The world was introduced to the Internet in the year 1983. Since then, it has become one of the most significant technological inventions in the world that has revolutionised life as we know it. The technology that delivers access to the internet to people also has advanced with time. The current and the most popular way to connect to the internet at home or at work is through a Wi-Fi connection. Wi-Fi has enabled the world to wirelessly connect multiples devices in an environment to one single internet connection. We all love Wi-Fi because it helps us get rid of wired broadband connections and know how it works. Here are some good to know fun facts about Wi-Fi that you might not know.
Meaning of the Word Wi-Fi
You might have wondered what “Wi-Fi” actually stands for. Actually, Wi-Fi is not an acronym for anything, neither does its name mean anything as is. There exists a common notion in the tech world that Wi-Fi actually stands for Wireless Fidelity. However, there are no official recorded documents to support this notion. The technical name given to the wireless technology standard IEEE 802.11b was simplified with the coining of the term Wi-Fi. The name Wi-Fi has been used in the tech space ever since the Wi-Fi Alliance of 1998.
History of Wi-Fi
Wireless connection and radio communication as a concept dates back to the year 1971. In the same year, ALOHA net, the predecessor of Wi-Fi, was commercially used. This technology for wireless transmission was first used by the Great Hawaiian Islands. It was followed by the Ethernet or wired internet connection which was then succeeded by the popular Wi-Fi technology. The Wi-Fi Alliance was responsible for commercialising the wireless internet technology through the IEEE802.11b standard, which led to the birth of Wi-Fi.
Number of Devices You Can Connect to a Wi-Fi Router
Even though you might face slow speeds just by connecting a few devices in your home to your Wi-Fi router, that’s not even close to what it's capable of. An ideal Wi-Fi router is capable of connecting up to 250 devices. Connecting these many devices may cause lags and interference in the connection; if your Wi-Fi router is positioned correctly, it can surely deliver up to its capabilities.
Different Generations of Wi-Fi
Just like different generations of mobile networks exist like 3G, 4G, and 5G, even Wi-Fi have generations. An important parameter to consider while purchasing a Wi-Fi router is the Wi-Fi standard supported. The 6th generation devices are currently active in the market, and they support 802.11ax wireless technology. Many popular Wi-Fi router brands have already introduced their Wi-Fi 6th generation devices in the market.
A Human Body Can Interrupt Wi-Fi Signal Strength
There are some misconceptions about radio frequency signals causing health hazards. While this notion might not be true even in high-speed networks, what is true is that if you stand or position yourself in close approximation to the Wi-Fi antenna, you might impact the quality of the Wi-Fi broadband signal. As the frequency keeps increasing, the wavelength keeps decreasing, which means that even human bodies can lead to Wi-Fi routers losing paths.
