Today, anything and everything is about the Internet. The minute we go to a public place, the first thing we check for is wifi connectivity. But did you know how wifi was invented?
History of WiFi
Prior to the Internet, a technology called packet radio was developed at the University of Hawaii in 1970. This technology uses packets to send data for communication. ALOHAnet was the pioneer in communication through wireless technology. However, this wasn’t a commercial success. Fast forward to 1999, six companies involved in wireless communications formed the Wifi Alliance as a trade association. The first wireless standard IEEE 802.11 was renamed to Wi-fi for modern usage. Though the term wifi was derived from the word hi-fi, there are other conceptions that wifi means wireless fidelity, which is not really true. This is why wifi is called wifi.
There are 3 layers in wireless networks namely the physical layer, data link layer, and the network layer. The Internet speed is measured in Mbps (Megabits per second) and the fastest Internet speed recorded is 178TB/s. Wifi routers is a device that acts as the access point for wireless networks. These days, every household and public place has a wifi router installed to offer Internet to the people there.
Who Is the Father of Wifi?
- A. Charles Babbage
- B. Bill Gates
- C. Steve Jobs
- D. Vic Hayes
When Was WiFi Invented?
Wifi was developed in the 1990s. Vic Hayes, a research engineer and chairman of the IEEE 802.11 Working Group was called the ‘Father of Wifi’ for his contributions in developing wireless local area networks (WLAN). He worked as a former Senior Research Fellow at the Delft University of Technology.
The Wifi Alliance is now a group of several companies or Internet service providers. Some of the largest Internet service providers in the US include AT&T Internet Services, Sparklight, Charter Communications, Cox Communications, etc.