- Wi-Fi, short for Wireless Fidelity, is a communications technology that provides Internet access via radio waves rather than cables. Since its inception in 1997, Wi-Fi has since grown in popularity and is rapidly becoming the standard for wireless networking. A few common uses include Internet, Voice Over IP, gaming and network connectivity. Some Wi-Fi devices include the personal computer, PSP, iPod, video-game consoles and several brands of PDAs.
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Wi-Fi works by using high-frequency radio or infrared signals to receive and transmit data between multiple computers. These computers may be linked on a local area network (LAN) or via the Internet
A Wi-Fi connection begins with a computer's wireless adapter, which converts data into radio or infrared signals. These signals are beamed via an antenna, using a frequency range of 2.4 Ghz to 2.4835 Ghz.
A wireless router receives and decodes the transmitted radio waves. It then relays this information to the Internet via the physical wiring of an ethernet connection. Typically, the router is connected to a high-speed modem using an ethernet cable.
The wireless router in turn receives and encodes information from the Internet, and transmits it to the computer's wireless adapter in the form of a radio signal
Once the wireless router is connected, you'll be able to receive a wireless signal on a given device, so long as the device you wish to connect has a wireless adapter.
Wi-Fi radio signals generally have a range of 300 feet. Internet connection speeds get increasingly slower as the distance between the wireless adapter and router increases. -
The two-way process of a Wi-Fi connection employs ethernet protocol, the most common local area network (LAN) technology.
The continual flow of data between the adapter and router provides a reliable wireless-network connection. It also allows for the transmission of data between connected devices on your network.
Wi-Fi uses a standard wireless radio technology called IEEE 802.11b or 802.11a. IEEE stands for the Institute of Electrical and Electronics Engineers, an organization made up of engineers and scientists in New York.
A wireless adapter is a prerequisite for a device to connect to a Wi-Fi network; a wireless router is necessary to relay the radio signal to your adapter.
