What is Wi-Fi?

Wi-Fi is known as Wireless Fidelity allows network connectivity through radio signals without the need for wires. "Wi-Fi Alliance" proposed the term Wi-Fi. Wi-Fi term is also used as a synonym for any type of 802.11 networks. Wi-Fi is a term used commonly for Wireless Local Area Networking. Wi-Fi is a quick and easy method of networking various devices wirelessly.

Wireless networking is usually done as follows - A wireless adapter(wireless card) in the computer converts digital data to radio frequency(RF) waves and transmits these waves using an antenna. They can transmit and receive radio waves, and they can convert 1s and 0s into radio waves and convert the radio waves back into 1s and 0s. This signal is picked up by a wireless router in the vicinity that converts the RF waves back to digital data and transfers the data over the Internet through an Ethernet connection.

Wireless networking uses the frequencies of 2.4GHz or 5GHz. It offers a low-cost and cable-free solution for Local Area Networks(LAN). As long as each computer has a wireless adapter(wireless card), the same wireless router can be used to connect multiple computers.

Wi-Fi  is a trademark of the Wi-Fi Alliance for certified products based on the IEEE 802.11 standards. Wi-Fi term is also used as a synonym for any type of 802.11 networks.

In computer networking, a wireless access point (WAP or AP) is a device that allows wireless communication devices to connect to a wireless network using Wi-Fi, Bluetooth or other related standards. Access points act as a central receiver and transmitter of WLAN radio signals. The AP usually connects to a wired network, and can relay data between the wireless devices (such as computers, printers, etc) and wired devices on the network. Access points are dedicated hardware devices, which consists of antenna, radio transmitter, and built-in network adapter.

A set of interconnected access points is called a hotspot. The range of a Hotspots can cover varies from as little as a single room with wireless-opaque walls or as much as many square miles covered by overlapping access points. Whenever a Wi-Fi enabled device such as a laptop, mp3 player, mobile phone, etc enters the coverage of a wireless network connected to the Internet, Internet access is available for that device.

The range of a Wi-Fi equipment is typically between 30-100m (approx). Wireless repeaters are sometimes used to extend the range. Wi-Fi devices usually suffer from interference caused by devices like Cordless phones, Microwave ovens that work in the 2.4GHz range.