What is wi-fi?

Wi-Fi is a technology that lets users surf the Internet and access office networks wirelessly - as long as they are within reach of an access point. The area covered by an access point is known as a 'hotspot'.

The characteristics of Wi-Fi are:

it is high speed. The minimum specification is up to 11 megabits a second, which is the same as many hard wired office computer networks
it is based on standards. There is a family of standards that offers different speeds - four are presently available - for general and more specialist applications
it carries computer information in the same way as normal office networks. This means wireless access to standard office applications, special in-house applications such as stock control and, of course, full access to the Internet
it is only intended for short distance communications. Depending on the standard, distances vary from 60 to 300 feet - faster standards work over the shortest distances

A wireless network can also carry voice communications as well as computer data - opening up existing opportunities for new types of mobile phone