Absolute Beginner's Guide to Wi-Fi® Wireless Networking

The Future of Wi-Fi

Wi-Fi is a disruptive technology that came unexpectedly and has been growing by leaps and bounds, mainly because it is inexpensive and fills a need. Originally, Wi-Fi was just a hack so that people could connect a notebook to a network via wireless using a spectrum that didn't have to be paid for. No one expected it to grow so fast, and to become used so widely. The fact that it has spread like wildfire has caused many kinds of technology companies, from wireless cell phone providers to network hardware manufacturers, to rethink their businesses.

For sure, some telecommunications executives must be turning to each other and saying, “Hey, why should we build expensive proprietary networks when it is being done cheaply and on ...