Wireless Ethernet - Incredible invention of the 21st Century

Internet is a modern means of communication which has made the world a global village. The old method of communication that involved various sources like telegram, letters, Morse code etc has been replaced by the invention of Internet. It is said to be the most effective, powerful and a very useful tool of the modern era. It has totally changed the concepts of communication world. Since the evolution of the internet it has been going under various changes and modifications.

Wireless Ethernet has permitted the world to get access to the internet anywhere, everywhere and whenever without any trouble. It has totally eliminated the need of cables, adapters, wiring, switches and complex networking system which had been creating problems for individual users. In 1973, at Xerox Corporation’s Palo Alto Research Center, Bob Metcalfe designed and tested the first Ethernet network. Ethernet has since become the most popular and most widely deployed network technology in the world. A Wireless network uses radio waves, just like cell phones, televisions and radios do. In fact, communication across a wireless network is a lot like a two-way radio communication.

A computer’s wireless adapter translates data into a radio signal and transmits it using an antenna. A wireless router receives the signal from the antennae and then decodes it. It sends the information to the internet using a physical, wired Ethernet connection. Mostly current wireless routers have LAN ports which function in the same manner as the ports of a network switch, a WAN port to connect to a wider area network or a wireless antenna which allows connection from other wireless devices as well like network interface cards, wireless repeaters, wireless access point and wireless bridges.

Wireless Ethernet has gained immense popularity and usage since it was launched in 1991 by NCR Corporation/AT&T (later Lucent & Agere Systems) in Nieuwegein, the Netherlands. The technology is commonly called Wi-Fi which stands for “Wireless Fidelity” and it is by now very much common. A Wi-Fi hotspot can cover a large area and enable the users to get access to the internet within its range. Wi-Fi decreases quadratically as the range increases at constant radiation levels. However, this range can be increased by using “repeaters” which are installed at different locations within a network but due to some environmental constraints or hindrances the use of this device is still very much restricted. The IEEE (Institute of Electronics and Electrical Engineers) with its headquarters based in United Sates, New York, has standardized the compatibility of a Wi-Fi being used by other electronic devices.

Now even PCs, game consoles, Televisions, cell phones, mp3 players, PDA and many other devices can get access to the internet through a wireless ethernet. As of today, it is being used in modern laptops and the continuous decrease in the prices of this device has made it an economical networking option typically reducing the cost of network deployment. In United States, St. Cloud, Florida became the first city to offer free city wide internet access through wireless. You can visit the websites on the internet because they have great detailed information on wireless Ethernet which would help you to know more about it.