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Wi-Fi Explained: The Most Common Wireless LAN Network

Nadeem Unuth is a former freelance contributor to Lifewire who specializes in information and communication technology with a focus on VoIP.

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Wi-Fi offers one of several wireless network technologies that allows computers and other devices to connect to each other inside a local area network and to the internet, without wires and cables. With Bluetooth, Wi-Fi is the de facto standard for wireless networking.

Wi-Fi governs wireless LANs through protocol 802.11.

Contrary to popular belief, Wi-Fi doesn’t stand for wireless fidelity. In fact, Wi-Fi doesn’t stand for anything at all. The term is merely a trade name for WLAN technology.

Wi-Fi’s Worth and Limitations

The greatest advantage of Wi-Fi is the portability it offers to people using laptop computers and handheld devices like smart phones and PDAs—they can switch from one network to another without the hassle of worrying about wires, and new devices may join the network without explicit provisioning by a network admin provided the device offers the proper passcode credentials.

Wi-Fi has one serious limitation. Because it is a LAN technology, Wi-Fi offers a limited connection range, usually of 60 feet or less depending on obstructions between a device and a router. A W-iFi antenna sends waves everywhere around it in a sphere. The Wi-Fi signals lose intensity as they move further away from the antenna, which is why the quality of the connection decreases as the computer or device is placed further away from the source. Wi-Fi connection management applications on computers and other devices often indicate levels for grading the strength of the connection: excellent, good, fair, or poor.

Wi-Fi Protocol 802.11

Wi-Fi is a protocol specifying a series of rules governing how data transmission carries on a network. The IEEE (a governing authority) specified protocol 802.11 for the family of standards that includes Wi-Fi. This base standard number is normally followed by a letter denoting a revision. For example, modern home routers transmit using 802.11ac or 802.11n protocols.

What You Need for Wi-Fi

Because Wi-Fi signals attach to a router, you’re free to plug any router into your home network. Most modern modems include a built-in router, so odds are good that you’re already using it. For older environments offering hard-wired connections only, plugging a router into the connection then running the router’s setup wizard usually works just fine.

A device must include the requisite radios to make use of Wi-Fi connections. Every modern laptop and smartphone supports Wi-Fi, but some types of desktop machines may not—but even these devices are extensible through USB receivers.

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What Is Wi-Fi?

Wi-Fi is a wireless networking technology that allows devices such as computers (laptops and desktops), mobile devices (smart phones and wearables), and other equipment (printers and video cameras) to interface with the Internet. It allows these devices—and many more—to exchange information with one another, creating a network. Internet connectivity occurs through a wireless router. When you access Wi-Fi, you are connecting to a wireless router that allows your Wi-Fi-compatible devices to interface with the Internet.

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What does Wi-Fi mean?

Wi-Fi is not an acronym; it is a brand name created by a marketing firm that’s meant to serve as an interoperability seal for marketing efforts.

How does Wi-Fi work?

On the technical side, the IEEE 802.11 standard defines the protocols that enable communications with current Wi-Fi-enabled wireless devices, including wireless routers and wireless access points. Wireless access points support different IEEE standards. Each standard is an amendment that was ratified over time. The standards operate on varying frequencies, deliver different bandwidth, and support different numbers of channels.

What is a wireless access point?

A wireless access point (AP) allows wireless devices to connect to the wireless network. Having a Cisco wireless network makes it easy to bring new devices online and provides flexible support to mobile workers.
What a wireless access point does for your network is similar to what an amplifier does for your home stereo. An access point takes the bandwidth coming from a router and stretches it so that many devices can go on the network from farther distances away. But a wireless access point does more than simply extend Wi-Fi. It can also give useful data about the devices on the network, provide proactive security, and serve many other practical purposes.

What is a wireless router?

Wireless routers are commonly found in homes. They’re the hardware devices that Internet service providers use to connect you to their cable or xDSL Internet network. A wireless router is sometimes referred to as a wireless local area network (WLAN) device. A wireless network is also called a Wi-Fi network. A wireless router combines the networking functions of a wireless access point and a router. Read more about wireless routers.

What is a desktop Wi-Fi router?

The most common way for users to connect to the Internet wirelessly is with a desktop wireless (Wi-Fi) router. These routers look like small boxes with multiple short antennas to help broadcast the signal throughout a home or workplace. The farther a user is from the base Wi-Fi router, the weaker the signal. So multiple wireless routers, called range extenders, usually are placed throughout the workspace. Wi-Fi range extenders, placed in an array, boost or extend Internet coverage.

What is a mobile hotspot?

A mobile hotspot is a common feature on smartphones with both tethered and untethered connections. When you turn on your phone’s mobile hotspot, you share your wireless network connection with other devices that can then access the Internet.

What is portable Wi-Fi hotspot?

A portable Wi-Fi hotspot is a mobile hotspot obtained through a cell phone carrier. It’s a small device that uses cellular towers that broadcast high-speed 3G or 4G broadband signals. Multiple devices, like iPads and laptops, can then connect wirelessly to the device, which in turn seamlessly connects to the Internet where ever you travel. Similar to a cell phone, the portable hotspot’s monthly cost is based on the data usage plan you select. A portable Wi-Fi hotspot is a more reliable way to access the Internet than searching for static public Wi-Fi hotspots.

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