What is WiFi?

What is WiFi? How does WiFi work? What does WiFi stand for? Find all the answers on these questions and lots of free tips for the WiFi technology.

What does WiFi stand for?

WiFi - wireless fidelity refers to the wireless networks which use 802.11 standard developed by the IEEE. WiFi or Wi-Fi is a trademark of the Wi-Fi Alliance. Wi-Fi CERTIFIED means that the product is tested and certified by the Wi-Fi Alliance. This certification assures that products act according to 802.11 standards.

IEEE uses Wireless Local area network, WLAN, or Wireless LAN as names for the wireless network with the 802.11 standards.

More about the WLAN and what does WLAN stand for check here.
WLAN uses different IEEE standards for data transfer:
- 802.11a
- 802.11b
- 802.11g
- 802.11n

IEEE 802.11i is standard for wireless security.

When we talk about wireless network, I need to mention WiMAX or IEEE 802.16.

How does WiFi work?

As I have already mentioned here, WiFi uses the WLAN standard for a connection between the wireless access points or broadband wireless routers and wireless clients or computers with Wireless internet card.
WLAN uses nine WLAN network services for transfer of packets and management operations.
WiFi technology uses WLAN formation and WLAN infrastructure.

Functionalities like WLAN Extended Service Set (ESS) and WLAN roaming make WiFi very flexible

To get the whole picture of WiFi check:
- WLAN advantages and disadvantages
- Wireless Internet services
- When to use WLAN.