History of WiFi

History of WiFi

By Voshonda Bolton

Most people know that when they see the symbol to the right, it means that we have access the Internet via WiFi and be constantly connected to the world around us in real-time!

​

​Let's get connected!

​

​What is WiFi?

• Wi-Fi is the wireless technology used to connect computers, tablets, smartphones and other devices to the internet. 

• Wi-Fi uses radio waves to transmit data from your wireless router to your Wi-Fi enabled devices like your TV, smartphone, tablet and computer.​

Retrieved from: https://www.verizon.com/info/definitions/wifi/

Multiple Choice

Wifi uses what type of waves to connect to the Internet?

• heat waves

• analog waves

• radio waves

• mechanical waves

• An early example of a shared network.

• It was a computer network that linked computers at the Pentagon for the US Department of Defense.

• It used a technology called packet-switching​ which formatted data into smaller segments called packets which contained the address of the machine where the information was being sent.

• It allowed for "remote" communication but used phone lines to transmit data.​

​1969 - The ARPANET

Open Ended

Why was the Arpanet not a true "wireless" network?

• Developed at the University of Hawaii, ALOHAnet​ was the precursor of modern WiFi.

• It used a packet network that was able to use radio waves instead of phone lines, which ultimately allowed multiple users.

• The system worked, but performance was not optimal.​

​1971 - ALOHAnet

​

• Working for the Xerox Corporation, Bob Metclafe proposed using Ethernet networking system that built on what was started with ALOHAnet.​

• With ethernet cabling, Metcalfe connected computer workstations making it p​ossible to send data to each other and to the world's first laser printer! Ethernet LANs set the stage for modern wireless computing so that by the 1980s, the use of ethernet networks had been standardized by the IEEE as standard 802.3, which defines the physical layer of an ethernet network.

​

​1973- Robert Metcalfe & Xerox

​

Multiple Choice

What networking system inspired the development of Metcalfe's Ethernet LANs?

• The Arpanet

• The IEEE

• WaveLAN

• ALOHAnet

• The FCC opened several radio frequencies of ruse in communications.​

• This set the stage for wireless network technologies as we know it!

• ​The new frequencies provided the bandwidth needed for faster networks.

​

​1985 - New Radio Frequencies

​

Open Ended

Open a new tab and search for the FCC. What does FCC stand for and what does the agency do?

​1990 - NCR and WaveLAN

• Looking to gain a competitive edge by selling wireless cash registers, the NCR corporation's engineers developed WaveLAN.

• ​Their engineers were able to capitalize on the new radio bandwidths by developing a wireless product that used advanced sequencing that exceeded the speed of wired ethernet networks.

• This breakthrough led to establishing IEEE 802.11, which standardizes wireless networks.

Multiple Choice

WaveLAN helped to standardize WiFi networks.

• True

• False

IEEE WiFi Standards

• By the late 1990s,​ the use of WiFi had become more commonplace and standards were needed to define connections within a wireless local area network.

• 802.11 was the first standard drafted by the Institute of Electrical and Electronics Engineers​, an organization that standardizes the electrical and electronic development industry.

• The standards are updated every few years resulting in higher ​Mbps, which means that you can download data faster!

​

​

​IEEE Standards Over the Years

Retrieved from https://www.makeuseof.com/tag/understanding-common-wifi-standards-technology-explained/

​Click here to read more about each of the IEEE standards!

​Sources

• Academic Kids ALOHAnet. Retrieved from https://www.eng.hawaii.edu/about/history/alohanet/​

• ​Cox, K. A Brief History of Network Computing. https://www.truecable.com/blogs/cable-academy/a-brief-history-of-network-technology#:~:text=The%20First%20Computer%20Network%20is,which%20later%20became%20the%20Internet.

• IEEE Life Members Newsletter. ​WaveLAN, Precursor of WiFi. Retrieved from https://lmnewsletter.ieee.org/2020/06/01/milestone-dedication-wavelan-precursor-of-wi-fi/

• ​Phillips, G. The Most Common Wi-Fi Standards and Types, Explained. Retrieved from https://www.makeuseof.com/tag/understanding-common-wifi-standards-technology-explained/

• WiFi Origins and History. Retrieved from ​https://evanmccann.net/blog/wifi-101/origins-and-history