About wifi internet connection

Understanding Wi-Fi and How It Works

Former Lifewire writer Melanie Uy has 5+ years’ experience writing about consumer-oriented technology and is an expert telecommuter.

Chris Selph is a CompTIA-certified technology and vocational IT teacher. He also serves as network & server administrator and performs computer maintenance and repair for numerous clients.

In This Article

Wi-Fi is a wireless networking protocol that devices use to communicate without direct cable connections. It’s an industry term that represents a type of wireless local area network (LAN) protocol based on the 802.11 IEEE network standard.

From the user’s perspective, Wi-Fi is internet access from a wireless-capable device like a phone, tablet, or laptop. Most modern devices support Wi-Fi so that the devices can join a network to gain internet access and share network resources.

Wi-Fi is the most frequently used means of communicating data wirelessly in a fixed location. It’s a trademark of the ​Wi-Fi Alliance, an international association of companies involved with wireless LAN technologies and products.​

How Wi-Fi Works

The easiest way to understand Wi-Fi is to consider an average home or business. The main requirement for Wi-Fi is a device that receives and transmits a wireless signal, usually a router, but sometimes a phone or computer.

In a typical home or small business, a router receives and then transmits an internet connection coming from an internet service provider outside the network. It delivers that service to nearby devices that can reach the wireless signal. Most homes have one router and multiple devices, including smartphones, desktop and laptop computers, tablets, and smart TVs, that receive their internet connection via Wi-Fi from that router.

In some cases, a user without a router can set up a phone or computer as a Wi-Fi hotspot so it can share the device’s wireless or wired internet connection with other devices, similar to the way a router works.

No matter how Wi-Fi is used or its source of connection, the result is always the same: a wireless signal that lets other devices connect to the main transmitter for communication, entertainment, file transfers, voice messages, or other data transmission.

Is Wi-Fi Free?

There are tons of places to get free Wi-Fi access, such as in restaurants and hotels, but Wi-Fi isn’t free in all cases. That’s because for Wi-Fi to work, the router or other device transmitting the signal must have an internet connection, which isn’t free.

For example, if you have internet service at your house, you pay a monthly fee to keep it coming. If you use Wi-Fi to connect your iPad and smart TV to the internet, you don’t pay for the internet for those devices individually. The incoming line to the home router costs whether or not you use Wi-Fi.

Many home internet connections don’t have data caps, which is why it’s not a problem to download hundreds of gigabytes of data each month. However, phones often have data caps. Phone users look for free Wi-Fi signals and use Wi-Fi hotspots whenever they can to keep down their cellular data usage volume.

It has become increasingly easy to access free hotspots, particularly in large cities. The trick is to find one near where you want to use it.

Wi-Fi Hotspots

If your phone has a data cap and you allow other devices to connect to your phone as a hotspot to access the internet, your data cap applies to any data moving through the main phone. This activity can quickly push a cellular data plan over its limit and accrue extra fees.

You can also share your internet connection with other devices to create a wireless hotspot from your computer. You can do the same with apps, such as with the Wifi Hotspot Portable app.

Set Up Wi-Fi Access

To set up Wi-Fi at home, you need a wireless router and access to the router’s admin management pages to configure the correct settings such as the Wi-Fi channel, password, and network name. Some of this information is provided by your internet service provider.

It’s usually straightforward to configure a wireless device to connect to a Wi-Fi network. The steps include ensuring that the Wi-Fi connection is enabled and then searching for a nearby network to provide the proper SSID and password to make the connection.

Some devices, such as older laptops, don’t have a built-in wireless adapter, in which case, you can buy a Wi-Fi USB adapter.

Advantages of Using Wi-Fi

Most computers and mobile devices sold in the U.S. are equipped with wireless capabilities, including Wi-Fi. The benefits of using Wi-Fi over a wired connection include:

• Convenience: Wi-Fi makes it possible for devices to connect to the internet wherever they can locate a Wi-Fi signal. Those locations are increasing all the time.
• Productivity: Wi-Fi can keep workers in near-constant contact with the office and each other.
• Expandability: Buy another tablet? No problem. Enable Wi-Fi in its settings, and it’s good to go.
• Mobility: Users aren’t tied to the office or home for their communication needs.

Disadvantages of Using Wi-Fi

The advantages of using Wi-Fi outweigh the disadvantages, but there are some disadvantages.

• Range: A Wi-Fi signal reaches a limited range, which may not cover your entire home or office.
• Security: Because wireless signals travel through the air, they can be intercepted. Using encryption technology minimizes the danger.
• Disruption: Large metal objects, such as a refrigerator, can block a Wi-Fi signal in your home. A microwave oven can disrupt the signal.

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Connect to a Wi-Fi network in Windows

Whether you’re at home, work, or out and about, chances are you’ll find a Wi-Fi network that you can connect to for internet access.

Select the Network, Sound, or Battery icons ( ) on the far right side of the taskbar to open quick settings.

The Disconnected icon appears when you’re not connected.

On the Wi-Fi quick setting, select Manage Wi-Fi connections .

Choose the Wi-Fi network you want, then select Connect.

Type the network password, and then select Next.

Whether you’re at home, work, or out and about, chances are you’ll find a Wi-Fi network that you can connect to for internet access.

1. Select the Network icon on the taskbar. The icon that appears depends on your current connection state. If you don’t see one of the network icons (or a similar one) shown in the following image, select the Up arrow to see if it appears there.
2. Choose the Wi-Fi network you want, then select Connect.
3. Type the network password, and then select Next.
4. Choose Yes or No, depending on the type of network you’re connecting to and if you want your PC to be discoverable by other PCs and devices on the network.

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What is WiFi and how does it work?

WiFi is a technology that uses radio waves to provide network connectivity. A connection is established using a wireless adapter to create hotspots — areas in the vicinity of a wireless router that are connected to the network and allow users to access internet services. This article will introduce you to the basics of WiFi so that you may have a better understanding of your Internet access.

What does WiFi stand for?

You may be surprised to hear that many people don’t actually know that WiFi is an abbreviated term. There are a number of theories about what the term means, but the most widely accepted definition for the term in the tech community is Wireless Fidelity.

What is WiFi?

Wireless technology is very popular nowadays and you can get connected almost anywhere; at home, at work, in libraries, schools, airports, hotels and even in cafés and restaurants.

Wireless networking is known as WiFi or 802.11 networking as it covers the IEEE 802.11 technologies. The major advantage of WiFi is that it is compatible with almost every operating system, game device, and advanced printer.

How WiFi works?

Like mobile phones, a WiFi network makes use of radio waves to transmit information across a network. The computer should include a wireless adapter that will translate data sent into a radio signal. This same signal will be transmitted, via an antenna, to a decoder known as the router. Once decoded, the data will be sent to the Internet through a wired Ethernet connection.

As the wireless network works as a two-way traffic, the data received from the internet will also pass through the router to be coded into a radio signal that will be received by the computer’s wireless adapter.

What are WiFi frequencies?

A wireless network will transmit at a frequency level of 2.4 GHz or 5GHz to adapt to the amount of data that is being sent by the user. The 802.11 networking standards will somewhat vary depending mostly on the user’s needs.

The 802.11a will transmit data at a frequency level of 5GHz. The Orthogonal Frequency-Division Multiplexing (OFDM) used enhances reception by dividing the radio signals into smaller signals before reaching the router. You can transmit a maximum of 54 megabits of data per second.

The 802.11b will transmit data at a frequency level of 2.4GHz, which is a relatively slow speed. You can transmit a maximum of 11 megabits of data per second.

The 802.11g will transmit data at 2.4GHz but can transmit a maximum of 54 megabits of data per second as it also uses an OFDM coding.

The more advanced 802.11n can transmit a maximum of 140 megabits of data per second and uses a frequency level of 5GHz.

Here is a comprehensive guide to the latest Wi-Fi 6 technology and a more in depth explanation of the different Wi-Fi types.

What are hotspots?

The term hotspot is used to define an area where WiFi access is available. It can either be through a closed wireless network at home or in public places such as restaurants or airports.

In order to access hotspots, your computer should include a wireless adapter. but most laptop models in 2020 include a built-in wireless transmitter already. If it doesn’t, you can purchase a wireless adapter that will plug into the PCI slot or USB port. Once installed, your system should automatically detect the WiFi hotspots and request connection. If not, you should use a software to handle this task for you, an example of which you can find here.

How to connect to WiFi via modem?

To start a connection with a wireless router, you must first ensure that it is plugged into the internet connection point. Turn on your external modem before plugging the router into your computer via an Ethernet cable. Then, switch on your wireless router and open your internet browser.

You will be asked to enter in a router IP address. This IP address will vary, depending on the service you use. Users using Belkin should enter http://192.168.2.1.. If you are a Linksys user, enter http://192.168.1.1.

Now fill in your router’s username and password. Set your SSID (wireless capability) as active, and then type in the username and password provided by your ISP and select either WEP or WPA security.

Choose a new passkey to finish the WiFi configuration.

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