Wi-Fi was originally a brand licensed by the Wi-Fi Alliance to describe the embedded technology of wireless local area networks (WLAN) based on the IEEE 802.11 standard. As of 2007, common use of the term Wi-Fi has broadened to describe the generic wireless interface of mobile computing devices, such as laptops in LANs.[citation needed] The term Wi-Fi was chosen as a play on the term "Hi-Fi", and is often thought to be an abbreviation for wireless fidelity. Wi-Fi and the Wi-Fi CERTIFIED logo are registered trademarks of the Wi-Fi Alliance, the trade organization that tests and certifies equipment compliance with the 802.11x standards.
Common uses for Wi-Fi include Internet and VoIP phone access, gaming, and network connectivity for consumer electronics such as televisions, DVD players, and digital cameras. In spite of media reports about possible health risks from Wi-Fi, scientific studies have failed to show a causal effect.
Technical information
Main article: Wi-Fi Technical Information
Wi-Fi networks use radio technologies called IEEE 802.11. These technologies have gone through several generations since their inception in 1997. Wi-Fi is supported to different extents under Microsoft Windows, Apple Computer Mac OS and open source Unix and Linux operating systems.
Uses
A person with a Wi-Fi enabled device such as a PC, cell phone or PDA can connect to the Internet when in proximity of an access point. The region covered by one or several access points is called a hotspot. Hotspots can range from a single room to many square miles of overlapping hotspots. Wi-Fi can also be used to create a mesh network. Both architectures are used in community networks.[citation needed]
Wi-Fi also allows connectivity in peer-to-peer (wireless ad-hoc network) mode, which enables devices to connect directly with each other. This connectivity mode is useful in consumer electronics and gaming applications.
When the technology was first commercialized there were many problems because consumers could not be sure that products from different vendors would work together. The Wi-Fi Alliance began as a community to solve this issue so as to address the needs of the end user and allow the technology to mature. The Alliance created the branding Wi-Fi CERTIFIED to show consumers that products are interoperable with other products displaying the same branding.
Home Wi-Fi clients come in many shapes and sizes, from stationary PCs to digital cameras. The trend as of 2007 is to incorporate wireless into every electronic where mobility is desired.[citation needed]
Wi-Fi devices in home or consumer-type environments can connect via a broadband Internet connection into a single router which can serve both wired and wireless clients. They can also use ad-hoc mode for client to client connections, and be built into non-computer devices to enable wireless connectivity to the Internet.
Business and industrial Wi-Fi has become ubiquitous as of 2007. In business environments, increasing the number of Wi-Fi access points provides redundancy, support for fast roaming and increase overall network capacity by using more channels or creating smaller cells. Wi-Fi enables wireless voice applications (VoWLAN or WVOIP). Over the years, Wi-Fi implementations have moved toward 'thin' access points, with more of the network intelligence housed in a centralized network appliance, relegating individual Access Points to be simply 'dumb' radios. Outdoor applications may utilize true mesh topologies. As of 2007, Wi-Fi installations can provide a proactive, self-managed network that functions as a security gateway, firewall, DHCP server, intrusion detection system, and a myriad of other features not previously considered relevant to a wireless network.[citation needed]
The most publicly visible use of Wi-Fi is at hotspots, including:
* Free Wi-Fi at venues like Panera Bread, It's a Grind Coffee House, select hotels, and over 100,000 locations in the USA has been growing in popularity. According to a door-to-door survey in San Jose, CA, the number of venues and users is growing fast.[citation needed]
* Paid Wi-Fi at venues like Starbucks, McDonalds, and at hotels. This trend is growing rapidly at venues that require a higher rate of customer churn, such as sit-down restaurants.[citation needed]
* Metropolitan-wide WiFi (Mu-Fi) already has more than 300 projects in process.[3]
You can find out much more at http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Wifi
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