 |
||||
|
Over the past 2 years Wi-Fi (short for Wireless
Fidelity) has become one of the fastest growing electronics technologies
in history. It is essentially the ability to access the internet
without the use of wires over distances of a few hundred feet. A
wireless access point is plugged into a normal ADSL or Cable connection.
The access point then sends out a wireless signal that can be received
by any device that is Wi-Fi certified or has a Wi-Fi certified card
attached, be it a laptop or a PDA.
Unlike cellular phone systems, Wi-Fi uses open spectrum; this is unregulated, free airspace set aside for consumer use. European phone companies spent over £100 billion buying the license to use 3rd generation spectrum (3g). Wi-Fi does not need to overcome this ‘small’ hurdle! Wi-Fi is cheap, powerful and more importantly, it works. Its advantages for home and office use have become obvious. In the United States alone over 12 million Wi-Fi packages were sold in 2002, this is expected to double by 2003. The next phase of the rapidly accelerating Wi-Fi market is public networks; the provision of wireless access outside of the home or office, these points are known as hotspots and they are already beginning the appear all over the country. Mapesbury Communications, in partnership with T-Mobile, is offering a unique network of hotspots on the forecourts of Texaco service stations. This service can be accessed using a subscription or a scratch card. The service will be a truly mobile internet service as users will not have to leave their vehicles and will be able to execute their tasks quickly and efficiently. |
||||
Technical
overview
WiFi networks use radio technologies called IEEE 802.11b, 802.11a or 802.11g to provide secure, reliable, fast wireless connectivity. A WiFi network can be used to connect computers to each other, to the Internet, and to wired networks (which use IEEE 802.3 or Ethernet). WiFi networks operate in the unlicensed 2.4 and 5 GHz radio bands, with an 11 Mbps (802.11b) or 54 Mbps (802.11a and g) data rate or with products that contain both bands (dual band), so they can provide real-world performance similar to the basic 10BaseT wired Ethernet networks used in many offices. For a more detailed overview on Wireless technology please visit our faq section. |
The
Future
It is only a matter of time before the number of hotspots around the country begin to overlap, particularly in urban areas, creating a new Wi-Fi based web. Wi-Fi receiver cards are at present the size of a large postage stamp and they are set to become much smaller. By this stage Wi-Fi will have become a universal standard, showing up on many consumer devices such as digital cameras, music players, and printers. Cell phones companies will be able to use Wi-Fi making calls much cheaper and could also alert users to the presence of hotspots. The pace at which Wi-Fi is building momentum suggests that the number of users will reach true mass market levels within only a few years. Mapesbury Communications, one of the pioneers of Wi-Fi in the UK, will be at the forefront of this exciting new revolution. This is no “dot.com” bubble, this is for real! |
|||
 |
|
 |
|
 |
|
 |
|
 |
|
|
|
|