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| Wi-Fi, short for the technology used in wireless local area networks, allows you to unhook your PC from wires and surf the internet from the cosy depth of your favourite living room couch. |
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| Wi-Fi is also known as 802.11b (it is a Wi-Fi industry standard and is the most popular and dominant standard). |
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| Simply put, Wi-Fi eliminates the need for physical connectivity using wires between devices. |
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| It is important for those who have often been literally felled by wires that connect their computers to other peripheral devices like printers, scanners etc. |
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| Additionally, Wi-Fi (802.11b) enables download speeds of around 11 mbps, or 200 times faster than dial-up modems. Another Wi-Fi standard (802.11g) enables download speeds in excess of 50 mbps. |
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| Contemporary devices that have embraced the Wi-Fi technology include laptops, PDAs, cell phones, automobiles and video games. |
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| The other advantages of Wi-Fi are that it is reliable, has a long range ( 1,000 ft/ 305 m in open areas, 250 to 400 ft/ 76 to 122 m in closed areas), is easily integrated into existing wired-Ethernet networks, and is compatible with original 802.11 DSSS devices. |
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| The disadvantages of Wi-Fi are that its is expensive, can be difficult to set up and speed can fluctuate significantly. |
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| So, if Wi-Fi is popular, then how big is the Wi-Fi market? According to Gartner, by 2007, there will be 31 million Wi-Fi users in North America and, according to numbers published by the Wall Street Journal, the Wi-Fi hardware market represents a revenue potential of about $4 billion by 2005. At present, spends on Wi-Fi hardware are just below the $3 billion market. |
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| In India, Wi-Fi has not taken off in a big way though devices that are Wi-Fi-enabled are available in plenty. |
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| One reason for this is the lack of hot-spots in the country. Hot-spots are areas from where you can access the internet without having to hook-up your laptop or PDA to some kind of wire. |
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| Last known, there was only one cafe in Bangalore which had a hotspot, courtesy a company called Ittiam Systems which provides the requisite hardware for creating a hotspot. |
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| Wi-Fi does not demand big cash outflows. As MNCs like Intel and Texas Instruments begin getting into the Wi-Fi area, prices will keep dropping, further boosting the popularity of Wi-Fis. |
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| By the end of this year, companies like Dell aim to include Wi-Fi as a standard feature on all their corporate laptops. |
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| By the close of 2004, IDC predicts two-thirds of all laptops produced will have Wi-Fi capabilities, up from an estimated 42 per cent by the end of this year. |
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| WI-FI ENABLE YOURSELF |
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