Introduction
Wi-Fi refers to the name of a famous wireless networking technology that employs radio waves to avail wireless high-speed Internet and network connectivity. A widespread mistaken belief is that the term Wi-Fi is an acronyms for "wireless fidelity," however this is not the representation of reality since Wi-Fi is basically a phrase that has been trademarked that means IEEE 802.11x.
The Wi-Fi technology works without any physical wired connection between the receiver and the sender by using the technology of radio frequency (RF). RF is a frequency within the electromagnetic band linked with the propagation of radio wave. When an antenna is supplied with RF current is an electromagnetic field is formed, which then is capable of propagating through space.
The Wi-Fi technology has a many advantages. Wireless networks are easy to set up and less expensive when people decide to use the technology. They are also unobtrusive but for when one is on the lookout for a platform to watch streaming films on your computers and tablet, chances are that an individual may not even take notice when s/he is in a hotspot.
How Wi-Fi Works
Wi-Fi works off of a similar principle to other wireless devices, that is to say, it uses radio frequencies to send signals (communication) between devices. These radio frequencies are entirely dissimilar say from the walky talkies, weather radios, car radios, and mobile phones. For instance, the car stereo gets frequencies in the ranges of Kilohertz and Megahertz (AM and FM stations), while the Wi-Fi will transmit and receive data in the Gigahertz range.
To break it down further, Hertz (Hz) is merely a unit of measuring frequency. A good illustration is that of a person standing on a pier and watching waves come in, one after the other. As s/he looks down at these waves s/he can see the crest of each wave roll on by. If this person decides to count the number seconds between each wave crest, it would become the frequency of the waves. Therefore, if the time between successive crests is 1 second that would mean the wave frequency is 1 hertz, or an equivalent of one cycle every second. Contrasting sea waves with Mhz and Ghz, these waves move at 1 million and 1 billion cycles every second in the air. Therefore, to receive the information originating from these waves, the radio receiver requires to be set to get the waves of a particular frequency.
Back to Wi-Fi, this frequency is 2.4 GHz and 5 GHz. These waves are very akin to the frequencies found in the microwaves. A microwave uses 2.450 GHz to heat up food while a router uses between 2.412 GHz to 2.472 GHz for transmitting data over Wi-Fi. This is the reason why some households with faulty or old microwaves are familiar with a problem with their Wi-Fi signals when the microwave is in use.
But irrespective of the range, 2.4 GHz range or the 5 GHz ranges, there are a set of channels that the router will be able to communicate on. These channels are a to some extent dissimilar frequency from each other and they enable multiple routers to participate in communication of data in the same area devoid of engendering a lot of traffic
Wi-Fi and Compatible Devices
As said earlier, this is a technology that enables electronic devices to connect to a wireless LAN (WLAN) network. It primarily uses the radio bands categorized into to. The first one is the 2.4 gigahertz (12 cm) UHF and the other one is the 5 gigahertz (6 cm) SHF ISM radio bands. A Wireless Local Area Network is typically password protected; however, it may be open, which enables any device within its connectivity range to have access to the resources of the particular WLAN network.
Devices which can effectively utilize Wi-Fi technology include but are not limited to personal computers (PCs), modem printers, video-game consoles, digital cameras, tablets, Smartphones and audio players. The devices that are compatible with Wi-Fi can connect to the Internet through a wireless access point or a WLAN network. This access point (otherwise known as hotspot) has a range of approximately 20 meters (66 feet) in the indoor areas and a greater range moving outdoors. The hotspot know no barriers like in a single room with walls that can barricade radio waves as well as big as many square kilometers realized by employing a multiplicity of overlying access points.
In most cases, Wi-Fi is not as secure as wired connections like Ethernet specifically because an interloper does not require a physical connection. The web pages that utilizes are more secure, however, an unencrypted Internet access can effortlessly be detected by the interlopers. Due to this reason, Wi-Fi has created various encryption technologies.
Wired Equivalent Privacy (WEP)
Wired Equivalent Privacy (WEP) was the first encryption technology. It is a security algorithm for IEEE 802.11 wireless networks. Its introduction was part of the initial 802.11 standard ratified in 1997; its intent was to avail data in discretion analogous to that of a customary wired network. However, this early encryption proved easy to break. It prompted adoption of higher technologies.
WPA and WPA2
These higher quality protocols came up later. An optional feature created in 2007, known as Wi-Fi Protected Setup (WPS) has a serious flaw that enables an intruder to recover the password of the router.
Wi-Fi Hotspot
A hotspot refers to a physical location that allows access of the Internet through a wireless local area network (WLAN) via the use of a router that is connected to a link to a provider of Internet service. Typically, hotspots use Wi-Fi technology.
Tethering
Tethering is an important technology when using Wi-Fi. Tethering is the act of turning a Smartphone into a mobile Wi-Fi hotspot and sharing the phone���s 3G/4G data connection. Once tethering is turned on, any device with a wireless connection can get a connection to the internet through the Smartphone���s connection.
A tether refers to a long leash, in phone tethering; therefore, the leash can either be a USB cable or a wireless Bluetooth connection. After the mobile phone has been connected to data network, the smartphone can dispense its Internet connection to many other users via a Wi-Fi connection. Any computer or tablet that is Wi-Fi enabled can connect to it, and the real advantage is that the Wi-Fi router is inside the Smartphone; therefore, there is no additional stuff that one has to carry around and no extra device to recharge.
Range and Speed to be expected
The speed of the connection relies on several variables, including the cell network a person is connecting to, how far one is from the network's closest transmission tower and the traffic or congestion of the Internet at that particular moment in time. For instance, connections on Verizon's 4G LTE network can hit 25Mbps, but others connections can barely get to 100Kbps. Overall, an approximated 300Kbps of bandwidth is a sensible expectation. When it comes to 3G data networks and 4G data networks, geography becomes a destiny.
Even as Sprint and Verizon are in the process of rolling out their 4G networks to specific cities, there are still many places in the U.S., predominantly in the upper Midwest, and the rest of the world that lack data coverage. Therefore, it is wise for people to consult the coverage maps on the various carrier websites to get to know if to be able to get access to a data network it will be needed.
Characteristically, the Wi-Fi of the phone signal has a variety of around 100 feet, so it works well in a provisional office, at the beach or even in the big hotel suites. Another imperative issue to note is that with Wi-Fi routers, the strength of the signal and bandwidth weaken as one gets farther from the hotspot.
Wi-Fi Router
Homes that have wireless internet connection more often than not have a little box called a router that plugs into the telephone socket. This type of router is kind of similar to a sophisticated modem: because it is a detached computer whose function is to transmit connections to and from the Internet. At home, we have the option of using a router to connect several computers to the Internet at a go, therefore saving on the need for many different modems. In other terms, the router does perform two important functions jobs: it is responsible for creating a wireless computer network, which links all your computers together, and secondly, it gives all the machines in question a communal gateway to the Internet.
A router can be connected to all different computers by the use of an ordinary network-connecting cables, particularlyRJ-45, Cat 5, or Ethernet cables. This process creates a LAN (local area network) that links all the machines together. A computer network is a very methodical system. The machines found on the network must be hooked up in a regular way and therefore, communicate in a very systematic style. The rules that manage the setup of the network and the communication are premised upon an international standard known as Ethernet (also referred to as IEEE 802.3).
Most up-t-date laptops have built in wireless cards. For older versions of most laptops, you can typically plug in a wireless adapter card into as USB socket or the PCMCIA. In consequence, the router transforms into an informal access point for the Internet, effectively generating an imperceptible "cloud" of wireless connectivity all around it. As aforementioned, this invisible cloud is known as a hotspot. Any computer within this cloud can therefore connect into the network and this forms a wireless LAN. Just the same manner computers that are connected to a wired LAN use Ethernet, the computers on a wireless LAN utilize the wireless correspondent, which is known as Wi-Fi or, more technically speaking, IEEE 802.11.
Wireless Internet is undergoing a lot of improvements all the time, so advanced forms of Wi-Fi are continuously undergoing evolution. Currently, there are wireless equipment marked 802.11a, 802.11b, 802.11g or 802.11n. All these are broadly compatible modifications of 802.11. The 802.11n, 802.11g and 802.11a are faster than the 802.11b variant. The more recent modifications are labeled 802.11a having an additional letter added on the end, for instance 802.11ax, 802.11ay among others. The designing of 802.11ah for instance, is meant to be compatible with the so-called Internet of Things; 802.11ax on the other hand is meant to marry with high-efficiency Local Area Networks (LANs); and 802.11az is compatible with "location service,��� that is finding the exact location of mobile devices.
The Wi-Fi Direct
Some gadgetry used in most household relies on a blend of Wi-Fi and Bluetooth. This probably can be a quite confusing thus prompting the question "Why is Wi-Fi unable do the short-range, ad-hoc tad as well?" This has led to a bolt-on supplementation to the rudimentary Wi-Fi spec known as Wi-Fi Direct��, to make Wi-Fi manage the task. The fundamental idea is to utilize safe, encrypted Wi-Fi in a more casual manner for activities such as printing from a tablet or sharing files with someone else's smartphone.
Technically, Wi-Fi Direct is an ad-hoc, friend-to-friend kind of networking between pairs of and multiple nearby devices, which does not depend on an Internet connection. It works in a manner akin to traditional Wi-Fi: every device lets other close devices know that you can connect to it (almost the same manner points will let you know about a nearby available Wi-Fi network). Some devices have the capacity to connect both to Wi-Fi Direct and a Wi-Fi network simultaneously while others only have the ability do one or the other at an interval.
Boosting a Wi-Fi Signal
Most houses will have a particular area(s) known as the dead zones – those spots in the house where Wi-Fi bizarrely appears to disappear. The reason for this is the presence of many devices, metal applications, and architectural interloping in an average house. Even the fastest, strongest and most powerful Wi-Fi router can miss a few spots. Wi-Fi Range Extenders, otherwise called Wi-Fi Boosters, are used to strengthen the signals in such areas. They (Wi-Fi Boosters/Extenders) are a simple and cost-effective way to bring to an end the mystery and rejuvenate the dead zones.
Wi-Fi Range Extenders enhance the present Wi-Fi by receiving the wireless signal from the router and repeating it with potent amplifiers and antennas, effectively extending the Wi-Fi coverage by up to at least twice the range. For example, NETGEAR Wi-Fi Range Extenders are comprehensively compatible; therefore, they can boost the Wi-Fi of any average router from all the brands, even the one we get from our service providers.
The installation of Wi-Fi Boosters takes only a couple minutes and can give bring a complete home Wi-Fi coverage. The extender is best placed halfway between the router and the dead zone. This activity will instantly strengthen the signal strength and bandwidth by immediately boosting and directing the signals to the Wi-Fi trouble spot. For optimal performance however, you should the Wi-Fi speed of the new extender should be matched with the existing router���s Wi-Fi. For instance, if a premise has a dual band AC1200 router, for signal boost, one should favor a dual band AC1200 extender. This maximizes the boost in both performance and range.
Wi-Fi Hacker
Perhaps the most interesting ethical issue that concern Wi-Fi is the practice of hacking the Wi-Fi. Technology is continually advancing. Most people and institutions have perfected the idea of securing their Wi-Fi connections using password. However, another clique of people has been dreaming day and night on the way of hacking such protected.
This has given rise to the birth of software called Wi-Fi Hacker Software. This software or phone app comes with some incentives that entice most people to use it. It is first and foremost, compatible with all versions of windows and can hack WPA2, WEP, and WPA. It works by searching for all the Wi-Fi networks that are available to the device in which it is installed, then bypasses all the security and connecting to them automatically.
The features that make the hacking of the passwords a possibility are many because of the Password Cracker. First, this program has the ability of examining the wireless Wi-Fi for the presence of insecurity, then enabling it to perform the major hacking features. Secondly, it ���guesses��� the password and effectively breaks into it. Finally, it comes with some guarantee of security because it will prevent the owner of the Wi-Fi from detecting the presence of the hacker, making him/her access the internet for as long as s/he wishes.
Summary
Wi-Fi is a wireless technology that uses radio waves or frequencies for the exchange and transfer of data. The technology has swept the communication world with an unprecedented wave. It has made communication simple and efficient without the baggage of inconveniences and lack of portability that existed in the earlier versions of wireless communication. To protect the technology from intruders, Wi-Fi technologists introduced some important encryptions to counter the scourge of intruding into other peoples data and using their signals without the prerequisite authorization.
However, it is still a worrying trend among the technologists that all the encryptions that they introduced like the WEP, WPA, and WPA2 have not managed to successfully and effectively seals the loopholes that allow the intruders to access the data and signals of other users without the threat of detection. There is software in the black world market that is used by these unscrupulous individuals to bypass the security checks that are inherent in the Wi-Fi technology.
Utilizing a Wi-Fi hotspot can be a security concern to personal data. More or less anyone can set up an ill-intended hotspot that is capable of recording unencrypted data sent via it. All that an individual needs is to set up the hotspot and wait for other users to use it. A commonplace method of achieving this is to set up an "evil twin" next a valid hotspot and christen it the same as the legitimate hotspot. Users will accidentally connect to the evil twin, thinking they are using the valid one. Another manner intruders can access personal information is to snoop on a valid Wi-Fi hotspot and pocket watch for unencrypted data transmitted. This is dangerous to personal information like credit card information, account passwords, messages and personal files can all be seized if the data has no encryption.
The future of Wi-Fi technology, however, looks brighter because of the advancements that the experts are putting all their labors to achieve. As of today, the fastest Wi-Fi protocol is 802.11n, or just shortened as "n��� that provides theoretical data transferring speeds of approximately 300 megabits every second (Mbps). The next platform on the Wi-Fi speed chart is referred to as 802.11ac, also known as "gigabit," It has a Very High Throughput Wi-Fi alternatively referred ton as fifth-generation (5G) Wi-Fi. By any identity, 802.11ac Wi-Fi is projected to bring speeds of up to 1300 Mbps – possibly more than four times quicker than existing "n" routers and approximately 1,000 times quicker than the famed 4G LTE connectivity.
Rather than operating in the 2.4 GHz frequencies along with Wi-Fi that have bigger traffic and are crowded, Bluetooth and wireless communication devices, and 802.11ac Wi-Fi technologies will be able to transmit data in the apparently vacant 5 GHz spectrum. For now however, there are alternatives of boosting the signal strengths of their Wi-Fi connectivity, both at home and elsewhere. The use of the boosters and extenders has proven to be effective, reliable, and cost friendly for the various Wi-Fi users. Wi-Fi is a technology that promises a lot, and all efforts should be put in place to further its advancement.