We explain what Wifi is and what this technology is for. Also, the types of Wifi that exist, how it works and what a repeater is.
What is Wifi?
In computing, Wifi (derived from the brand Wi-Fi) is known as a telecommunications technology that allows wireless interconnection between computer and electronic systems such as computers, video game consoles, televisions, cell phones, players, pointers, etc.
This technology allows these devices to connect with each other to exchange data, or connect to a wireless network access point, thus being able to have an Internet connection.
And although the Wi-Fi brand identifies a corporation that certifies the necessary standards of the technology that has this connection capacity, the term Wifi is commonly used to refer to the latter and not to the company.
Wifi emerged as a response to the need for standardization and compatibility in the wireless connection models of various digital devices, also surpassing other non-compatible forms of connection such as Bluetooth, GPRS, UMTS, etc. Unlike these, the Wifi uses radio waves as a vehicle for transmitting information.
This technology is designed to connect devices over relatively short distances (100 meters maximum), especially in environments that offer a lot of interference or noise to the signal, such as that produced by the saturation of the radio spectrum due to multiple emissions. Besides, It is a slower connection than the wired one but significantly more comfortable and versatile.
The other disadvantage of connections of this type has to do with security, since Any device that captures the signal is likely to have access to the emitting point. To do this, it is usually configured using passwords and other security mechanisms, but the possibility of a cyber violation is always latent.
What is Wifi for?
Wifi is used to connect devices to each other or to an Internet access point, over short distances, such as those in our home, or inside a vehicle, or on each floor of a small building.
Thus, cables and other devices are dispensed with, since it is enough for each computer or device to have a receiving antenna and have, if available, the security password to access the point. Thus local networks can also be easily established and even share data between different types of devices, such as cell phones, televisions and computers.
Types of Wifi
Various types of Wifi are known, according to the standards used for their identification and which can be distinguished into two categories:
- 2.4 GHz band Here are the standards IEEE 802.11b, IEEE 802.11g and IEEE 802.11n, whose management is international and allows speeds of 11 Mbit/s, 54 Mbit/s and 300 Mbit/s respectively. However, it is the type that causes the most interference, given that the 2.4 GHz band is also used by Bluetooth and other wireless systems.
- 5GHz band The new type of Wifi, known as WIFI 5, applies the IEEE 802.11ac standard and is managed on a completely new channel free of interference, so, despite being a recent technology and having the disadvantage of 10% less than reach distance, it is considered extremely convenient given its stability and speed.
How does Wifi work?
Wifi operates in a very similar way to cell phones or radio transmitters. Initially, data from an Ethernet connection is decrypted by an ordinary modem which transmits its decoded signal to a wireless router or routerwhich transmits it in the form of radio waves around. In many cases, both devices already consist of a single device, which fulfills both functions: it receives the broadband signal and interprets it as radio waves.
Then, the Wifi device on our computer or cell phone, for example, interprets these radio signals and converts them into information again. The cycle then repeats itself when our device sends instead of receives information, and so on and simultaneously.
Wifi repeater
In some places where a Wi-Fi network is poor or difficult to spread, they are implemented repeaters: devices that extend the coverage of the radio network connecting to the weak signal and rebroadcasting it more powerfully, thus allowing equipment outside the range of the original signal to have access to it.
