Ever since the days of the Pony Express, people have looked to getting information, whether personal or business, to its intended receiver as quickly as possible. The computer has evolved as a communications super-tool, enabling people to do just that. Networking has given businesses, as well as individuals, the power to transfer ideas, reports, and files quickly and efficiently. These abilities have made networking invaluable to many people in many different areas; however, networking can be limited to a small geographic region or even a single building. With advances in current technologies, Wi-Fi or wireless is becoming the new standard of networking and accessing the internet.
Wi-Fi is "short for wireless fidelity and is meant to be used generically when referring of any type of 802.11 network, whether 802.11b, 802.11a, dual-band, etc. The term is promulgated by the Wi-Fi Alliance."" Wi-Fi networks consist of transmitting specific radio waves to wirelessly connect computers to each other, to the Internet, or to wired networks. "The signals can be picked up by specially enabled notebook computers (through either built-in or added-on network components). Computer manufacturers offer notebook computers with built-in Wi-Fi capability and any standard notebook computer can easily become Wi-Fi enabled by simply plugging in an appropriate Wi-Fi network card (also known as a PCMCIA card)."" This new technology allows for Internet users to connect nearly 50 times faster than standard modem dial-up.
The major motivation and benefit from wireless LANs is increased mobility. Wireless allows users freedom from conventional network connections; network users can move about almost without restriction and access LANs from nearly anywhere. "Wi-Fi refers to the current industry standard for wireless LANs (Local Area Networks), which provide users high-speed mobile Internet access without plugging in with cords or cables.
