You probably heard the word wifi all the time. But just what does it mean and how does it work you ask? Well basically wifi is short for wireless fidelity as applied to connecting multiple computers. In a nutshell, wireless networking.

The concept is not really new though, since there have been wireless forms of communication for quite a while now. For instance take your hi fidelity stereo system for example. The signal from the radio station transceiver travels wireless through the air until it reaches the antenna connected to your radio. This had been around for ages though I have to admit that when applied to computers, wifi, is definitely new.

Now here’s how it works. The 802.11 standard, where the networks are based, are classified into two modes and these are the infrastructure mode and ad hoc mode. In an infrastructure mode, the wireless network is made up of at least one access point that is connected to the wired network infrastructure and includes a set of wireless end stations. This configuration is known as the Basic Service Set or BSS. Meanwhile, an extended service set or ESS refers to a set of multiple BSS sets that form one subnetwork. Since majority of WLANs needs access to a wired LAN for services for instance like file servers, printers and Internet links, they generally work in an infrastructure mode.