Most of the world knows WiFi as a form of internet network to which one can connect their devices wirelessly. Yet, beneath this simplistic view lies a sophisticated paradigm of communications technology that is enabling transformation of millions of lives via superfast, reliable access to the digital world. Show
As per its definition, WiFi is a wireless local area network technology that uses radio waves to access or connect to a network. This may be used on a variety of devices such as computers, smartphones, televisions, video game consoles, and so on. Simply speaking, whether you are using a WiFi at home or outside, it provides a standard way to connect with wireless networking. WiFi connections and WiFi networks are based on the 802.11 standards developed by IEEE. The term ‘WiFi’ is trademarked by the Wi-Fi alliance and used as a brand name for products using IEEE 802.11 WiFi standards. What are WiFi networks?There was a time when WiFi networks were only common at homes and offices. Now, it is difficult to imagine life without them wherever you are: an airport, a restaurant or even a sport stadium! But what are WiFi networks, exactly? Simply put, a wireless network is type of internet connection created by a WiFi router (a wireless router) and shared amongst multiple devices at a location. For example, a wireless internet connection for home would be shared amongst the family members and their smart devices, and occasionally by any guests at home. Similarly, WiFi connections through employee devices at an office share the same wireless network. The biggest advantage of WiFi networks comes in their flexibility of usage. Stay within the coverage area, and one can enjoy wireless internet without any hassles. If you think this is what ‘Wireless Fidelity’ is all about, then you would be mistaken. Amusingly, this purported abbreviation is often the standard answer to the question ‘what WiFi stands for’ – but that is not the case. WiFi is just a convenient name for the wireless network technology IEEE 802.11 and does not have any expanded meaning as such. How does WiFi work?Looking at your WiFi at home must have induced the question: how do WiFi connections work? The answer lies in the usage of WiFi technology, where signals are transmitted to various devices from the WiFi router via radio waves. The receiving device must also be configured to receive waves of a specific frequency. The WiFi frequency range is 2.4Ghz and 5Ghz, which is now improved up to 6 GHz by WiFi 6 – the latest standard in WiFi networks. This is a higher frequency than those used for walkie-talkies, mobile phones, and TVs, allowing signals to carry more data. Let us explain the process of how WiFi really works:
Types of WiFi DeploymentsTypically, there are three types of deployments of WiFi networks. It is important to understand the suitability of all the types of WiFi networks for effective deployment:
At STL, we have developed the WiFi Service Management Platform as a future-ready platform that includes Authentication, Billing, Captive Portal, Location-aware Services, Subscriber Analytics, Mobile App, and Integration with Mobile Core. This solution caters to user-friendliness. It also enables new business models as well as a variety of ready-to-use use cases for smart cities and telecom carriers. These technologies have a significant presence among service providers and have been deployed in over 3500 WiFi networks in over 60 countries, including smart cities, hotels, airports, and other public WiFi hotspots. WiFi networks have expanded their reach to clients in all categories with extensible services and the most recent business models. The extraordinary increase in data consumption has yielded proven results, demonstrating a strong ability to provide continuous connectivity and a seamless experience, everywhere and at any time. STL’s WiFi deployment solutions and the benefits can be read here. What are the types of WiFi connections?Several options spring to mind when we talk about the various types of WiFi connections. As you can imagine, all of them differ in terms of their usability as well as performance parameters. Nevertheless, these WiFi connections offer a lot of convenience to end users – whether they are at home, office or the public. WiFi Hotspot A WiFi hotspot, as the name suggests, is often a single device or location that allows users to connect to the WiFi and the internet when they are out and about. WiFi hotspots come in a variety of forms.
4G LTE Home Internet Often found in remote and rural areas where, 4G LTE Home Internet is a reliable WiFi connection if you require a regular high-speed internet of up to 25 Mbps download speeds. Such a WiFi connection is powered by cellular towers in the vicinity and is often a more viable option than satellite internet. 5G Home Internet The rampant rise of 5G has given birth to 5G Home Internet (Fixed Wireless Access). Such a WiFi network utilises the enhanced speed, bandwidth and latency capabilities of 5G radio frequencies to deliver a state-of-the-art, IoT-ready internet experience. Users can experience speeds greater than 1 Gbps without any hassle and also enjoy an interruption-free, lag-free internet connectivity. Wireline/router This is the most common type of WiFi connection, often found at home setups and offices. A WiFi router connects to your wired internet connection via a modem and provides wireless coverage within a limited range. However, it is prone to bandwidth congestion due to too many users, limited range and speed and occasional electromagnetic interference. What is WiFi 6?As far as WiFi connections and WiFi networks are concerned, a new paradigm of technology is ready to take internet connectivity by storm. Enter Wifi 6 – the newest standard in WiFi. This latest version of WiFi standards is 802.11ax (WiFi-6) and is an upgrade over the previous standard, which is 802.11ac (WiFi-5). The idea behind the upgraded standard is simple: Wifi 6 is mainly for compatible devices (like WiFi routers) to transmit WiFi signals more efficiently. Wifi 6 was built in response to the growing number of devices in the world, and to improve performance in high network densities like apartments with multiple routers or outdoor stadiums. Much like the term ‘WiFi’, the term Wifi 6 was coined by the WiFi Alliance as an industry designation and seen as a consumer-friendly name over its industry-standard name of 802.11ax. How will WiFi 6 improve WiFi networks?With a plethora of high-performance WiFi 6 routers flooding the market, we must ask: what advantages does WiFi 6 bring to the table over other WiFi networks. For starters, it is the next iteration of WiFi technology standards, promising improved speeds, bandwidth and latency. All in all, WiFi 6 is pegged to improve existing WiFi networks via:
How are 5G and WiFi 6 combined?Given the boost in network performance attributes that WiFi 6 brings, it is impossible to not compare it with the rise of 5G. In fact, 5G and WiFi 6 perfectly complement each other in this hyper-connected era.
Since 5G network architecture favours modular design, it is entirely possible that networks other than cellular networks can serve as the RAN. This opens up many pathways for WiFi 6 to serve as RAN in a 5G network. As such, the 5G and WiFi 6 convergence gives rise to many exciting possibilities such as:
To conclude, we finally have a worthy WiFi network standard in WiFi 6 that can help maintain 5G’s quality of service. How to get Wi-Fi at homeToday, having internet and WiFi at home is as indispensable as having a robust electricity connection – especially in urban areas. The unprecedented growth of social media, penetration of smart devices and rise in remote working and digitalisation of services means WiFi at home is your window to the world. So, how to get WiFi at home? The answer to that question depends upon your home’s location. If it is in a geography that is serviced well by internet connectivity and availability, then getting a WiFi connection will not be a big deal. This is the case with many urban and suburban areas where service providers often give WiFi as part of any home broadband package deal. All you need to do if you have one such wired broadband connection at home is to connect the modem to a WiFi router. But that is not all. To have a proper and stable wireless WiFi connection at home, you can implement the WiFi network much better:
FAQsIs wifi 6 available in India? Yes, WiFi 6 is available across many newly-launched routers in India. These WiFi 6 routers – although expensive – bring much faster, seamless network connectivity to users in the wake of the 5G launch in India. WiFi 6 offers greater bandwidth, streaming quality and downloads to users, thus enabling them to expand their digital horizon and experience the best of the IoT and smart devices era. What is portable Wi-Fi hotspot? A portable WiFi hotspot is a mobile data solution in the form of a pocket-sized WiFi router which one can carry and use anywhere. As the name suggests, portability is one of the biggest advantages of such a small WiFi router device, enabling users to set up a reliable 4G and even 5G hotspot connection at any location. A portable WiFi hotspot uses a SIM card to enable connectivity for users. What is a wireless access point? As the name suggests, a wireless access point (WAP) is the main networking device that provides internet access to WiFi devices. Such a device essentially transmits and receives wireless radio signals, thus allowing a WiFi-enabled device to form a connection with a wired network wirelessly. It is the hub of wireless connectivity at any spot. As such, a wireless access point is integrated inside routers and hotspots. What is a wireless router? A wireless router is essentially a WiFi router – the wireless counterpart of wired-in routers. It is often the key element of both a wired and a wireless local area network (WLAN). Typically, a wireless router acts as a router and a wireless access point combined, forwarding the internet network connection to WiFi-enabled devices via radio signals instead of wires. What is a desktop Wi-Fi router? A desktop WiFi router is simply a WiFi device that sits on the desktop or plain surfaces, enabling WiFi devices like smartphones, laptops, tablets, smart TVs, smart speakers, desktop computers, etc., to connect to the network wirelessly. It is not a portable router as it is connected to the modem via a cable. What is a mobile hotspot? A mobile hotspot is an internet hotspot that can be created at any location instead of being fixed to a place like a WiFi router. It is essentially a portable hotspot that is commonly found inside smartphones or in the form of portable WiFi devices. A mobile hotspot in a smartphone, for example, uses the smartphone data connection to provide wireless internet access to other WiFi-enabled devices. What is the name of the type of connection standard used in wireless networking?At present, the IEEE 802.11b/g standard is widely accepted throughout the industry and provides the necessary balance of range, network throughput, and support for device mobility to effectively serve most needs of the University community.
Which WIFI standards use the 2.4 GHz frequency quizlet?The IEEE 802.11 standard specifies a technology that operates in the 2.4-2.5 GHz.
Which of the following wireless network standards includes MIMO?Wi-Fi 5 (802.11ac)
With Multiple Input, Multiple Output (MIMO) technology – multiple antennas operating on both sending and receiving devices to reduce errors and boost speed – this standard supports data rates up to 3.46Gbps.
Which wireless networking technology used the 5.0 GHz frequency range?802.11n and 802.11ax can use either the 2.4 GHz or 5 GHz band; 802.11ac uses only the 5 GHz band. The segment of the radio frequency spectrum used by 802.11 varies between countries.
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