Internet without wires? This is so common today. But if you look a few decades back, no one would have ever thought that it was possible. Not until wifi arrived. And it has already been quite a few years after that. Wifi has evolved significantly over the years. With time, it has been able to carve out a niche for itself at the centre of a connected world. And over the years, it has, no doubt, experienced an exciting journey.
Preparing for a Grand Launch
The establishment of a committee, known as 802.11, in 1997 marks the release of wifi for the common people or the consumers. The first set of standards used while setting up a wifi connection was named IEEE802.11. This was a major step forward in the history of wifi.
It also allowed as much as two mega-bytes of data transfer every second. Thus, it ensured a fast experience for the people using wifi. And immediately researches sparked off to introduce equipment, which could make full use of the wifi. As a matter of fact, many of the wifi devices, which were manufactured in the earlier days, were not compatible with similar devices that were manufactured by other companies.
The Early Days
Want to know a few other names of wifi? You need to go back to the earliest days of these devices. Some of the names considered for it included:
- DragonFly
- FlankSpeed
However, the copyright was acquired by Wi-Fi Alliance, a non-profit organization that promotes wireless internet. The initial days of wifi marked slow transfer of data. This limited the use of these devices to internet surfing only. However, this was only the beginning.
Moving Forward with Speed
The concern about wifi was primarily regarding its speed. However, the evolution of wifi marked a significant change to this. The frequency at which these data were delivered was increased with time. The speed of the internet through wifi was also enhanced. This ensured that the wifi could be used for other forms of activities, such as gaming, watching streaming videos and so on.
In 2012, an 802.11n wireless network camera was introduced by D-Link. Named DCS-930L, this camera is expected to enhance the photo clicking experience a great deal. Besides, a number of other home appliances also depend on the advanced forms of wifi these days. The latest addition to this is the announcement about the 802.11ac draft 2.0, which can experience speeds as much as 6.93 Gbps.
Touching a Magic Figure
In 2010, the number of global wifi hotspots crosses the magic figure of 1 million. This, no doubt, is a major step towards ensuring that most of the people who are using the internet get the benefit of these wireless options. Starbucks, a company, played a major role in achieving this, as they introduced free wifi in different areas of the United States, which were operated and maintained by them. This meant that more numbers of people would be able to access wifi now. Besides, people who travel with wifi-friendly mobile devices can remain connected to the internet almost always.
Over the years, wifi’s journey has been a significant one. The frequency offered by it has increased from a mere 900 MHz in the early years to as much as the 5 GHz band in the recent days. This has also helped to spread the use of wifi to encompass a number of day to day jobs.
Wifi has been able to change the way internet is used these days. This form of wireless connection has made it possible for you to remain connected to the world even while on the go. The earlier days saw slow connections. Connecting via wifi meant it would take a lot of time to visit the web pages. However, this form of connection has evolved significantly since that time. And today, it is able to offer high-speed internet connections to all.
If you are planning to use a laptop or any other form of mobile internet-friendly device, wifi is a must. It will help you remain connected to all your friends and family members all the time.
Images: ”Wifi Sign / Shutterstock.com“
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