What is wifi how it works

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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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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