What Is Wi Fi And What Are Wi Fi Hotspots
What is Wi-Fi and What are Wi-Fi Hotspots
Wi-Fi has been the buzzword among techies and the not-so-techie people alike for quite some time now. And while that is the case, not everyone knows exactly what it means and what it stands for.
For starters, Wi-Fi is a brand of wireless technology that is owned by the group called the Wi-Fi Alliance.
The group’s aim is to improve the interoperability of wireless local area network (WLAN) products by following the IEEE 802.11 standards.
This technology is usually used by mobile computers although more and more mobile phones and PDAs are designed to be Wi-Fi-enabled. As a wireless network, Wi-Fi does away with the Ethernet cables that used to connect one computer to another as well as one computer to the internet.
Another jargon in the wireless LAN community is called the Wi-Fi hotspot, simply known as hotspot. A hotspot is any public area that offers free or paid wireless internet connection.
Some of them cover only a small area (e.g. hotel lobbies), while there are those that cover an entire city (e.g. municipal hotspots).
While having hotspots has made cheap and even free internet connection possible, there are also security issues that accompany this technology.
Some hotspots are intentionally or unintentionally unsecured so that any data sent over the network is unencrypted. Because of this, malicious users can sniff (i.e. monitor) data sent by others who are in the same network.
But several solutions such as having a Virtual Private Network (VPN) are available, although they not widely used because of the costs of implementing them.
More Articles
Security Issues Involved When Using Connecting To Wi Fi Hotspots
The Advantages And Disadvantages Of Wi Fi
How To Connect To A Wireless Network
The IEEE802.11 Standard And Its Protocols
What You Need To Connect To Wi Fi Hotspots
Related Products And FREE Videos
More Articles
The IEEE802.11 Standard And Its Protocols
... 802.11 coming from the name of the group who oversaw its development. Under this standard are several protocols developed over the years. Below is a list of them. 1. 802.11 - also known as the Legacy protocol, this is the original protocol created in 1997. It operates at 2.4 GHz and has a data rate of ...
What You Need To Connect To Wi Fi Hotspots
... to Wi-Fi Hotspots Most modern laptops, mobile phones and PDAs are Wi-Fi enabled which makes them easier to use in Wi-Fi hotspots without modifying the software and hardware of their gadget. But for those that are not equipped with the needed tools to connect to a hotspot, here are some things that they ...
... wittingly or unwittingly share their connection. The main attraction in free hotspots is that, well, they are free. What one has to do is simply connect to that network and browse the day away. Aside from that, there are groups that believe in sharing their bandwidth with others. They say that since they ...
How To Connect To A Wireless Network
... on with this type of technology yet. It is therefore not surprising that a task such as connecting to a wireless network, which is a routine task for those already familiar with it, can be quite confusing for those doing it for the first time. Below is a list of things that one needs to have or do to ...
... boardingthe plane. While hotspots are great places to get free internet connection, people should also be aware that most of them are unsecure. It means that the data that anyone sends through the network may be read by hackers and could be used for criminal activities such as identity theft. Users can ...