Wireless Connections and Wi-Fi

Wi-Fi is the wireless way of connecting a device to a network. Instead of a cable carrying the data, Wi-Fi sends it through the air using radio waves, so a device can join a network without a network cable plugged into it.

A family of standards

Wi-Fi is not a single product: it is a family of standards for wireless local area networks. A wireless local area network is a LAN where devices join without wires. Each standard in the family sets out agreed rules for sending data over radio, which is why devices that follow the same standard can work together.

Joining without a cable

The big practical effect is that a device can join the network wherever there is a signal, rather than wherever a socket happens to be. A hospital nurse can carry a handheld tablet from ward to ward and stay on the same network, logging patient observations as they go. No cable means nothing to trip over and nothing to unplug, and a room can gain an extra device without anyone installing new cabling.

Other wireless connections

Wi-Fi is not the only type of wireless connection used in a local area network. It is the main one used to join devices to a LAN, and many devices can use it at the same time. Bluetooth is the other main example, but it is used differently: for short-range, direct links between two nearby devices rather than joining devices into a network.