Wi-Fi is a wireless networking technology that allows devices such as computers, mobile devices, printers, and video cameras to interface with the internet. It is a radio signal sent from a wireless router to a nearby device, and it allows these devices to exchange information with one another, creating a network. Wi-Fi is not an acronym; it is a brand name created by a marketing firm that’s meant to serve as an interoperability seal for marketing efforts. Wi-Fi is part of the IEEE 802 protocol family, and different versions of Wi-Fi are specified by various IEEE 802.11 protocol standards, with different radio technologies determining radio bands, maximum ranges, and speeds that may be achieved.
A Wi-Fi network is simply an internet connection that’s shared with multiple devices in a home or business via a wireless router. The router is connected directly to your internet modem and acts as a hub to broadcast the internet signal to all your Wi-Fi enabled devices. When you access Wi-Fi, you are connecting to a wireless router that allows your Wi-Fi-compatible devices to interface with the internet.
A common misconception is that the term Wi-Fi is short for "wireless fidelity," however, Wi-Fi is a trademarked phrase that refers to IEEE 802.11x standards. The term was created by a marketing firm because the wireless industry was looking for a user-friendly name to refer to some not so user-friendly technology known as IEEE 802.11 and the name stuck.
