Wi-Fi

What is Wi-Fi?

Wi-Fi is, in fact, magic. Well, or, if scientifically, a technology that allows you to transmit data over the air using radio waves. No wires, no problems. Just turn on the device – and you are already online.

Today, Wi-Fi has become so firmly entrenched in our lives that without it, everything seems to come to a standstill. Without Wi-Fi, the series won’t load in the evening, the smart kettle won’t work in the morning, and the laptop won’t work remotely. He became like air, invisible but absolutely necessary.

How Did it Start?

The idea of wireless communication has been in the air for a long time, but Wi-Fi got a real boost in 1997, when the international organization IEEE came up with the 802.11 standard. This was the first step. It was slow, but it worked.

And then it snowballed. In the early 2000s, it started to be built into laptops, the first home routers appeared, and a few years later, smartphones with constant access to the Internet. Today, even refrigerators know how to connect to Wi-Fi.

How Does Wi-Fi Work?

Imagine that you have a router — it’s like a miniature radio station in your home. It’s connected to the Internet and distributes a signal in the form of a wave. Your phone, laptop, or set-top box picks up this signal, exchanges passwords with the router, and gets a “ticket” to the network — an IP address.

You don’t notice any of this. You just open YouTube, start a TV show, and everything works. But behind the scenes, there are tons of data being transmitted over the air in fractions of seconds.

Wi-Fi Generations: From Turtle to Supercar

Wi-Fi is not one standard, but a whole family, where each “generation” is better than the previous one. Here’s a brief overview:

• 802.11b (1999) started with 11 Mbps. It worked, but it was slow.
• 802.11g offered 54 Mbps, allowing you to watch YouTube.
• Wi-Fi 4 added the 5 GHz frequency and increased the speed to 600 Mbps.
• Wi-Fi 5 — Full HD and even 4K videos run smoothly.
• Wi-Fi 6 and 6E — more devices, less lag.
• Wi-Fi 7 (yes, it’s already here!) — this is the level of super speeds: up to 46 Gbps.

Wi-Fi vs Mobile Internet

If you think that Wi-Fi is the same as mobile internet, here’s a simple comparison:

• Wi-Fi equals home internet provided by a router.
• Mobile internet equals signal from a cell tower.

Both provide access to the internet, but Wi-Fi has its advantages: it is usually faster, more stable, and most importantly, it doesn’t consume data.

The Advantages of Wi-Fi

• Freedom — move around the apartment, sit in the park, relax in a cafe — and always stay connected.
• Massiveness — one router — and the whole house is online: phones, laptops, TVs, light bulbs.
• Economy — pay for the Internet once, and the whole family uses it.

Are There Any Disadvantages?

Of course, Wi-Fi is not perfect:

• The signal can be lost, especially through concrete walls.
• Interference – especially if the neighbors have the same frequencies.
• Security – open networks without a password are a gift for hackers.

Wi-Fi Security

Wi-Fi needs to be protected. Previously, there was WEP – it was hacked in 5 minutes. Then came WPA, then WPA2, and now WPA3 is relevant – it protects against most attacks, even if you accidentally connect to an unfamiliar network.

A simple tip: don’t connect to Wi-Fi without a password in questionable places. And if you do connect, use a VPN or Proxy Server. In our comparison “What Is Better Proxy or VPN?” you can find out what suits you better.

Where is it hiding?

It’s not just in phones and laptops. Here are some examples of where it lives:

• Smart vacuum cleaners – they transmit apartment maps to an app.
• Refrigerators – they tell you when your milk runs out.
• Doorbells — show you who’s at the door, even when you’re on vacation.
• Speakers — play music on command.

 All of this is called the Internet of Things (IoT) — and Wi-Fi is the king of this world.

What Makes This So Important?

Just try working without it. Without Wi-Fi, you won’t have:

• Zoom meetings with your colleagues.
• Video lessons for students.
• Online banking.
• Watching your favorite TV shows.
• Cloud storage and streaming.

Wi-Fi has become a conduit between humans and the entire digital world. Its absence feels almost like a power outage.

Interesting Facts

• The name “Wi-Fi” was coined by marketers. It doesn’t mean anything.
• The first adapters cost more than a laptop.
• Wi-Fi appeared in the subway before it appeared in airplanes.
• Wi-Fi routers operate on the same frequency as microwave ovens (which is why there is interference).

Conclusion