CHAPTER 1. HOW WIFI WORKS.
Wifi has become one of the most essential parts ofour life and without it, we can’t think of even
one day but most people don’t even know what wifistands for, so this first chapter is all about
what wifi is and how it works.
Wireless started as radio in which audio signals weretransferred then images were transferred
and with this TV era started. Then came an ethernetin which wire was connected to use the
internet on the desktop. But now the era of wirelessinternet is going almost 80% of the world
uses wifi to connect to the internet.
SO WHAT IS WIFI?
WIFI stands for Wireless Fidelity. It is a wirelessnetwork similar to radio waves. Main steps
involved are-
- A computer's wireless adapter translates data intoa radio signal and transmits it
using an antenna. - A wireless router receives the signal and decodesit. The router sends the
information to the Internet using a physical, wiredEthernet connection.
The process also occurs in reverse, the router receivesinformation from the internet and
translates into radio waves which are received bythe wireless adapter in the computer.
Radio used in wifi is very similar to other radiosused in walkie talkie, cellphone and other
instruments, it converts 1s and 0s into radio wavesand radio waves back into 1s and 0s for
digital use.
The main component required for setting up wifi isa router, So let us see what router is -
The router is the main device which converts wiredinternet to the wireless network. It connects
devices in a network by transferring data packetsbetween them. This is done by assigning an
IP address to the devices in a network so that informationwon’t get lost in the network.
Nowadays the router is used in place of the modem,as the modem is used to connect only 1
device but with the router, you can connect multipledevices. Also, connection through the router
is more secure so nowadays routers are used everywhereinstead of a modem.
Also, the benefit of using a router is that it isnot only used to connect multiple devices with the
internet but you can also connect multiple devicesto another without internet by creating a local
network, this helps you to connect the phone withsmart TVs, printers etc. So a local network
can exist without internet or a modem but not withouta router.