{"id":1178,"date":"2026-05-13T00:57:21","date_gmt":"2026-05-13T00:57:21","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/edk-tech.net\/?post_type=glossary&#038;p=1178"},"modified":"2026-05-13T00:57:22","modified_gmt":"2026-05-13T00:57:22","slug":"wi-fi","status":"publish","type":"glossary","link":"https:\/\/edk-tech.net\/?glossary=wi-fi","title":{"rendered":"Wi-Fi"},"content":{"rendered":"\n<p>Wi\u2011Fi is a family of wireless networking technologies based on the <a href=\"https:\/\/edk-tech.net\/?glossary=ieee-802-11\"\r\n                    class=\"yaw-glossary yaw-glossary-main-link\"\r\n                    title=\"IEEE 802.11\"\r\n                    data-bs-toggle=\"popover\"\r\n                    data-bs-html=\"true\"\r\n                    data-bs-trigger=\"hover focus\"\r\n                    data-bs-content=\"&lt;p&gt;IEEE 802.11 is the family of wireless networking standards that define how Wi\u2011Fi operates at the Physical Layer (Layer 1) and Data Link Layer (Layer 2) of the OSI model. These standards specify radio frequencies, modulation techniques, channel widths, data&hellip;&lt;\/p&gt;\n\">IEEE 802.11<\/a> standards. It enables devices to communicate over radio frequencies (2.4 GHz, 5 GHz, and 6 GHz) without physical cabling. Wi\u2011Fi provides LAN connectivity for computers, smartphones, IoT devices, and home\/enterprise networks.<\/p>\n\n\n\n<p><strong>Key Characteristics:<\/strong><\/p>\n\n\n\n<ul class=\"wp-block-list\">\n<li>Operates at <strong>OSI Layer 1 (Physical)<\/strong> and <strong>Layer 2 (Data Link)<\/strong><\/li>\n\n\n\n<li>Uses <strong>radio waves<\/strong> for communication<\/li>\n\n\n\n<li>Supports multiple <a href=\"https:\/\/edk-tech.net\/?glossary=wireless-bands\"\r\n                    class=\"yaw-glossary yaw-glossary-alt-link\"\r\n                    title=\"wireless bands\"\r\n                    data-bs-toggle=\"popover\"\r\n                    data-bs-html=\"true\"\r\n                    data-bs-trigger=\"hover focus\"\r\n                    data-bs-content=\"&lt;p&gt;The specific frequencies that are capable of carrying modern Wi-Fi. IEEE 802.11 uses various frequency bands, including the 2.4GHz, 5GHz, 6GHz, and 60GHz bands.&lt;\/p&gt;\n\">frequency bands<\/a> (2.4\/5\/6 GHz)<\/li>\n\n\n\n<li>Backward\u2011compatible across generations<\/li>\n\n\n\n<li>Managed by the <strong>Wi\u2011Fi Alliance<\/strong>, which certifies interoperability<\/li>\n<\/ul>\n\n\n\n<p><strong>Common Generations:<\/strong><\/p>\n\n\n\n<ul class=\"wp-block-list\">\n<li><strong>Wi\u2011Fi 4 (802.11n)<\/strong> \u2014 dual\u2011band, MIMO<\/li>\n\n\n\n<li><strong>Wi\u2011Fi 5 (802.11ac)<\/strong> \u2014 5 GHz, MU\u2011MIMO<\/li>\n\n\n\n<li><strong>Wi\u2011Fi 6\/6E (802.11ax)<\/strong> \u2014 OFDMA, 6 GHz support<\/li>\n\n\n\n<li><strong>Wi\u2011Fi 7 (802.11be)<\/strong> \u2014 320 MHz channels, 4096\u2011QAM<\/li>\n<\/ul>\n\n\n\n<p>Wi\u2011Fi is the dominant <a href=\"https:\/\/edk-tech.net\/?glossary=wireless-local-area-network\"\r\n                    class=\"yaw-glossary yaw-glossary-alt-link\"\r\n                    title=\"wireless local area network (WLAN)\"\r\n                    data-bs-toggle=\"popover\"\r\n                    data-bs-html=\"true\"\r\n                    data-bs-trigger=\"hover focus\"\r\n                    data-bs-content=\"&lt;p&gt;A wireless LAN (WLAN) is a wireless computer network that interconnects two or more devices using wireless communication to form a local area network (LAN) within a limited geographical area such as a home, school, computer laboratory, campus, or office&hellip;&lt;\/p&gt;\n\">wireless LAN<\/a> technology used in homes, businesses, and public networks.<\/p>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"<p>Wi\u2011Fi is a family of wireless networking technologies based on the IEEE 802.11 standards. It enables devices to communicate over radio frequencies (2.4 GHz, 5 GHz, and 6 GHz) without physical cabling.<\/p>\n","protected":false},"author":1,"featured_media":0,"template":"","format":"standard","class_list":["post-1178","glossary","type-glossary","status-publish","format-standard"],"jetpack_sharing_enabled":true,"_links":{"self":[{"href":"https:\/\/edk-tech.net\/index.php?rest_route=\/wp\/v2\/glossary\/1178","targetHints":{"allow":["GET"]}}],"collection":[{"href":"https:\/\/edk-tech.net\/index.php?rest_route=\/wp\/v2\/glossary"}],"about":[{"href":"https:\/\/edk-tech.net\/index.php?rest_route=\/wp\/v2\/types\/glossary"}],"author":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/edk-tech.net\/index.php?rest_route=\/wp\/v2\/users\/1"}],"version-history":[{"count":1,"href":"https:\/\/edk-tech.net\/index.php?rest_route=\/wp\/v2\/glossary\/1178\/revisions"}],"predecessor-version":[{"id":1179,"href":"https:\/\/edk-tech.net\/index.php?rest_route=\/wp\/v2\/glossary\/1178\/revisions\/1179"}],"wp:attachment":[{"href":"https:\/\/edk-tech.net\/index.php?rest_route=%2Fwp%2Fv2%2Fmedia&parent=1178"}],"curies":[{"name":"wp","href":"https:\/\/api.w.org\/{rel}","templated":true}]}}