Wi-Fi has been the buzzword among techies and the
not-so-techie people alike for quite some time now. And
while that is the case, not everyone knows exactly what it
means and what it stands for.

For starters, Wi-Fi is a brand of wireless technology that
is owned by the group called the Wi-Fi Alliance.

The group?s aim is to improve the interoperability of
wireless local area network (WLAN) products by following
the IEEE 802.11 standards.

This technology is usually used by mobile computers
although more and more mobile phones and PDAs are designed
to be Wi-Fi-enabled. As a wireless network, Wi-Fi does away
with the Ethernet cables that used to connect one computer
to another as well as one computer to the internet.

Another jargon in the wireless LAN community is called the
Wi-Fi hotspot, simply known as hotspot. A hotspot is any
public area that offers free or paid wireless internet
connection.

Some of them cover only a small area (e.g. hotel lobbies),
while there are those that cover an entire city (e.g.
municipal hotspots).

While having hotspots has made cheap and even free internet
connection possible, there are also security issues that
accompany this technology.

Some hotspots are intentionally or unintentionally
unsecured so that any data sent over the network is
unencrypted. Because of this, malicious users can sniff
(i.e. monitor) data sent by others who are in the same
network.

But several solutions such as having a Virtual Private
Network (VPN) are available, although they not widely used
because of the costs of implementing them.

Wi-Fi is a relatively new type of technology that is just
starting to attract a wide following worldwide. Some
consider it to be one of the most significant innovations
in technology since the internet came to the mainstream.

Because of it, computers are now able to connect to the
internet and to other computers wirelessly.

The precursor of today?s Wi-Fi was developed sometime in
the early 1990s by the Netherlands-based company NCR
Corporation/AT&T (which later became known as Lucent &
Agere Systems). Called WaveLAN, it was originally intended
to be used in cash registers.

Several competing standards prevented the immediate success
of having wireless networks. However, with the development
of the IEEE 802.11 standard and the release of its first
protocol in 1997, this technology slowly but surely came
into the mainstream.

Since then, several protocols were released and several
more will be released to address issues such as range and
speed.

The first protocol released in 1997, now known as the
Legacy mode, operated in the 2.4 GHz frequency. The
throughput and data rate are slow by today?s standards,
with only 0.9 and 2 Mbit/s, respectively. 802.11 a and b
came two years later in 1999 with the a protocol offering
faster speeds while the b provided a wider range.

The elements of the two were later merged in 2003 when the
802.11g protocol was released. The new protocol offered the
speed of the a and the range of the b.

Newer protocols are currently under development. The n, set
to be released mid-2009 provides greater speeds and almost
double the range of the a/b/g protocols. Another one, the
802.11y, is set to be released in mid-2008 has the same
speed as the g protocol although the y has an outdoor range
of as much as 5 kilometers.

The availability of Wi-Fi hotspots in major cities in the
world has made laptops and even Wi-Fi-enabled mobile phones
and PDAs truly mobile computers.

People who are always on the go such as business travellers
benefit from this because they can access their e-mail and
other information from any place where these hotspots are
available.

However, in spite of the convenience that Wi-Fi brings,
there is also a risk involved in using it.

Most Wi-Fi hotspots are unsecure. Because of this, data
that are sent through these wireless networks can be read
by anyone on the network who has the right tools.

Packet sniffers are a good example of such a tool. Unsecure
networks are also called ?poisoned hotspots? because of the
penchant of hackers and identity thieves for stealing other
people?s sensitive information.

The good thing is that there are several ways that users
can do to protect themselves. One security measure is by
turning off file sharing in the computer before connecting
to a hotspot.

This prevents other users to see what is in your shared
folder and mess with it. Another measure is by turning on
their computer?s personal firewall. They basically help
restrict traffic to and from their computers.

This is an important tool that people shouldn?t go without.
There are a number of good free firewalls out there which
why there?s no reason for users to not protect themselves.

Finally, if one is in a hotspot but he/she doesn?t want to
connect to the network, it would be good to disable their
wireless adapter. This helps prevent people from
unwittingly sending out data that others may sniff.

There are other ways that people can do to protect
themselves in Wi-Fi hotspots along with the ones mentioned
above. Check them out and have a more secure hotspot
experience.

Just like everything else in the world, Wi-Fi has its set
of advantages and disadvantages. Below is a low down of how
Wi-Fi may or may not work for you.

The biggest thing that attracts people to Wi-Fi is that one
can find a wireless connection almost everywhere, in larger
cities at least. This aspect makes mobile computing a
reality.

Aside from that, one can connect to a Wi-Fi network for
free or for a minimal fee. There are coffee shops and
restaurants that offer this connection to their patrons in
exchange for a minimum purchase.

Also, there are cities and municipalities where Wi-Fi is
offered for free. This service is often offered by local
governments although sometimes they also work with
broadband providers to create the infrastructure for this.

Then there?s Wi-Fi?s downside. First of all, its range is
very limited. Unless an area has several hotspots, one has
to be as near the source of the signal as possible.
Otherwise, the connection would be terrible.

Even the next generation of IEEE802.11 protocol, the
802.11n, can only offer a range of 250 m outdoors.

There are also security concerns regarding the use of
public Wi-Fi networks. Since these networks are
intentionally or unintentionally unsecure, malicious users
can sniff the data of other people sent and received by
others in the network and use it for criminal purposes such
as identity theft.

But this can be addressed by having an antivirus program
and a firewall installed on an individual?s computer.

It was in 1997 when the Institute of Electrical and
Electronics Engineers (IEEE) created the standard for
wireless local area networks (WLANs).

The standard became known as IEEE802.11, with the 802.11
coming from the name of the group who oversaw its
development. Under this standard are several protocols
developed over the years.

Below is a list of them.

1. 802.11

- also known as the Legacy protocol, this is the original
protocol created in 1997. It operates at 2.4 GHz and has a
data rate of 1 and 2 Mbit/s. Its range was limited to 20 m
and 100 m, in indoor and outdoor settings, respectively.

2. 802.11a

- was released in 1999. It operates at 5 GHz to move away
from the 2.4 GHz operating frequency of the Legacy. Its
range only offers a slight improvement from its predecessor
with a range of 35 m indoors and 120 m outdoors. It is,
however, fast with a data rate of 54 Mbit/s.

3. 802.11b

- also released in 1999. Just like the Legacy, it operates
at 2.4 GHz. It has a slightly greater range than the
802.11a, but is slower. The b only has a data rate of 11
Mbit/s.

4. 802.11g

- marries the characteristics of the a and the b. It has a
data rate of 54 Mbit/s like a and has the same range as the
b with 38 m indoors and 140 m outdoors. It was released in
2003.

5. 802.11n

- is set to be released on June 2009. It can operate on
either 2.4 or 5 GHz frequencies. It is fast with a data
rate of 248 Mbit/s and has an indoor range of 70 m and up
to 250 m outdoors.