Wi-Fi:

Introduction:

A group of wireless networking protocols known as Wi-Fi, which is based on the IEEE 802.11 family of standards, is used to connect adjacent digital devices to the Internet and to network them locally. These are the most widely used computer networks in the world. They are utilized on a global scale in home and small office networks to connect desktop and laptop computers, tablet computers, smartphones, smart TVs, printers, and smart speakers to a wireless router so they can access the Internet, as well as in wireless access points in public locations like coffee shops, hotels, libraries, and airports to give mobile devices access to the public Internet.

 

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The non-profit Wi-Fi Alliance, which owns the trademark Wi-Fi, only allows products that have passed interoperability certification testing to use the name "Wi-Fi Certified." The Wi-Fi Alliance included more than 800 businesses from around the world as of 2017. Over 3.05 billion Wi-Fi-enabled gadgets are shipped annually worldwide as of 2019.

 

Wi-Fi is built to smoothly interoperate with Ethernet, its wired brother, and makes use of a number of IEEE 802 protocol family components. Through wireless access points, compatible devices can connect to one other, wired devices, and the Internet. The varied radio technologies determine the radio bands, maximum ranges, and speeds that may be attained, and the many Wi-Fi versions are described by multiple IEEE 802.11 protocol standards. The 2.4 gigahertz (120 mm) UHF and 5 gigahertz (60 mm) SHF radio bands, which are separated into numerous channels, are the ones Wi-Fi most frequently uses. Networks can share channels, but only one emitter at a time can use a channel when it is in their line of sight.

 

Line-of-sight usage is ideal for Wi-radio Fi's bands, which have a relatively high absorption rate. In crowded areas, several common impediments like walls, pillars, household appliances, etc. may significantly restrict range, but this also helps minimize interference across different networks. While some access points advertise an outdoor range of up to 150 meters (490 feet), the average access point inside range is roughly 20 meters (66 feet). Hotspot coverage can span many square kilometers using numerous overlapping access points with roaming allowed between them, or it can be as narrow as a single room with barriers that block radio waves. Wi-Fi has improved in spectrum efficiency and speed throughout time. As of 2019, some Wi-Fi variants can reach speeds of 9.6 Gb/s when used in close proximity and with the proper hardware.

 

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History:

Parts of the ISM bands were made available for unauthorized communication usage by the U.S. Federal Communications Commission in a 1985 decision. These frequency ranges, which share the same 2.4 GHz band with devices like microwave ovens, are hence susceptible to interference.

 

In 1992, researchers from the Radiophysics Division of the CSIRO (Commonwealth Scientific and Industrial Research Organization) in Australia created a test bed prototype for a wireless local area network (WLAN).

 

The predecessor to 802.11, known as WaveLAN, was created around the same time in The Netherlands in 1991 by the NCR Corporation and AT&T Corporation for use in cashier systems. Vic Hayes of NCR and Bruce Tuch of Bell Labs approached the Institute of Electrical and Electronics Engineers (IEEE) to develop a standard. Vic Hayes served as the chair of IEEE 802.11 for ten years, and both men were engaged in the development of the early 802.11b and 802.11a IEEE standards. Subsequently, they were both admitted into the Wi-Fi NOW Hall of Fame.

 

The 802.11 protocol's initial introduction in 1997 offered link rates of up to 2 Mbit/s. In 1999, 802.11b was added to provide for 11 Mbit/s link speeds, and this was well-liked.

 

The Wi-Fi Alliance was established in 1999 as a trade organization to manage the Wi-Fi trademark, which is used to sell the majority of products.

 

With Apple Inc.'s adoption of Wi-Fi for their iBook line of laptops in 1999, a significant commercial breakthrough was made. It was the first product for the general public to offer Wi-Fi network connectivity, and Apple later branded it as AirPort. This was done in association with the same team that contributed to the creation of the standard: Rich McGinn, Cees Links, Vic Hayes, Bruce Tuch, and other Lucent employees.

 

Wi-Fi makes use of numerous patents that are owned by numerous organizations. 14 IT firms agreed to pay the CSIRO $1 billion in April 2009 to make good on patent infringements. Australia claims to have invented Wi-Fi, which at the time caused some little debate. In 2012, CSIRO obtained a further $220 million settlement for Wi-Fi patent infringements, and American multinational corporations were compelled to pay CSIRO fees on licensing rights worth a further $1 billion. The National Museum of Australia's 2016 exhibition, A History of the World in 100 Objects, featured the WLAN prototype test bed from the CSIRO as Australia's contribution.