The Wi-Fi stands for Wireless Fidelity. It is used to define any of the IEEE 802.11 wireless standards for Wi-Fi Protocol. The term Wi-Fi was created by the Wireless Ethernet Compatibility Alliance (WECA). Products certified as Wi-Fi compliant are interoperable with each other even if they are made by different manufacturers. The Wi-Fi Protocol is an advanced high-speed protocol mostly used in a public Internet connection to overcome the bandwidth issue on Bluetooth protocol.
Wi-Fi is a term for certain types of WLAN that use specifications in the 802.11 families. The term Wi-Fi was created by an organization called the Wi-Fi Alliance, which oversees tests that certify product interoperability. A wireless LAN node that provides a public Internet connection via Wi-Fi from a given location is called a hot spot. Many airports, hotels, and fast-food facilities offer public access to Wi-Fi Protocol networks.
A wireless LAN (WLAN) is a wireless computer network that links two or more devices using wireless communication to form a local area network (LAN) within a limited area such as a home, school, computer laboratory, campus, office building, etc. This gives users the ability to move around within the area and yet still be connected to the network. Through a gateway, a WLAN can also provide a connection to the wider Internet by using the Wi-Fi Protocol standard.
802.11a: An IEEE standard for wireless Ethernet networking that operates in the 5 GHz radio band (ISM frequency band) and uses the IP protocol. The maximum transmission speed is 54Mbps and the approximate wireless range is 25-75 feet indoors.
802.11b: An IEEE standard for wireless Ethernet networking that operates in the 2.4 GHz radio band (ISM frequency band) and uses the IP protocol. The maximum transmission speed is 11Mbps and the approximate wireless range is 100-200 feet indoors.
802/11g: An IEEE standard for wireless Ethernet networking that operates in the 2.4 GHz radio band (ISM frequency band) and uses the IP protocol. The maximum transmission speed is 54 Mbps and the approximate wireless range is 100-200 feet indoors.
Access Point: A wireless Access Point is used to connect PC’s with wireless adapter cards to a wired Ethernet network. Access points can support several or all of the three most popular IEEE WLAN standards including 802.11a, 802.11b, and 802.11g. Sometimes people may refer to an Access Point as a Wireless Hub.
Adapter: A wireless adapter or NIC (Network Interface Card) that is used to connect to a laptop or PC to a wireless LAN (Local Area Network).
Ad-hoc: An Ad-hoc wireless network is made up of a group of PCs and/or laptops connected as an independent wireless LAN.
Encryption: The Wi-Fi Protocol used Encryption to hide or mask the data being sent through wireless transmissions. There are several popular and widely used encryption methods used today including WEP (Wired Equivalent Privacy, and WPA (Wi-Fi Protected Access).
Hot Spot: A wireless Hot Spot is a public area where wireless laptops can connect to WLAN and receive Internet access. Recently many coffee shops and airports have added this capability for their customer’s convenience.
Infrastructure: A Wireless Infrastructure is comprised of both wired and wireless LAN’s. Typically this type of configuration is found in SOHS and Enterprise environments where there are many user groups or divisions requiring access to shared resources.
ISM Band: The ISM (Industrial, Scientific, and Medical) band, which is controlled by the FCC in the US, generally requires licensing for various spectrum use. To accommodate wireless LANs, the FCC has set aside bandwidth for unlicensed use including the 2.4Ghz spectrum where many WLAN products operate.
Roaming: The ability to use a wireless device and be able to move from one access point’s range to another without losing the connection.
Router: A wireless router is a protocol-dependent device that is used to connect sub-networks or different independent WLAN’s together. Routers provide security as they can be configured to only allow certain users access to different services such as the Internet and file servers when connecting a WLAN to the Internet a router is required.
