You must have heard about WiFi. With the advent of the Internet, WiFi has become a common word that we use almost every day in our daily lives. But do you know what is WiFi, what is the history of WiFi and how does WiFi work?
Till now, you would only know this much about WiFi: that it is a network with the help of which we can connect to the internet without a cable. But WiFi is much more than that. After reading this article till the end, you will get a lot of information about WiFi.
Therefore, if you also want to know what WiFi is, then read this article till the end. Without taking much of your time, let us start this article and learn what is WiFi.
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What is WiFi
Wi-Fi, whose full name is Wireless Fidelity, is a wireless network technology with the help of which we can connect a computer, mobile device, or any other device to the Internet, and we can exchange information with the help of these devices by creating a network.Wi-Fi uses radio signals to provide high-speed internet data and network connections. Actually, Wi-Fi is a wireless networking facility; we also know it by the name WLAN (Wireless Local Area Network).
Through Wi-Fi, we can connect all other devices, like our computer, mobile, printer, and video camera, to the internet. All these devices already have Wi-Fi chips installed.
Now you must have understood what is WiFi.
What is the full form of WiFi?
The full name of Wi-Fi is “Wireless Fidelity”, which is a device to access the network and Internet with the help of radio waves. And it works to provide wireless Internet to mobile phones around Wi-Fi access points.Inventor of WiFi
WiFi technology was introduced to the public in 1997. But WiFi was invented before this. The credit for making it does not go to any one person but to many people. From 1971 to 1991, WiFi technology was further developed by Australian scientist John O'Sullivan and his entire team.Wi-Fi was invented by John O'Sullivan in 1991. John O'Sullivan was working for CSIRO at the time. It is believed that his entire team together invented WiFi, but John O'Sullivan made changes to it to increase the speed of WiFi even more and make the signal even better. Therefore, John O'Sullivan is considered the inventor of the WiFi network.
In 1999, the nonprofit organisation Wi-Fi Alliance formed a trade association. It promotes Wi-Fi technology. In 2009, a version of Wi-Fi was introduced called 802.11n. It was better and faster. But it had the problem of being overcrowded. Today, Wi-Fi connectivity is available almost everywhere. You get the facility of a hotspot at many public places and railway stations. WiFi is continuously expanding in this area.
History of WiFi
WiFi was born in 1985. The United States FCC announced that anyone can use the wireless frequencies 900 MHZ, 2.4 GHz, and 5.8 GHz without a license. Then its history started.Perhaps you did not know that these bands were used in home appliances like microwaves. Therefore, it was believed that they had no use. Especially, there is no use in communication. Therefore, to make this band usable, the FCC made its use mandatory. Which was named Speard Spectrum Technology.
The licence for spread spectrum technology was obtained in 1941. The ones to take the licence were George Antheil and actor Hedy Lamarr. This was the technology through which signals were sent at multiple frequencies. Nothing may happen with this change, but at that time, after this technology, there was a lot of improvement in wireless signals.
It failed to solve technological interference problems. Because radio was already installed on mobiles at that time. Due to which the quality of signals was greatly affected.
At the same time, a technology was emerging whose name was WLAN (Wireless Local Area Network), which had many technical flaws. There was no standard for WLAN. A lot of problems had to be faced in connecting the devices of different companies.
In 1988, the then-NCR Corporation required a wireless cash register. That is why, with the cooperation of Victor Hayes and Bruce Tuch, he requested the Institute of Electrical and Electronic Engineers (IEEE) to create a standard. The standard was ready in 1997, and the name, which was quite attractive, was “802.11”. It was published only in 1997.
At that time, the data transfer speed in the 802.11 standard was about 2 megabits per second. 802.11a was published in 1999. Their speed was about 54 megabits per second. It was quite expensive, so its next version, whose name was 802.11b, was published. This was the beginning of WiFi technology; this version was cheaper, and the range of this network was also very high.
Due to the popularity of 802.11b within a very short time, there was a flood of wireless technology. Very quickly, it had established its status in the hardware market. It was quite famous due to its range and compatibility.
For this reason, six companies came together to form the Wireless Ethernet Compatibility Alliance, or WECA. Through which it was tested whether there is WiFi compatibility or not.
In 2002, he coined the term Wi-Fi, a term derived from wireless and hi-fi. Their name came to be known as Wi-Fi Alliance after a few years. Now you must have understood the history of WiFi.
WiFi standards
From time to time, to make the WiFi network more powerful, new versions of WiFi keep coming, which are also called WiFi Standards. All versions of WiFi are also given a name along with the code name, such as 802.11a, which is called Wi-Fi 1, and 802.11b, which is called Wi-Fi 2. Below are the major versions of WiFi.WiFi 1: 802.11a
This technology was invented by the IEEE in 1999. It was designed for commercial, industrial, and office use. It worked at a frequency of 5 GHz. Its speed was 54 Mbps. Its range was up to 115 feet. And it was very costly. It uses the data link layer protocol.802.11a is one of a series of wireless technologies. It affects the form and structure of the radio signals sent by Wi-Fi networking routers and antennas.
WiFi 2: 802.11b
This was also built in 1999. The 802.11a and 802.11b standards were created together by the IEEE. This Wi-Fi was made for home and domestic use.It works at a frequency of 5 GHz. Its speed is up to 11 Mbps. Its range was up to 115 feet. Its frequency is lower as compared to Wi-Fi 802.11a. This means that it works over reasonable distances and costs less than 802.11a.
Wi-Fi 3: 802.11g
It was created in 2003 by combining 802.11a and 802.11b. It works at a Frequency of 2.4 GHz.Its speed is up to 54 Mbps. Its range is up to 125 feet. 802.11g has the same hardware as 802.11b. The biggest feature of 802.11g is speed, so users are adopting it rapidly.
Wi-Fi 4: 802.11n
It was created in 2009 to work on both 2.4 GHz and 5 GHz frequency routers. Its data-sending speed was 54 Mbps, and it worked up to 230 feet.It was designed to improve on 802.11g.
WiFi 5: 802.11ac
It was built in 2013. We can also call it the 5th generation of WiFi. Its speed is almost three times that of 802.11n.It works at a frequency of 5 GHz. Its range is 115 feet. Nowadays, most devices use this Wi-Fi. But some devices are still using 802.11n.
WiFi 6: 802.11ax
802.11ax Also called “WiFi 6,” Wi-Fi 6 is the next-generation standard in wireless technology. This is the fastest-working Wi-Fi to date compared to other Wi-Fis.Its maximum speed is up to 10 GB/s. And it supports 2.4 GHz and 5 GHz modems. Wi-Fi 6 was released in 2019.
WiFi standard WiFi name
802.11a Wi-Fi 1
802.11b Wi-Fi 2
802.11g Wi-Fi 3
802.11n Wi-Fi 4
802.11ac Wi-Fi 5
802.11ax Wi-Fi 6
How does WiFi work
Nowadays, almost everyone uses WiFi networks, but very few people know how WiFi works. If you also do not know how WiFi works, then definitely read this information.Wi-Fi technology involves a device that transmits wireless signals; usually, this device is a hotspot or a router.
There is a cable for internet connection coming from outside in broadband and routers. The router connects to the internet and converts the information into radio waves. The WiFi device connects to the WiFi signal present in its environment and creates a small area of wireless signal around itself, which is called the WiFi Zone.
We can connect all the devices in this area through WiFi. Devices like laptops, mobile devices, printers, tablets, etc. already have a wireless adapter installed, with the help of which all these devices easily receive WiFi signals. But there is no wireless adapter installed on the desktop; hence, WiFi is used on the desktop by installing the adapter through a USB port.
what does WiFi do?
We use WiFi to connect our smartphones, computers, etc. devices to the internet. But in reality, WiFi is not a wireless connection to the internet. This is the wireless connection between those devices, with the help of which we can access WiFi.Wi-Fi gives its connected device access to the local network, with the help of which you can connect your device to the Internet without a wire.
Uses of WiFi
Nowadays, WiFi is used almost everywhere to connect devices like smartphones, laptops, computers, etc. to the internet.With education becoming online, the role of WiFi at home, school, college, etc. is important. WiFi is also used well in offices. All the systems in the office are connected to WiFi, so the work of the companies continues smoothly.
If we look around us, we will definitely find WiFi almost everywhere. You, too, must have used WiFi at some point.
Features of WiFi
Wi-Fi is being used a lot because of its features. Let us discuss them.1. Efficiency
We use cellular networks to access the internet on our mobile devices. But when you use a cellular network in a moving train, bus, or car, the network gets disconnected and connected again and again. Due to this, the energy of the mobile, i.e., the battery, gets exhausted quickly.But this does not happen in WiFi because WiFi uses radio waves for internet; for this, you will need a router.
2. Speed
The speed of a Wi-Fi network is much higher than that of a mobile network. For example, if you are doing live streaming with Wi-Fi, then you get speeds ranging from 1 mbps to 100 mbps, whereas only loading continues on mobile.3. Cost
The price of Wi-Fi is much lower than mobile data. Because of its low cost, people use Wi-Fi connections at home and in the office. Otherwise, if mobile data is used as much as Wi-Fi, your bill will be 50 times higher.4. No Limit
There is a limit on mobile data. Like 1GB, 1.5 GB, etc. per day, but there is no limit on the WiFi network. Approximately, you get more than 50 GB of data. Which means you can use the internet as much as you want.5. Multiple devices
Multiple devices can be connected to a WiFi network simultaneously. By connecting multiple mobiles and computers together through WiFi, you can use the internet easily.6. Easy to Use
Using WiFi is very easy. You can use WiFi by turning on WiFi on your device and entering the password. You do not need any kind of technical knowledge to use WiFi.Advantages of WiFi
- You can connect your device to the internet without a cable.
- You can easily remove and add any client to the WiFi access point.
- It is very easy to connect devices like computers, smartphones, etc. to WiFi. Without any technical knowledge, you can connect your device to WiFi.
- The speed of WiFi is much higher than that of mobile networks.
- With the help of WiFi, you can connect multiple devices to one network.
- Using Wi-Fi is very easy; you just have to turn on Wi-Fi and enter the password, and the Wi-Fi will be connected.
- More than 50GB of data is available every day in WiFi service. That means you can also say unlimited so that you can use as much internet data as you want.
- In earlier times, it was difficult to get Wi-Fi everywhere, but today, Wi-Fi service is available everywhere, like train, coffee shop, railway station, and supermarket.
- You can operate your Wi-Fi router in any country in the world. Meaning you can use the Wi-Fi router anywhere.
- The Internet speed of Wi-Fi is much higher than that of a mobile network; you can avail of benefits ranging from 1 Mbps to 100 Mbps.
Disadvantages of WiFi
- When more devices are connected to the same network, the speed of WiFi reduces.
- Being wireless, it is difficult to provide full security.
- The range of WiFi is limited; you cannot connect to WiFi from a long distance.
- WiFi speed is not good in many locations.
- Wi-Fi provides very good internet speed with a cable connection. But hotspot Wi-Fi does not provide good speed in city locations.
- The security of a Wi-Fi network is very weak compared to a mobile connection; it can easily be accessed by a small hacker.
- You can use it only in a fixed location and area. If you use it on the other side of the wall, its speed reduces greatly.
WiFi range
The range of common Wi-Fi routers installed in homes or offices is about 20 to 30 meters. Only then is the complete output of this range available.When Wi-Fi is installed in an open area, but inside the house or office, all kinds of small and big items are present, like room walls, doors, furniture, other electronic equipment, etc. So all this greatly affects the range of the Wi-Fi signal. Due to this, there is an interruption in the Wi-Fi signal. Their range reduces.
what is a WiFi router
A WI-FI router is an electronic hardware device. With the help of which we are able to connect our smartphones and computers to the internet network, it works like an internet operator. Which can supply the Internet to more than one computer or other device simultaneously.A Wi-Fi router is a network device that is used by the user to access the Internet.
What is WiFi 6
Wi-Fi 6 is the fastest WiFi in today's time. Wi-Fi 6 is also called “ax WiFi” or “802.11ax WiFi”. It has been built by further improving the existing 802.11ac WiFi standard.It would not be wrong to call Wi-Fi 6 the fastest Wi-Fi of all time.
As I have said earlier, it has been created by bringing necessary improvements to the current 802.11ac WiFi standard. Basically, WiFi 6 was created in response to the increasing number of devices in the world.
If seen, WiFi 6 is an upgrade update for WiFi routers and not an upgrade of WiFi service in general. For example, if you have a VR device and many smartphones as home devices, then the WiFi 6 router can prove to be a very good WiFi router for you.
WiFi price
Now we know what the price of a WiFi router is. By the way, the price of a good WiFi router starts from Rs 1500 to Rs 10,000 or even more, depending on its quality.which is the best WiFi?
Compared to a 2.5 GHz standard Wi-Fi router, a 5 GHz standard Wi-Fi router network is better, but its cost is also higher. If network interference is not a major issue, choose a 2.5GHz Wi-Fi router.Conclusion: what is WiFi
Through this article, you learned what is WiFi, and we also shared many pieces of information related to WiFi with you so that you could get more information about the WiFi network.By using a WiFi network, we can increase the speed of the Internet, and in today's time, it is very easy to connect any device to WiFi. You can use WiFi only by turning it on on your device and entering the password.
We hope that this article written by us will be beneficial for you. If you liked this article, then share it with your friends on social media sites like Facebook and Twitter.
FAQs — what is WiFi
Q: What is the full form of WiFi?
The full form of WiFi is Wireless Fidelity.
Q: Who invented WiFi?
WiFi was invented by John O'Sullivan in 1991.
Q: What is the function of WiFi?
With the help of WiFi, we can connect our smartphones, computers, laptops, etc. devices to the internet.
Q: What is the range of WiFi?
Wi-Fi networks have a range that is limited by frequency, transmission power, antenna type, the location they are used in, and the environment. The range of common Wi-Fi routers installed in homes or offices is about 20 to 40 metres.
Q: How many types of WiFi are there?
There are six types of WiFi, which are listed below:
Wi-Fi 1: 802.11a
Wi-Fi 2: 802.11b
Wi-Fi 3: 802.11g
Wi-Fi 4: 802.11n
Wi-Fi 5: 802.11ac
Wi-Fi 6: 802.11ax
Q: What is Wi-Fi 6?
Wi-Fi 6 is the next-generation standard. Wi-Fi 6 has been built with further improvements. It would not be wrong to call Wi-Fi 6 the fastest Wi-Fi of today.
Q: Why has Wi-Fi 6 been designed?
Wi-Fi 6 is designed to improve Wi-Fi speed and efficiency and reduce congestion in heavy bandwidth usage scenarios.
Q: How fast is WiFi 6?
The theoretical speeds of WiFi 6 or 802.11ax are around 10 GB/s. Along with the same speed, it also has very low power consumption.
Its speed is higher because the 2.4 GHz and 5 GHz spectrum bands are combined. Whereas earlier in 802.11ac and 802.11n (or Wi-Fi 4) both bands were forced to work separately, in this new standard they are used together. MU-MIMO technology will now be enabled for uplink data along with downlink data, which it already supports. Since the arrival of Wi-Fi 6, a lot of changes have been seen in the world of wireless technology.
Thanks for reading.
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