Wi-Fi® is the commercial name adopted for IEEE (Institute of Electrical and Electronic Engineers) 802.11 standard technology for Wireless Ethernet Local Area Networks (WLAN). This name encompasses three different technologies that work using variations of the 2.4 and 5 GHz frequency bands. These technologies make it possible to obtain speeds of 11 to 54Mbps within a cell covering several tens of meters in the open air and approximately twenty or thirty meters in a building with partition walls:

• 802.11b (11Mbps in the 2.4 GHz frequency band)
• 802.11a (50Mbps in the 5 GHz frequency band), and
• 802.11g (54 Mbps in the 2.4 GHz frequency band).

The b and g technologies are currently the most widely used by public hotspots.

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for more information... Glossary

Wi-Fi® technology can be used to deploy a local area network within a business or home environment, and also as an alternative to cellular (GPRS, UMTS) networks, thanks to WISP (Wireless Internet Service Providers) operators who are currently pursuing the deployment of access points or 'hotspots'.

Using a compatible computer or PDA, users can use this technology to connect to e-mail systems and corporate Intranets without cables and at high speed. It is a part of the family of wireless Ethernet technologies also known as Wireless LAN (WLAN) or Radio LAN. The Wi-Fi® (Wireless Fidelity) label guarantees compatibility between terminals and infrastructure systems from all vendors.