The name of a popular
wireless networking technology that uses radio
waves to provide wireless high-speed
Internet and
network connections. The
Wi-Fi
Alliance, the organization that owns the Wi-Fi (registered trademark) term specifically defines Wi-Fi as any "wireless local area network
(
WLAN) products that are based on the Institute of Electrical and Electronics
Engineers' (
IEEE) 802.11 standards."
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 (See "How Wireless Networks Work" in the
"Did You Know..." section
of Webopedia).
Wi-Fi is supported by many applications and
devices including
video
game consoles, home
networks,
PDAs,
mobile phones,
major operating systems, and other types of
consumer electronics. Any products
that are tested and approved as "Wi-Fi Certified" (a registered trademark) by the
Wi-Fi Alliance are certified as
interoperable with each other, even if they
are from different manufacturers. For example, a user with a Wi-Fi Certified
product can use any brand of access point with any other
brand of client hardware that also is also "Wi-Fi Certified". Products that pass
this certification are required to carry an identifying seal on their packaging
that states "Wi-Fi Certified" and indicates the
radio
frequency band used (2.5GHz for
802.11b, 802.11g, or
802.11n, and 5GHz for 802.11a).
A common misconception is that the term Wi-Fi is short for "wireless fidelity,"
however this is not the case. Wi-Fi is simply a trademarked term meaning IEEE
802.11x.
See
"How Wireless Networks Work" in the
Did You Know... section
of Webopedia
See also the "Wireless LAN Standards chart" in the
Quick Reference section of
Webopedia.
Also see "'Wireless
Fidelity' Debunked" on
Wi-FiPlanet.com.
