How WiFi works: Explained

Devices use Wi-Fi, a wireless networking standard, to communicate without the necessity of cables. It is a technical term for a specific wireless local area network (LAN) protocol that is based on the IEEE 802.11 network standard. There was a time when Wi-Fi was only available in specific hotels, coffee shops, or airports. In modern homes and businesses, wireless networks—also known as WiFi or 802.11 networking—are practically ubiquitous. The technology is also being used by many communities to offer inhabitants free or inexpensive internet access.

 

WiFi offers a number of benefits. Wireless networks are inexpensive and simple to set up. They are also subtle; you might not even be aware that you are in a hot spot unless you're looking for a place to view streaming movies on your tablet. We'll examine the technology that enables information to move through the air in this post. We'll go through the requirements for setting up a wireless network in your house as well.

 

What is WiFi?

 

A well-liked wireless networking technology is Wi-Fi. "Wireless Fidelity" is what Wi-Fi stands for. NCR Corporation/AT&T developed Wi-Fi in the Netherlands in 1991. We can communicate information between two or more devices by using this technology. Wi-Fi was first designed for portable computing devices like laptops, but it is now widely used in consumer goods like televisions, DVD players, and digital cameras as well as mobile applications. There should be two options for connecting to the Wi-Fi network for communication: either client to client or access point to client. One form of wireless technology is Wi-Fi. Local area network (LAN) is the term frequently used to describe it. 

 

The Wired Network has been a topic of extensive study for us. The most prevalent illustration is Ethernet. Wireless networks use radio waves in contrast to wired networks, which transmit electrical signals across the wires. Wireless Fidelity is what Wi-Fi stands for. It is an IEEE 802.11-based solution for wireless local area networking with hardware. Through the WLAN network and a wireless access point, also known as an AP, Wi-Fi compatible devices can access the internet.

 

Every WLAN has an access point that is in charge of taking data from and sending it to users. The physical and data link layers of wireless LAN are covered by IEEE's established requirements, known as IEEE 802.11. A wireless LAN base station known as an access point (AP) can connect one or more wireless devices to the internet at once.   This standard's architecture includes  different types of services:  Basic Service Set (BSS) The Extended Service Set (ESS)   BSS is the fundamental component of WLAN. It consists of wireless mobile stations and the Access Point, a central base station that is optional. 

 

An essential component of Wi-Fi technology is security. Although we can choose our own level of security, when using a wireless connection, we should be careful to safeguard our personal information. We may simply connect to unprotected wireless routers. The issue is that anyone utilizing your wifi router is downloading games, apps, planning terrorist attacks, stealing unauthorized music and movie files, etc. Consequently, it is essential to give wireless technology-based devices security.

 

How does Wifi work?

 

The Internet as a system and the Internet communication protocols that we use today were created by computer scientists Vinton Cerf and Bob Kahn.

 

Long-distance networking between computers was first done in a 1969 experiment by two research teams at UCLA and Stanford. This was before the present version of the Internet. The first two-node network was successfully built by the researchers, under the direction of Leonard Kleinrock, despite the fact that the system crashed on the initial attempt to log in to the nearby computer. 

 

Radio waves are used by Wi-Fi to transmit and receive data between devices. Data received via a wired connection is converted to radio waves and transmitted by a wireless router or access point. These radio waves are decoded once more into data that may be read, heard, or seen by a receiver, like your smartphone. Both the access point and the receiver continuously exchange data as needed in this ongoing operation. In essence, this is how you get the website you are currently viewing, the music you are streaming, or the YouTube videos you are watching on your phone.

 

The 2.4GHz and 5GHz radio wave bands have typically been used by Wi-Fi, however the Wi-Fi 6E version has also added the use of the 6GHz channel. There is less congestion in the 6GHz frequency than in the 2.4GHz and 5GHz bands, which leads to faster connection speeds and improved Wi-Fi performance.

 

WiFi communicates between devices via radio frequencies, or radio waves; the frequencies are measured in gigahertz (GHz). For its signal, WiFi uses the 2.4GHz or 5GHz frequency ranges. Dual-band gadgets provide you the option to select the frequency you want to use for your WiFi network. The range and bandwidth that each frequency band offers are what distinguish them from one another. With slower speeds, the 2.4 GHz band extends WiFi coverage more widely. The 5GHz, in contrast, has a smaller service area and sends data more quickly.

 

There are numerous channels inside each WiFi frequency band that allow our devices to broadcast and receive data. The WiFi channels' main function is to reduce crosstalk and interference between your WiFi device and other WiFi devices. Your internet speed may slow down due to interference and overlapping. Imagine a motorway... If the motorway just has one lane, it will quickly become congested. People will reach their destinations faster if the freeway has four lanes since traffic will move much more smoothly and with less congestion.

 

A wireless gateway, which combines a modem and wireless router, or a modem connected to a wireless router is required for WiFi to function. These items will be regarded as your wireless access points, which act as a hub to produce wireless signal and link wireless devices to the internet. These days, routers frequently have WiFi 6 capabilities and are backwards compatible with WiFi 5. XDual band technology enables simultaneous operation on two frequencies, resulting in higher speeds and more reliable transmission.

 

Components of Wifi

 

We may argue that Wi-Fi has altered how we use our devices to access the internet. Its ease of use, portability, simplicity, and expandability have made this possible. You don't have to deal with various wires or worry about the quantity of Ethernet ports that are available. Additionally, it connects in a matter of seconds and is really simple to set up. 

 

Some of the major elements of the Wifi technology are- 

 

1. Clients

 

Clients are the general term for what we commonly refer to as end user devices.  Numerous devices, including phones, tablets, laptops, desktops, and more, may connect to the network utilizing Wi-Fi as its range has grown. Users can now travel across the area without risking their network bridge thanks to this. Sometimes it's important to move around an office, warehouse, or other workspace. A wireless network, for instance, gives workers the freedom to move around the warehouse while using scanners to register products that are prepared to be dispatched.

 

2. Wireless Access Point

 

To enable wireless devices to connect to the wireless network, a wireless access point is used. By connecting new devices to a wireless network like Cisco, which also offers outstanding support for mobile users, the new devices will be made simple. The wireless access point's role in the network is comparable to that of an amplifier in a home stereo.

 

To enable multiple devices to connect to the network from a distance, an access point stretches the bandwidth. However, a wireless access point provides highly helpful information about the devices connected to the network that may be utilized for security as well as practical purposes.

 

3. Antennas

 

A transmitter or receiver is connected to a set of metal conductors or elements known as an antenna. These are crucial parts of wireless technology that transform the electrical current flowing through metal conductors into radio waves or electromagnetic waves. Television, cell phones, satellite communication, and radio broadcasting are the principal uses for this radio technology.

 

The radio transmitter transfers an electric current to the antenna's terminals at the transmitter end, where the antenna then transmits radio waves. The antenna amplifies the electrical signal at its terminals at the receiver end by converting radio waves into an electric current.

 

4. AP- Access Point

 

A Wi-Fi that is promoting a network name (often referred to as an SSID, or Service Set Identifier) is what makes up an access point (AP).  For connection with the wider network or even the internet, users that join to this network will generally find that their traffic is bridged to a local-area network (LAN) wired network (like Ethernet).

 

Also Read | A Tech Survival Kit: The Role of WiFi in a Bug-out Bag

 

Applications of Wifi

 

Today, Wi-Fi technology is widely used; more Wi-Fi devices are in use than there are people on the planet, and Wi-Fi networks carry more than half of all internet traffic. It is obvious that a technology with this degree of adoption must offer some strong advantages; in this article, we examine these advantages, how Wi-Fi technology makes them possible, and the most recent gadgets being utilized to expand the Wi-Fi possibilities.

 

The following purposes include the usage of numerous mobile-friendly applications and wireless communication systems:

 

1. Vehicles 

 

Digital audio broadcasting (DAB), which has a 1.5Mbit/s data rate, is used to receive broadcast information such as music, news, traffic updates, and weather forecasts. A universal mobile telecommunications system (UMTS) phone with 384 kbit/s voice and data connectivity might be available for personal communication. While satellite communication can be employed in remote places, the GPS (Global Positioning System) is used to determine the car's current location.

 

A neighborhood ad hoc network for the quick sharing of information (information like the distance between two vehicles, traffic information, road conditions) in emergency situations or to assist each other in maintaining a safe distance. Ad hoc local network with nearby vehicles to avoid redundant systems, accidents, and guidance.

 

2. Emergency

 

During emergencies, the following services may be offered: Responders frequently need to exchange critical information via video communication. It might be essential to transmit footage of real-time events. The transmission of live video from a disaster location to the nearby fire department, police station, or NGOs, among other places, is a regular occurrence.

 

Push To Talk (PTT) is a technique that enables two users to communicate in a half-duplex fashion by switching from voice reception to transmission mode by pressing a special temporary button. It has walkie-talkie characteristics.

 

Communication by voice or audio: Unlike PTT, this service offers full duplex audio channels. Public safety communication requires novel full duplex speech transmission services for emergency response.

 

3. Satellite Communication

 

One sort of self-contained wireless technology that is commonly used worldwide to keep people in touch virtually everywhere on the planet is satellite communication. The satellite amplifies the signal and sends it back to the antenna receiver, which is situated on the surface of the earth, when the signal (a beam of modulated microwave) is sent close to the satellite

 

The ground segment and the space segment are the two main parts of satellite communication. The space section, which mostly consists of the satellite itself, is separated from the ground segment by permanent or mobile transmission, reception, and auxiliary equipment.

 

4. Infrared Communication

 

Through IR radiation, infrared wireless communication transmits data within a device or system. electromagnetic energy with a wavelength longer than red light is known as infrared energy (IR). It is employed for short-range communications, TV remote control, and security control. IR radiation occupies a region of the electromagnetic spectrum between microwaves and visible light. They can therefore be a means of communication.

 

Conclusion

 

In order to summarize, WiFi is often referred to as "Wireless Local Area Network" or WLAN, which encapsulates the essence of the technology. WiFi (or wireless networking) is technically referred to as IEEE 802.11 technology. Without going into great depth, IEEE 802.11 is a set of standards that the Institute of Electrical and Electronics Engineers developed and maintains. It is used to implement WLAN communication in specific frequency ranges. 

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