Wi-Fi

Short for Wireless Fidelity, Wi-Fi utilizes one of the IEEE 802.11 wireless standards to achieve a wireless connection to a network. A home wireless network uses a wireless access point or router to broadcast a signal using WAP or WEP encryption to send and receive signals from wireless devices on the network. In the picture to the right, is an example of a Wireless access point and an example of how most home users connect to the Internet using a wireless device.

If the computer or laptop does not have wireless it requires an adapter in order to connect to the wireless network. Below are examples of the different Wi-Fi adapters that can be used with a computer to connect to a wireless network. The first far left picture is of a Linksys desktop Wi-Fi card that connects to a PCI slot on the motherboard. Next, the SMC wireless PC Card is used with older laptops that do not have a wireless option. Finally, the far right picture is of a Cisco USB Wi-Fi adapter that can be used on any computer with a USB port to connect to a Wireless network.

Also see: Access point, Cordless, Cell phone definitions, IEEE 802.11, Network definitions, WAN, WLAN