How Wifi Works

The way information gets to a user seems magical: how does a computer readily have access to information without some sort of cable feeding it all the information it needs to know? Also, how does it do it so quickly? Wi-Fi, which stands for Wireless Fidelity, allows people to readily access the Internet without having to be connected to a cable, making the process of communication and getting information much easier for everyone across the globe.

First, when a user requests information from the computer, the computer’s Wi-Fi chip converts all the requested information into a lot of binary digits, or bits. These bits are the 0s and 1s that all computers work with on the lowest level of their operation. Once this is done, the binary information is translated into radio waves that is then sent to a router. Most of these radio waves are either at a frequency of 2.4 gigahertz or 5 gigahertz (2.4 or 5 billion waves per second). The router then converts the frequency of the radio waves back into the binary information that the user requested, and sends that information to the Internet to retrieve the information the user asked for through an Internet cable. Once this process is complete and the information is retrieved, the same thing happens in reverse to send the information back to the computer. This process happens so quickly that most routers can handle 54 million bits of information per second! Wi-Fi, contrary to popular belief, is not magic, rather amazing technology that allows millions of pieces of information to register on a user's screen in a single second, giving comfortable and accessible information to all those who desire it.