Analysis of Wireless Communication Technology WiFi
What is WiFi?
Wi-Fi is a technology that allows terminals such as personal computers and handheld devices (e.g., PDAs, mobile phones) to connect to each other wirelessly. Wi-Fi is a brand of wireless network communication technology owned by the Wi-Fi Alliance. Its purpose is to improve interoperability between wireless network products based on the IEEE 802.11 standard. Currently, people often equate Wi-Fi with IEEE 802.11, and even equate Wi-Fi with wireless Internet access.
WiFi is a wireless networking technology. Previously, computers were connected via network cables, but now they connect via radio waves. A common example is a wireless router: within the effective coverage of its radio waves, devices can connect to the network using WiFi. If the wireless router is connected to an ADSL line or another Internet access line, it is also called a "hotspot." Currently, most wireless routers on the market offer speeds of 54M, with the next tier up being 108M. Of course, this speed is not the Internet access speed; the Internet access speed mainly depends on the Internet line of the WiFi hotspot.
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Since the WiFi frequency band is a license-free band worldwide that requires no telecommunications operating license, WLAN wireless devices provide a wireless air interface that can be used globally with extremely low cost and very high data bandwidth. Users can quickly browse web pages within WiFi coverage areas and make or receive calls anytime, anywhere. Other broadband data applications based on WLAN, such as streaming media and online gaming, are also highly anticipated by users. With WiFi, making long-distance calls (including international calls), browsing web pages, sending and receiving emails, downloading music, and transferring digital photos no longer require worrying about slow speeds and high costs.
WiFi is increasingly widely used in handheld devices, and smartphones are one such example. Unlike Bluetooth technology previously used in mobile phones, WiFi offers greater coverage and higher transmission rates, making WiFi phones a current trend in the mobile communications industry.
Nowadays, WiFi coverage is becoming increasingly widespread in China. High-end hotels, luxury residential areas, airports, and coffee shops all have WiFi access points. When traveling or working, we can use our handheld devices in these places to enjoy surfing the Internet.
The Future Prospects of WiFi
Over the past two years, the number of wireless APs has grown rapidly, and the convenience and efficiency of wireless networks have enabled their rapid proliferation. In addition to APs in some current public places, there are already precedents abroad for building metropolitan area networks using wireless standards. Therefore, the wireless position of WiFi will become increasingly solid.
WiFi is currently the mainstream standard for wireless access, but how far will WiFi go? With strong support from Intel, WiFi already has a successor: WiMAX, which is fully compatible with existing WiFi. Compared to the WiFi 802.11X standard, WiMAX corresponds to 802.16x. Compared to the former, WiMAX offers longer transmission distances, wider frequency band options, and higher access speeds. It is expected to become a mainstream standard for wireless networks in the coming years. Intel plans to use this standard to build wireless wide area networks in the future. Compared to current wireless LANs or metropolitan area networks, this represents a qualitative change, and existing devices will still be supported, protecting every penny of people's investments.
In summary, the demand for mobile connectivity from home and small office network users is the driving force behind the growth of the wireless LAN market. Although developed countries such as the United States and Japan still have the largest number of WiFi users, with the further proliferation of e-commerce and mobile office, affordable WiFi will inevitably become the choice for users who need network connectivity at any time.
Recently, the industry has been buzzing with news that WiFi is facing a survival crisis. According to foreign media reports, many companies are still investing heavily in WiFi, but almost none are profiting from it. It is reported that many companies have gone bankrupt due to WiFi, and R Wireless recently abandoned this business as well. So, is WiFi's profitability really in crisis?
Undeniably, the commercial deployment of WiFi technology currently faces many difficulties. On one hand, it is constrained by the limitations of WiFi technology itself, such as roaming, security, and billing issues that have not yet been properly resolved. On the other hand, because WiFi's profit model is unclear, if WiFi is operated as a standalone network, the lack of commercial users would result in relatively low returns on network construction investment, thereby affecting the enthusiasm of telecom operators. However, from the perspective of WiFi's technology positioning, I believe that for telecom operators, WiFi is mainly positioned as a supplement to high-speed wired access technology, and will gradually become a supplement to cellular mobile communications in the future.
Although the commercial deployment of WiFi technology currently faces some difficulties, this advanced technology cannot possibly handle all communication functions on its own. It can be said that only when various access methods complement each other can economy, reliability, and effectiveness be achieved. Therefore, it can play an important supplementary role to 3G in specific areas and scopes. The combination of WiFi technology and 3G technology will have broad development prospects.
Excerpted from ------ "Baidu Baike"