What Is a Wi-Fi Network?
A Wi-Fi network is a wireless local-area network (WLAN) that uses Wi-Fi. The Wi-Fi standard has achieved nearly universal adoption for supporting WLANs and providing internet access in residential, enterprise, and public settings.
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How do Wi-Fi networks benefit organizations?
By allowing network and online access to happen anywhere, a Wi-Fi network increases productivity and provides convenience. And it has the power to redefine organizational goals and how they're achieved, not just in offices but also in factories, healthcare facilities, schools—anywhere computing is performed.
What is the 802.11 standard?
In 1997, the Institute of Electrical and Electronics Engineers (IEEE) created 802.11b, the first version of the standard that became Wi-Fi.
All Wi-Fi versions have 802.11 designations, each with its own suffix. The three most recent versions are also known by simple names: Wi-Fi 4 (802.11n, released in 2009), Wi-Fi 5 (802.11ac, released in 2014), and Wi-Fi 6 (802.11ax, released in 2019).
How does Wi-Fi differ from 5G?
Wi-Fi is a wireless networking technology that has become standard for users who wirelessly connect to the internet in places such as offices or homes. 5G is a cellular wireless standard originally designed for the voice calls of mobile users who may access networks over large geographic areas.
Over time, cellular networks were improved to support not only voice but video and other data-intensive applications.
How does Wi-Fi work?
Like broadcast media, Wi-Fi transmits information over radio waves. Data is sent in packets that contain layers with labels and instructions. Those instructions, along with the unique Media Access Control (MAC) addresses assigned to endpoints, enable the packets to be routed to their intended locations.
The Wi-Fi standard is continuously evolving, but each successive upgrade is designed to be backward-compatible with previous versions.
How are Wi-Fi networks set up?
Creating a Wi-Fi network can be as simple as acquiring a wireless router, performing setup steps, and connecting a compatible endpoint, such as a laptop. See the "Wi-Fi network architecture components" section below for more details on Wi-Fi network architecture.
Are Wi-Fi networks secure?
A Wi-Fi network is inherently more vulnerable to hacking and other security breaches than a wired network.
With a wired network, an adversary must either gain physical access to an internal network or break in through an external firewall. To access Wi-Fi, one must merely be within range of the network and get through security checkpoints.
The most basic method of securing Wi-Fi is to use MAC addresses to disallow unauthorized stations. But determined adversaries may be able to join networks by spoofing authorized addresses.
The most common method of securing Wi-Fi is encryption. Several methods of encryption have been introduced, including those used in Wired Equivalent Privacy (WEP) and Wi-Fi Protected Access (WPA).
In terms of authentication, currently WPA2 is the standard authentication method. It provides acceptable security as long as strong passwords are used.
VPNs (virtual private networks) can be used to improve security for users connecting through Wi-Fi networks, especially public ones.
How does roaming work with Wi-Fi networks?
For any sized network, additional access points can extend the area of access.
Wi-Fi standards are designed to allow a nonstationary user's connection to jump from one access point to another, though some users and applications may experience brief dropouts. Even with disjointed (nonoverlapping) access points, a user's connection is simply paused until connection with the next access point.
Additional access points can be wired or wireless. When access points overlap, they can be configured to help optimize the network by sharing and managing traffic loads. This process is an important part of the Wi-Fi 6 standard.
What is a mesh network?
A mesh network extends a Wi-Fi network's reach and performance, through the use of numerous access points that connect with each other wirelessly. A mesh network provides multiple possible transmission paths and, with intelligent routing algorithms, can manage routing to optimize performance.
Mesh networks help solve the challenge of providing Wi-Fi in large public areas such as libraries, convention halls, stadiums, and campuses.
Elements of Wi-Fi network architecture components
Stations
Stations are components that connect to the network wirelessly. Stations are either access points or endpoints, and each is identified by a unique network address.
Basic Service Set (BSS)
A BSS is a group of stations that connects to the network. In an ad hoc network—established when two or more wireless devices join together without a router or access point—this group is called an Independent BSS (IBSS). A set of connected BSSs, as in a network with multiple access points, is called an Extended Service Set (ESS).
Distribution system
The distribution system is the means of connecting access points in an ESS. These connections can be either wired or wireless. A wireless distribution system (WDS) may use mesh or its own WDS protocol. Fixed wireless is a specialized form of radio transmission for connecting a geographically distant access point.
Access point
The access point is the base station that serves as a hub to which other stations connect. The "access" is that of the stations to the network. But it may also mean internet access, since many routers double as internet modems. In an ESS, access points may be connected with Ethernet cables or wirelessly.
Bridge
The bridge is used to connect a WLAN to a LAN or an access point.
Endpoint
The endpoint is any end-user station, such as a computer, mobile device, printer, or Internet of Things (IoT) device.
Wi-Fi enterprise network benefits
Extended reach
A Wi-Fi network's biggest advantage is how it enables computing—even with high data rates and advanced web applications—to happen anywhere. This attribute provides convenience, a better user experience, and the potential for new uses and applications.
Device flexibility
Wi-Fi allows the use of a wide range of devices, such as computers, phones, tablets, gaming systems, and IoT devices.
Easier installation and maintenance
Wi-Fi networks require much less physical equipment than wired networks, saving money, reducing installation time, and reducing the amount of space required for networking equipment.
Scalability
Adding users to a Wi-Fi network is as simple as assigning login credentials. When users are removed, there's no physical infrastructure sitting idle.
Network management
As with scaling, management of a Wi-Fi network can be accomplished virtually. With dedicated software, one interface can provide visibility, manage users, monitor network health, collect data, and adjust for optimization.
Embedded systems
A security standard called Wi-Fi Protected Setup (WPS) allows for Wi-Fi embedded devices with no interface, such as IoT devices, to connect to the internet.
