WiFi Basics and Why it Will Remain the Primary Means of Internet Connectivity

Everyone knows what WiFi is, or at least what it does for them. It is something more people use now than ever before in human history, and the number continues to grow. It has pervaded everyone’s life and brought us the world in a way never possible before the modern age of technology. WiFi gives us the potential to see and know more than we ever thought we could and communicate with people around the world with which we would never have had contact as recently as a few decades ago. What exactly is WiFi, though? Many people who know the ins and outs of what it does would find this a difficult question to answer, as simple as it seems. The dictionary defines it as “a facility allowing computers, smartphones, or other devices to connect to the Internet or communicate with one another wirelessly within a particular area.” Most think it basically is the Internet, and almost everyone knows it at least as something allowing us to connect to it. There are many nuances and specifics to it, however, ones this definition cannot really clarify. Its purpose, certainly, is to allow us to connect to the world of the Internet which allows us to see, hear, and know more than previously imaginable. It allows us to do this anywhere at any time, as long as a connection is possible. It is the specifics which can confuse people, and only the more technically-minded can really know exactly how WiFi works, the difference between it and the Internet, its history, how it can evolve in the future, and its various applications. If you are not a tech-savvy person, chances are you do not understand these things, but it is really not particularly difficult once you know the essentials. Read more »

While wifi in the home is a luxury decades old, not everyone initially used it for more than one or two computers. In the beginning, these connected to the Internet via dial-up, but home wifi became more of a practicality with the use of laptops, the development and release of devices such as wifi connected printers, and the rise of activities performed mostly online such as gaming. Things have advanced far beyond that, now. Everybody has a cell phone, most homes have at least one tablet, we now use smart TVs, and we live in fully connected homes with Internet connectivity extended to everything from security systems, thermostats, lights, speakers, portable wireless assistants like Echo and Alexa, kitchen appliances, and even light bulbs. Unfortunately the large numbers of devices we use in the home and the fact that said homes were not built with technology that its builders could not fathom in mind can lead to wifi problems. Fortunately, however, a startup called Eero has a solution. Read more »

People often find themselves in unfortunate circumstances when traveling with their cellphones and ending up with no signal.  When driving long distances or heading to remote locations without wireless network connections, smartphones essentially turn from incredible tools of communication into fancy paperweights. However, there is now a cool product in technology called FireChat that allows users to chat wirelessly on their smartphones without any Internet connection.  FireChat is a smartphone application that uses a proprietary technology called “mesh networking”. Mesh networking lets smartphones communicate with other mobile devices in proximity even when there is no Wi-Fi or mobile signal connection available.  FireChat does not completely replace the need for an Internet connection or allow users to text people from very long distances without a connection.  Still, this smartphone app has many potential applications for consumers who travel.  Read more »