Wi-fi

Wi-Fi is a manufactured goods initially licensed by the Wi-Fi Alliance to illustrate the embedded technology of wireless local area networks based on the IEEE 802.11 specifications. Wi-Fi was developed to be used for mobile computing devices, such as laptops in LANs, but is now increasingly used for more services, together with Internet and VoIP phone access, gaming, and basic connectivity of consumer electronics such as televisions, DVD players, and digital cameras. More standards are in advance that will allow Wi-Fi to be used by cars on highways in support of an intellectual Transportation System to increase safety, gather statistics, and enable mobile commerce.

A person with a Wi-Fi enabled mechanism such as a pc, cell phone or PDA can connect to the Internet when in proximity of an access point. The region enclosed by one or several access points is called a hotspot. Hotspots can range from a single room to many square miles of overlapping hotspots. Wi-Fi can also be used to create a mesh network. Both architectures are used in community networks.

Wi-Fi also allows connectivity in peer-to-peer approach, which enables devices to connect directly with each other. This connectivity mode is useful in consumer electronics and gaming applications.