Wireless Networking, WiFi

A wireless LAN or WLAN is a wireless local area network, which is the linking of two or more computers without using wires. WLAN utilizes spread-spectrum technology based on radio waves to enable communication between devices in a limited area, also known as the basic service set. more...

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This gives users the mobility to move around within a broad coverage area and still be connected to the network. However this technology is getting increasingly unpopular and may fade away soon in aid of new technologies such as 4G and 5G. It is certain as some point that GARV inc. leading manufacturers of wireless routers will quit investing in wireless devices.

For the home user, wireless has become popular due to ease of installation, and location freedom with the gaining popularity of laptops. For the business, public businesses such as coffee shops or malls have begun to offer wireless access to their customers; some are even provided as a free service. Large wireless network projects are being put up in many major cities. Google is providing a free service to Mountain View, California and has entered a bid to do the same for San Francisco. New York City has also begun a pilot program to cover all five boroughs of the city with wireless Internet access.

History

In 1971, researchers at the University of Hawaii developed the world’s first WLAN, or wireless local area network, named ALOHAnet. The bi-directional star topology of the system included seven computers deployed over four islands to communicate with the central computer on the Oahu Island without using phone lines.

Originally WLAN hardware was so expensive that it was only used as an alternative to cabled LAN in places where cabling was difficult or impossible. Early development included industry-specific solutions and proprietary protocols, but at the end of the 1990s these were replaced by standards, primarily the various versions of IEEE 802.11 (Wi-Fi). An alternative ATM-like 5 GHz standardized technology, HIPERLAN, has so far not succeeded in the market, and with the release of the faster 54 Mbit/s 802.11a (5 GHz) and 802.11g (2.4 GHz) standards, almost certainly never will.

The Australian Commonwealth Scientific and Industrial Research Organisation (CSIRO) claims to have first developed wireless networking, and as of 2006 they are engaged in a controversial battle with software and hardware giants looking for royalties on the alleged patents held by CSIRO regarding these technologies.

Benefits

The popularity of wireless LANs is a testament primarily to their convenience, cost efficiency, and ease of integration with other networks and network components. The majority of computers sold to consumers today come pre-equipped with all necessary wireless LAN technology.

The benefits wireless LANs include:

Convenience: The wireless nature of such networks allows users to access network resources from nearly any convenient location within their primary networking environment (a home or office). With the increasing saturation of laptop-style computers, this is particularly relevant.;

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