Wi-Fi Mobile Computing

Wireless Fidelity or Wi-Fi for short refers to a set of wireless networking technologies more specifically referred to as any type of 802.11 network, that includes 802.11b and 802.11a dual band. The organization called Wi-Fi alliance oversees Wi-Fi standards and certifications.

In yesteryears, the term 'Wi-Fi' was used only in place of the 2.4 GHz 802.11b standard. It got famous very quickly with Wi-Fi hotspots across the US.

These standards are used worldwide, and allow users that have Wi-Fi capable devices such as laptops and PDAs to connect from anywhere that has a Wi-Fi capable access point.

Wi-Fi technology will soon be as common as electric outlets and phone lines are in a few years. It adds convenience and offers productivity improvements for mobile workers even out of their offices.

Wi-Fi is often used for Internet connectivity. You can connect to the net from anywhere using Wi-Fi as long as there is Wi-Fi support in that area. Wi-Fi works on the principle of radio signals. Business travelers can use Wi-Fi in airports, Internet cafes, malls, and supporting hotels around the world.

Both the 802.11a and 802.11b technologies are capable of 54 Mbps speed and 802.11a has additional capabilities.

802.11b is the most common standard and can transmit at 11 Megabits per second. But Wi-Fi technology is evolving in speeds day by day.

How does Wi-Fi work?

Wi-Fi works on the principle of radio waves. The radio waves are transmitted from antennae and Wi-Fi receivers pick up the signals. The moment a Wi-Fi supported device enters the range of a Wi-Fi network, a wireless connection is produced. Laptops usually have Wi-Fi connectivity in the form of Wi-Fi cards that are built-in. Sometimes you may have to login using username and password to gain access to the Wi-Fi network.

How secure is Wi-Fi?

Wi-Fi does have some security issues. Wired Equivalent Privacy or WEP is the technology used in the physical and data link layers of the network to secure Wi-Fi transmissions. But since the data travels over radio waves it may be easy for a snooper to gain access to the transmissions. But Wi-Fi is often protected by the use of shared and private keys that are encrypted. But you need to remember to change the keys often.