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02 Mar 2011
Wi-Fi refers to wireless networking using radio signals rather than cabling to connect computers together.
Strictly speaking, Wi-Fi is actually a registered trademark of the Wi-Fi alliance, and covers devices that have met its certification standards for interoperability.
However, the term has become synonymous with wireless networking based on the IEEE 802.11 standards.
Wi-Fi is a relatively short-range wireless technology, extending at best over a few hundred metres. Early Wi-Fi versions only offered speeds of a few Mbit/s, but the latest standards have inreased this to several hundred Mbit/s.
Laptops and smartphones equipped with Wi-Fi typically communicate via an access point (AP) rather than directly with each other
In a corporate environment, APs are connected by Ethernet to the company Lan, whereas in a domestic setting the AP is integrated with a broadband router that connects to the internet.
Open APs in public spaces like cafes are known as wireless hotspots or Wi-Fi hotspots.
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