WiFi Wireless Internet Access, What Is It Exactly?

You use it, your laptop has a WiFi certification sticker and added hardware named after it, and everyone is talking about it - but just what is WiFi wireless internet access, and what does that little sticker mean on the top of your laptop and how does that help you when trying to get online?

First let's start with the synonym WiFi, which means wireless Internet (or WLAN) in the first place.  But WiFi is more then a synonym, it's actually a trademark of the Wi-Fi Alliance, and a certification for products that are based on the IEEE standard 802.11.  This certification is a warranty to you for the interoperability of the thousands of wireless devices sold on the market today.

Well just who are these folks (the Wi-Fi Alliance) making this guarantee? The Wi-Fi Alliance is an international not-for-profit industry association of over 300 member companies devoted to making sure that your experience with WiFi wireless internet access is trouble-free, regardless of what devices you are trying to connect with - or to each other.  Since the alliance formed in March 2000, over 4,000 products have been branded as Wi-Fi CERTIFIED, and that number grows yearly as new devices for home and office are manufactured that provide WiFi wireless internet access in new and interesting ways.

While that little black & white WiFi sticker is important to look for when shopping for new Internet appliances, how does this certification help you connect to the Internet?  A certified WiFi Wireless Internet Access device is one that adheres strictly to the 802.11 IEEE (Institute of Electrical and Electronics Engineers) standards and protocols.  IEEE 802.11 is actually a set of standards for WLAN communications in the 2.4, 3.6 and 5 GHz frequency bands. These standards are implemented and regulated by the IEEE LAN/MAN Standards Committee, labelled IEEE 802.

IEEE 802.11 is a family of standards that defines over-the-air modulation techniques that you are probably very familiar with if you own a laptop or desktop that connects to the Internet.  The ones you see the most are the 802.11b and 802.11g protocols, and perhaps if you have a newer computer, 802.11n.  These are all protocols that are used by your computer's wireless network adapter to connect securely to the Internet or to other computers or devices on a local area network – just check your computer's specs and you will see these protocols listed.

This is how it works: if you had a wireless Internet router installed at home to connect your computer in your den to your laptop in your home office - to your wireless DVR in your living room - to your wireless stereo speakers, and all of these devices had implemented the IEEE 802.11 communication and security protocols differently, with slight variations of 802.11b 802.11g, or 802.11n, your time as a network administrator would be a complete nightmare – nothing would work.  So in short, WiFi wireless Internet access simply means internet access that can be counted on to be reliable, safe and secure, and certified by an alliance of companies and engineering professionals all united to help you have the best connecting experiencing possible.