Wi-Fi is a local area wireless technology that allows an electronic device to exchange data or connect to the internet using radiowaves. The Wi-Fi Alliance defines Wi-Fi as any “wireless local area network(WLAN) products that are based on the Institute of Electrical and Electronics Engineers(IEEE) 802.11 standards”.
Many devices can use Wi-Fi, e.g., personal computers, video-game consoles, smartphones, some digital cameras, tablets, and digital cameras. These can connect to a network resource such as the Internet via wireless network access point which has a range of about 20 meters indoors and a great range outdoors. Hotsp0t coverage can comprise an area as small as a single room with walls that block radio waves, or as large as many square kilometers achieved by using multiple overlapping access points.
Advantages of Wi-Fi
- Cheaper deployment of Local Area Networks(LANs)
- Hosting of wireless LANs where cables can’t run (like outdoor areas and historical buildings)
- Wireless network adapters into most laptops
- Standar Wi-Fi device will work anywhere in the world
- Different competitive brands of access points and clients networks-interfaces can inter-operate at basic level of service
Limitations of Wi-Fi
- Spectrum assignments and operational limitations are not consistent worldwide
- A Wi-Fi signal occupies five channels in the 2.4 GHz band. Any two channel numbers that differ by five or more do not overlap
- 802.11n uses double the radio spectrum/bandwidth compared to 802.11a or 802.11g
Therefore the Wi-Fi with great advantages has certain limitations too.
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