devices resembling computers : such as laptops, tablets, phones, and wearables mobile propensity. (as well as many other peripheral devices such as printers, cameras, test equipment, machinery, and vehicles) to interface with the Internet. It allows these seamless and unwired connections to interface with one another, creating a network.
In a general sense, WiFi refers to the wireless LAN technologies that are governed by the Institute of Electrical and Electronics Engineers IEEE 802.11 standard for the transfer of information between devices. WiFi products use radio waves to transmit data from a mobile device to either an access point, which includes a router that completes a connection via the LAN (Local Area network), to the WAN ( Wide Area Network) , also commonly referred to as the internet.
Initially the technology used the 2.4 GHz frequency only, but has since expanded to 5 GHz, 60 GHz, and 6 GHz frequency bands. (A fighting standard, known as Home RF, also supported wireless connections, but manufacturers and standards commitees ultimately chose WiFi and the 802.11 protocols as the international wireless standard)
Inspired by traditional transistor radio, WiFi networks transmit information over the air using radio frequencies, which are a type of electromagnetic radiation with wavelengths in the electromagnetic spectrum that are longer than infrared light.
WiFi radio normally uses frequencies of either 2.4 GHZ or 5 GHZ (gigahertz). These two WiFi frequency bands are both subdivided into multiple non overlapping channels, with each channel perhaps being used by many different networks in the same area.
When you download information utilizing a WiFi network, a device known as a router first receives the data from the internet via the broadband internet connection modem and then converts it into radio frequency signals via the internal wireless access point or wired external access point. The wireless access point then transmits the radio frequency within the coverage area, and the wireless device that has initiated the download request receives the signal and decodes the encapsulated information.
Because WiFi depends on radio frequencies, WiFi networks can be interfered with by other WiFi networks or prismatic electronic devices, including but not limited to : microwaves, toaster ovens, cordless telephones, refrigerators, televisions, transistor radios, and some Bluetooth devices.
How does Wi-Fi work?
Although WiFi is normally used to connect to the internet with mobile devices like smartphones, tablets, or laptops, in actuality: WiFi itself is used to connect to a router or other access point, which in turn provides internet access. WiFi is a wireless connection to that device, not the internet itself. It also can provide access between network connected devices, which is why you can publish a screen wirelessly or look at a videotape feed from WiFi connected cameras with no need to be physically connected to them.
Instead of using wired connections like Ethernet, WiFi uses radio frequency channels to transmit information at specific carrier frequencies, usually at 2.4 GHz and 5 GHz. Notwithstanding, there are numerous others used in private networks and further niche environments. Each range has several channels that wireless devices can operate on, helping to spread the payload so that individual channels do not become so saturated that the desired signal becomes degraded, crowded out, or otherwise intruded upon by other signals, although that does occur on busy networks.
The typical range of a standard WiFi network can reach up to 100 yards in the open air. Structures and other objects reflect the signal, notwithstanding, making typical WiFi networks ranges far narrower than that. Normally, ranges of 10 – 35 yards are more common. The strength of the antenna and the broadcast frequency also impacts the effective range of the network. Higher frequencies like 5 GHz and 60 GHz are capable of transmitting much more information, but have far shorter effective ranges than 2.4 GHz. In essense, the higher the frequency, the more data can be transmitted and at a further distance. That being said, solid object penetration is inversely proportionate, such as buildings, trees, and possibly atmospheric dirt, dust, and moisture.
Everyone within a wireless networks range and a compatible WiFi device can detect the network and attempt to connect to it, provided the SSID is not hidden. That is what allows it to operate in private and public settings, but this definitely raises security concerns. This is why security measures such as WPA, WPA2, and WPA3 are critical and why it is essential to change your password if you suspect unauthorized network intrusion.
WiFi networks have no physical wired connection between sender and receiver. Instead, they work by using radio frequency (RF) technology. A prevalence within the electromagnetic spectrum associated with radio swell propagation. When an RF current is supplied to an antenna, an electromagnetic field is created that propagates through the air and most objects.
The underpinning 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, recognize, and use to establish a connection to the network. In order to connect to an access point and join a wireless network, computers and mobile devices must be equipped with wireless network internal circuitry or external adapter.
What is Wi-Fi and why is it so important?
Most people are mindful of the wireless icon symbol on a computer or smartphone that indicates a successful wireless LAN connection, but few understand the origins of the technology that has been dubbed as Wi-Fi.
Interestingly, the term Wi-Fi originally did not represent the technology itself, but rather was a term contrived to promote and support interoperability between different wireless LAN systems. Wi-Fi was in no way a measure of wireless speed; it was just a pun on the term hi-fi (high fastness), an homage to high quality audio technology.
The term Wi-Fi was created by the Wireless Ethernet Compatibility Alliance, which was thereafter termed the Wi-Fi Alliance. In April 2000, the group proclaimed the first set of WiFi Certified products, starting with IEEE 802.11 b products. Now more than 20 years later, there are a estimated 15 billion Wi- Fi products in use around the world, according to the alliance.
WIFI ENABLED DEVICES
WiFi is supported by multiple usages and proclivity, including video game consoles, smart home devices, tablets, mobile phones, and other types of consumer electronics. This wide array of support sometimes requires a blend of WiFi and Internet Of Things (IOT) device technology. Whereas IOT devices are used as ingredients of a Smart Home or Smart Building, a complete IOT ecosystem is much more complex and enables multiple buildings and future cities to communicate with each other as a single system. With WiFi, communication is not limited to one channel between the access point and one device at a time, but can communicate with many devices simultaneously within the same channel.
All products that are tested and approved as ” WiFi Certified ” (a registered trademark) by the WiFi Alliance are guaranteed to be interoperable with each other, although from different manufacturers. This means a user with a WiFi Certified product can use any brand of router or modem with any other brand of WIFI enabled device that is also WiFi certified.
Products that pass this certification process are then authorized to carry a WIFI approved seal on their packaging that states ” WiFi Certified ” and indicates the RF band used (2.4 GHz for 802.11b, 802.11g, and 802.11. 5 GHz for 802.11a). New generations of the 802.11x standard are released periodically to offer enhanced performance and enriched security features.
Why Wi-Fi still matters
Now more than 20 years after its onset, WiFi is not going anywhere. In addition to supporting short distance connectivity, the WiFi Alliance is working on interoperability instrument standards for WiFi 6 products. WiFi 6 will operate over the newly accessible 6 GHz frequency band. WiFi 6 access points are already currently in use and being deployed. Some WiFi 6 devices are available to purchase in early 2021, although like preceding renditions, products from manufacturers are likely to increase rapidly following firmware upgrades to adhere to the newly formed standard, as well as increased customer demand.
The 6 GHz technology is hoped to bring more than 6x the total capacity of 2.4 and 5 GHz WiFi, as well as access to seven skirting 160 MHz channels. This is expected to handle dense multi device WiFi environments and meet multigigabit WiFi speed demands. Because 6 GHz is unlicensed spectrum, there is some concern that cellular service providers will operate within these frequencies for their own cell phone networks to enhance subsisting 5G service. What is more, WiFi upgrades will focus on refining connection preferences, reducing latency, increasing interoperability, and providing new enhancements that will support increased connectivity compatible with international network standards and the internet. New ambient computing technology should drive the technology in more directions. With so many different types of existing and emerging products that rely on WiFi technology, WiFi is here to stay.
Conclusion
Understanding the meaning of WiFi allows you to further navigate the vast ocean of different technologies and communication protocols. Join the SuperTech HDTV & WIFI Facebook Group to stay on top of the current and emerging market trends!
Reference Source: networkworld.com, netspot.com, webopedia.com
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