What is a WiFi® Network?

Many people think that the limitations of a Wi-Fi network within our home are constrained by the use of the wireless network only to Internet connectivity. This is simply not the case. By using your wireless network for other things than just Internet connection you are going to make the use of your equipment even better and more beneficial to your entertainment.

More and more manufacturers are bringing to the market the ability to send a wireless video and audio signals via a Wi-Fi computer network. This means that you can transmit a wireless audio signal from your laptop playing music into your home stereo even if they are not connected via wires. This appeals to many people who want to be able to control their music from their laptop but not have to get up and change the volume or even use a remote control to change the volume. Doing simple things like changing to the next song or fast-forward and rewinding are basic tasks that can be completed via a Wi-Fi network. The ability to send a video signal over a Wi-Fi network is also very appealing to many home technology enthusiasts.

As video content delivery becomes more ubiquitous over the Internet and more and more people decide that this is the best means of delivery for them, you will see more advancements in technology that allow for wireless video signals to be transmitted over a Wi-Fi home network.

I think that one major risk that many people overlook when using a Wi-Fi network inside of their home is a security risk that it brings to their house. It was very obvious during the first few years of Wi-Fi network technology, that security was a major flaw within the technology. Since then major advancements have been made in making our wireless networks more secure, but the ability for hackers to break into our wireless networks is still very prevalent.

When you set up a Wi-Fi network within your home, you need to make sure that you read all of the manufacturers instructions of the router that is serving the Wi-Fi connection. By reading these instructions and manual you will then learn what it takes to properly secure your network. Only when you use the proper type of encryption on your network will you be able to thwart hackers attempts to stealing your personal data. Beyond stealing your personal data, there is one other thing that hackers are looking for when searching through your wireless networks. The ability to use your Internet connection is a very valuable one, and you don't want people surrounding you stealing your Internet bandwidth.

Large Wi-Fi networks that surround our local neighborhoods can also be a major security concern. Going to your local coffee shop that offers free Wi-Fi opens you up to attacks from other users that are on that wireless network. One must be very careful to make sure that their computer is properly secured from such wireless networks.

I cannot even imagine what it would be like to live without a WiFi network configuration within my home. This amazing technology has made using my laptop a dream. No longer am I stuck to a cord connected to my router or high-bandwidth modem. Now I can walk around the house with ease-of-use and continue my work whether I'm in the kitchen is room or living room.

Because of this amazing wireless technology, I am able to still watch my news program on the Internet, why make my sandwich in the kitchen. I simply set my laptop down next to me and continue with my day while still being able to get the information on a constant flow. Some might argue that this kind of connectivity means that we would become dependent on Internet communications to the point where we can't live without it, and admittedly, I don't want to live without it. The same something like that and using that argument as a means to not use a Wi-Fi network is similar to saying that we can come dependent on vehicles and cars because of their use. Should we not use automobiles because we might someday become dependent on them? I think not, and while we have definitely become dependent on automobiles, this is no reason to deny the technology. What we should do, is actually use the technology for everything it's worth as long as we possibly can, as long as it isn't detrimental to any other part of our society.

Because wireless Internet technologies have advanced so much I think that one day will be able to rid our world of cables that clutter our desks and offices. I look forward to this day but I also look forward to better technology that can make our Internet wireless communications more secure. Internet security will play a dominant role within information technology of the future and only when we have a proper grasp on what it means to have a secure network, can we truly trust the benefits of information technology has brought to our society.

I will never forget when wireless network technology finally came to the market for consumers. At the time I was working at RadioShack I had never seen anything like it. Only in my wildest dreams as a little boy have I tried using cordless phones to make modem communication possible over a wireless connection, but until this technology came to the forefront we were not able to achieve true Internet connectivity through a wireless means.

It was only a matter of time before data communications were able to hit the airwaves. And should come as no surprise that we made such a technological breakthrough, but to be able to bring this relatively complicated process of digitalizing information and sending it via a radio communication, was a very large task to actually bring to consumer level.

When the Federal Communications Commission opened up the 2.4 GHz bandwidth and made available for consumers, technology manufacturers were able to harness this very useful band and apply it towards communications within the computer market. Traditionally this band had been used for cordless phones and other types of communications, but never before Wi-Fi wasn't actually able to transmit and receive computer communications over the air.