Wi-fi meaning

wī'fī'
A wireless local area network that uses radio waves to connect computers and other devices to the Internet.
proper name
16
2
Wi-Fi is defined as an abbreviation for wireless fidelity, meaning you can access or connect to a network using radio waves, without needing to use wires.

An example of Wi-Fi is when you go to Starbucks and can join on their network to get on the Internet without having to connect your computer to any wires.

abbreviation
13
1
A trademark for the certification of products that meet certain standards for transmitting data over wireless networks.
7
2
The standard wireless local area network (WLAN) technology for connecting computers and myriad electronic devices to each other and to the Internet. Wi-Fi is the wireless version of a wired Ethernet network, and it is commonly deployed alongside it (see Ethernet).Every laptop, tablet and smartphone comes with Wi-Fi, as well as most security cameras and home theater devices. Printers and scanners may also support Wi-Fi, and home appliances increasingly use it for control and notifications. Although it must have been inspired by "high fidelity" (hi-fi), the name does not mean "wireless fidelity." To learn how Wi-Fi fits into the home and office, see wireless LAN, wireless router and Wi-Fi hotspot.Wi-Fi Is Officially IEEE 802.11Wi-Fi is the common name for the IEEE 802.11 standard. For details and history of Wi-Fi, see 802.11 and 802.11 versions. The Wi-Fi Alliance certifies that network devices comply with the IEEE 802.11 standards. See Wi-Fi hotspot, Wi-Fi Direct, Passive Wi-Fi, Muni Wi-Fi, wireless mesh network, Wi-Fi vs. Ethernet and cellular vs. Wi-Fi.
6
2
The name given IEEE 802.11 by the Wireless Ethernet Compatibility Alliance (WECA, now the Wi-Fi Alliance), Wi refers to the wireless nature of the LAN and Fi to the fidelity (i.e., faithfulness, or integrity) of the signal.The term also has been attributed to the IEEE 802.11 Working Group, with Wi referring to the fact that a wire traditionally served as the physical medium for LANs, and the homonym Fi referring to PHY, the PHYsical Layer of the OSI Reference Model. So,Wireless PHY became Wi-Fi. One way or another, or perhaps both ways, Wi-Fi became the vernacular for 802.11 and especially 802.11b. See also 802.11, 802.11a, 802.11b, 802.11g, 802.11n, IEEE, OSI Reference Model, Physical Layer, and VoWiFi.
4
2
Advertisement
Alternative spelling of Wi-Fi.
noun
0
0

Sentence Examples

  • Our internet was so slow we had to get an extender in order to bolster our poor home wi-fi.

  • The wi-fi service in this part of town is just awful.

  • With a variety of wireless networks available almost anywhere you go, it is a necessity to have a laptop with a built-in Wi-Fi feature to help you gain access to the internet when you are at a Wi-Fi enabled zone.

  • Always on the cutting edge of innovation, Pokemon Battle Revolution for the Nintendo Wii is the first Wii game to make use of the Nintendo Wi-Fi Connection and the first to interact with the Nintendo DS through a wireless connection.

  • BAE systems have come up with a novel method of stopping Wi-Fi security breeches.

More sentences →

Also Mentioned In

Words near wi-fi in the Dictionary