A Glossary of Basic Wi-Fi Terms
WiFi (Wireless Fidelity): A technology that allows devices to connect to the internet wirelessly using radio waves.
Access Point (AP): A hardware device that allows wireless devices to connect to a wired network.
SSID (Service Set Identifier): A unique identifier for a wireless network. It is what you see when you look for available networks on your device.
WEP (Wired Equivalent Privacy): An outdated security protocol for wireless networks that is no longer recommended due to vulnerabilities.
WPA (Wi-Fi Protected Access): A security protocol designed to secure wireless networks. There are different versions, including WPA, WPA2, and WPA3, each offering improved security features.
Router: A networking device that forwards data packets between computer networks. In the context of WiFi, it's often the device that provides internet access to wireless devices.
Bandwidth: The maximum data transfer rate of a network or internet connection, typically measured in bits per second (bps) or megabits per second (Mbps).
Frequency Band: The range of frequencies used for wireless communication. Common WiFi frequency bands include 2.4 GHz and 5 GHz and more recently 6Ghz.
Channel: A specific frequency within a frequency band used for wireless communication. WiFi networks can operate on different channels to avoid interference.
MAC Address (Media Access Control Address): A unique identifier assigned to a network interface controller (NIC) for communications at the data link layer of a network segment.
Mesh Network: A network topology where each node relays data for the network. In WiFi, mesh networks can improve coverage and reliability by allowing nodes to communicate with each other.
Hotspot: A location where WiFi access is available to the public, typically provided by an access point connected to the internet.
Roaming: The ability of a device to move freely between different WiFi access points without losing connectivity.
Signal Strength: A measure of the power of the WiFi signal received by a device, often represented in dBm (decibels per milliwatt) or as a percentage.
Throughput: The actual speed of data transfer achieved over a network connection, taking into account factors such as latency, packet loss, and network congestion.