What is Wi-Fi?

Wi-Fi is the short name used for the wireless networking technology that uses radio waves to transfer data between devices.

The term Wi-Fi(or WiFi) was created by the organization called Wi-Fi Alliance, the consortium providing wi-fi certification for hardware manufactures.

How Wi-Fi Works?

Wi-Fi uses one or more Wireless Access Points (WAP) (can be compared to cell phone towers) and clients (WiFi Adapters) (comparable to cell phones) to transfer data by the use of radio waves. These Access points serve as base station for various wi-fi enabled equipments.

The access point broadcasts it’s SSID (The network name) and clients can identify it and decide to connect. If two or more access point uses same SSID, the client will automatically connect to the access point that has better signal strength.

The electronics on the receiver’s end are called WiFi adapters and it can be either in-built to the device itself or can be in the form of an external device like a USB stick.

Wi-Fi networking can transfer data at a rate ranging from 2Mbps – 108 Mbps and for a distance from several meters to several hundred meters. The signal strength depends on the distance from access points and the type of Wi-Fi technology in use.

Wi-Fi Technology Standards

802.11

The first version of Wi-Fi standard. 802.11 uses 2.4GHz spectrum to transfer data. The operating speeds were around 1-2Mbps. This version was released in 1997.

802.11a (Wi-Fi a)

Released in 1999, this version of Wi-Fi uses 5GHz frequency spectrum and are capable of providing 10Mbps speed.

802.11b (Wi-Fi b)

This was the modified format to tackle the issues of 802.11a version, where multiple access points were required for stable reception. The major change was that this version uses 2.4GHz frequency spectrum. 802.11b version works at a speed of 11Mbps and was widely accepted at the time of release.

802.11g (Wi-Fi g)

The most widely accepted Wi-Fi networking format of modern times. Wi-Fi g can deliver speeds up to 54Mbps and can support many clients. This version works on 2.4GHz spectrum. This version was released in 2003.

802.11n (Wi-Fi n Draft)

The newest version, currently in draft can deliver speeds up to 108Mbps and has a signal range of several hundred meters. This technology uses multiple input multiple output pipelining and hence can use multiple antennas for better signal strength.

Advantages of Wi-Fi Networking

• No Wires Required - Wi-Fi technology allows you to deploy networks without the hassle of wiring up your computers. Since Wi-Fi does not use wires, you can easily set up wireless networks even outdoors.
• Wi-Fi Chipsets are Cheap - Wi-Fi adapters are now built-in with laptops; hence you don’t need to add any extra device to receive Wi-Fi signals.
• New Wi-Fi Devices - Many new devices (Camera / Cell phones / Personal Media Players / Media Storage Devices …) support Wi-Fi technology. You can easily transfer files from these devices without any wires. Some of the newer devices even provide direct internet uploading from the device itself.
• Backward Compatibility - Wi-Fi versions working on same operating spectrum are backward compatible. Hence if you have an old Wi-Fi device, it can work on your newest Wi-Fi access point.
• Data Encryption - Wi-Fi supports different types of advanced encryption technologies to securely encrypt your data. This means, you can use wifi for transferring confidential data on a secured network.
• Wifi Hotspots - Businesses can provide Wi-Fi hotspots (Public Wi-Fi area) to increase the customer base. Many universities, Airports and retail markets started providing public WiFi services.

Disadvantage of Wi-Fi Technology

• Signal Strength Limitation – As wifi uses radio waves, the signal strength is affected by the presence of obstacles. Hence wifi works better on outdoors than indoors.
• Data Transfer Limit – According to latest Wi-Fi n draft, this technology can seamlessly deliver speeds upto 108Mbps, but we already have better technology (Gigabit LAN) that can deliver speeds up to 1000 Mbps. Hence Wi-Fi technology in present state are not suitable for fast connectivity needs like network gaming.
• Uses Shared Frequency Spectrum – The operating frequency of 2.4GHz is used by Bluetooth devices, Microwave ovens, Cordless Phones and many other home appliances. Hence there is a chance of interference or network crowding for the Wi-Fi signals, which can adversely affect the quality of signal.
• Un-Secured WAP(Wireless Access Point) can result in malicious usage. Even though many routers / access points comes with security features, they are seldom used. The result is that anyone with a Wi-Fi adapter with in the range can use your connection without your knowledge.

Conclusion

Even though WiFi technology has many disadvantages, properly configured WAPs will give you the best wireless connectivity you can get. Latest developments show that WiFi would be embedded in to most of the consumer devices, thus enabling us to wirelessly interact and there by improve the productivity and entertainment experience.