Not that long ago, “WiFi” was a funny sound that tech professionals would throw around that no one else would understand. Now, it’s something that you’re likely to hear multiple times a week, or perhaps every day, depending on your profession.
Whether a client comes into your office, a customer into your cafe, or a friend comes over to your house, you’re likely to hear someone ask, “what’s the WiFi info?”
We use WiFi all the time. But there’s a good chance we don’t know what it actually is or how WiFi networks actually work. A lot of people think that WiFi is just synonymous with the internet, but that isn’t totally true.
There is a lot that you can learn about WiFi technology. And this information can make you a smarter and better web user. So keep on reading and we will walk you through everything that you will want to know!
How Does WiFi Work?
When we think of WiFi, we usually think of it as a way to access the internet on portable devices, like laptops, tablets, and phones. However, WiFi itself is actually used to connect to a router or other access point. This access point is what allows us to use the internet.
WiFi is a wireless connection to a device. WiFi is not, in itself, the inter. It also allows us to access a local network of connected devices.
This is why you can wirelessly print photos or look at a video feed from a camera that is connected to WiFi without needing to connect to them physically.
Frequencies
Instead of using a wired connection, such as Ethernet, WiFi utilizes radio waves. These waves transmit information at certain frequencies, usually at 5GHz or 2.4GHz.
However, there are a lot of other frequencies that are used in more specific circumstances. Every frequency range has multiple channels that wireless devices can work on. This helps to spread the load so that each device doesn’t see its signal get interrupted or crowded by other traffic, although that can still happen on popular networks.
The usual range of a typical WiFi network can reach up to 100 meters in the open air. Buildings and other structures, however, reflect signals. This makes most WiFi networks a lot narrower than that.
Usually, it’s common for a range to be around ten to thirty meters.
The strength of the antenna and the frequency broadcast can also impact the effective range of the network. Higher frequencies, such as 5GHz and 60GHz, have effective ranges that are a lot narrower than something like 2.4GHz.
Each device that is within the range of a network and is compatible will be able to detect the network and can attempt to connect to the network. That is what allows it to operate in public and private environments. But it can also lead to security concerns, obviously.
This is why standards like WPA, WPA2, and WPA3 were created. This is also why it is very important that you change your WiFi password if you suspect that someone is accessing your network without your knowledge or permission.
What Is 802.11?
802.11, also known as IEEE 802.11, is often talked about in conjunction with WiFi. It is a set of protocols that specifies communications that can take place on a WiFi network at different wireless frequencies.
Before the recent alteration in the naming convention, 802.11 was also a big part of naming each successive generation of WiFi connectivity. It is usually followed by a letter or several letters. It continues to be part of the technical name for every WiFi generation.
With that said, there are now simpler naming mechanisms used, labeled by generations.
What Devices Use WiFi?
You can find WiFi devices everywhere. Many routers utilize WiFi connectivity. And practically any device that comes with smart functions is going to rely on WiFi in order to achieve a robust and strong connection to the internet.
Practically all modern phones support WiFi. The same can be said with laptops, tablets, and a lot of desktop computers, too. You can also add WiFi connectivity to your computer with a USB dongle.
Smart TVs virtually always come with support for connecting to WiFi. And a lot of IoT (Internet of Things) devices like smart cameras and fridges do too.
There are also WiFi digital radios, game systems, clocks, scanners, watches, printers, and even automobiles. The use cases for WiFi are practically infinite when you think about all of the different connected services out there.
There are also a lot of devices that are adjacent to Wifi. These devices utilize radio waves that are very similar to the standard WiFi spectrum. However, they are not considered to be WiFi because they do not connect to the internet in the same way.
A good example of this would be Bluetooth. Bluetooth operations on the 2.4GHz frequency like Wi-Fi. However, it’s used to connect devices that are close to each other.
If you end up experiencing WiFi issues, you should visit this page from CTC Technologies.
The Importance of Knowing How WiFi Networks Actually Work in Practice
Hopefully, after reading the above article, you now understand how WiFi networks actually work in practice. As we can see, WiFi is not actually the internet but we usually need it so that we can connect to the internet.
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