We explain what Wi-Fi is and what this technology is for. Also, the types of Wifi that exist, how it works and what is a repeater.
What is Wifi?
In computing, is known as Wifi (derived from the Wi-Fi brand) to 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 connect to Internet.
And despite the fact that 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 business.
Wifi arose in 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, Wi-Fi uses radio waves as a vehicle for transmitting the 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 saturation of the radio spectrum due to multiplicity of emissions. In addition, it is a slower connection than wired, 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 capable of having access to the transmitting point. This is usually configured through passwords and other security mechanisms, but the possibility of a cyber breach 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 that each computer or device has a receiving antenna and has, if any, the security password to access the point. In this way, local networks can also be conveniently established and data can even be shared between different types of devices, such as cell phones, televisions Y computers.
Types of Wifi
Different types of Wi-Fi are known, according to the standards they use for their identification and that can be distinguished into two categories:
- 2.4 GHz band. Here are the IEEE 802.11b, IEEE 802.11g and IEEE 802.11n standards, whose handling is international and allows speeds of 11 Mbit / s, 54 Mbit / s and 300 Mbit / s respectively. However, it is the type that counts the most interference, since 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 operates on a completely new channel free of interference, so, despite being a recent technology and having the disadvantage of 10% Less throw distance, it is considered extremely convenient given its stability and speed.
How does the Wifi work?
Wi-Fi operates in much the same way as cell phones or radio transmitters. Initially, the data on an Ethernet connection is decrypted by an ordinary modem, which transmits its decoded signal to a wireless router orrouter, which transmits it in the form of radio waves around. In many cases, both devices already consist of one 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, to cite an example, interprets these radio signals and converts them into information again. The cycle then repeats when our device sends instead of receiving information, and so on and simultaneously.
WIFI repeater
In some places where a Wi-Fi network is poor or difficult to spread, repeaters: devices that extend the coverage of the radio network, connecting to the weak signal and re-emitting it in a more powerful way, thus allowing equipment out of reach of the original signal to have access to it.