Today is World Wi-Fi Day and we would like to use this chance to express our gratitude for this technology that plays an important role in our lives every day.
Wi-fi is such a big part of our lives these days and it has become more and more relevant last year during the very challenging time we have all gone through. It has allowed us to smoothly keep in touch with friends, family, colleagues, and customers in the virtual world we all found ourselves living in.
Wi-Fi is a wireless networking technology that lets people connect to the Internet through different devices like computers, laptops, smartphones, wearables, printers, video cameras, and other equipment.
Wi-fi is probably the most used wireless technology currently available. We use it and rely on it every day, most of the time without even noticing it. But how much do we actually know about Wi-Fi?
Here are 7 interesting facts about Wi-Fi you might not know:
1. Wi- Fi is older than you think
The group that would develop the technology we now know as Wi-Fi met in September 1990. That is over 30 years ago. Feeling old yet?
2. Wi-Fi doesn’t actually mean anything
Many people think Wi-Fi is short for Wireless Fidelity but the truth is that the term was invented as a play on words of the term “Hi-Fi” or “High Fidelity”- it doesn’t however stand for anything. Previous names for Wi-Fi were WaveLAN, Flank Speed, DragonFly, WECA, and IEEE 802.11b Direct Sequence. We have definitely arrived at a more consumer-friendly name, haven’t we?
3. There are over 628 Million Wi-Fi hotspots
Here are some interesting forecast Cisco has put together in their Annual Internet Forecast Report (2018-2023):
- Wi-Fi speeds from mobile devices will triple by 2023;
- Globally, the average Wi-Fi speeds will grow from 30.3 Mbps in 2018 to 92 Mbps by 2023;
- Wi-Fi hotspots will grow four-fold from 2018 to 2023. Globally, there will be nearly 628 million public Wi-Fi hotspots by 2023, up from 169 million hotspots in 2018;
- Wi-Fi6 hotspots will grow 13-fold from 2020 to 2023 and will be 11% of all public Wi-Fi hotspots by 2023;
- By 2023, APAC will have 49% of all networked devices mobile-connected, and 51 will be wired or connected over Wi-Fi;
- By 2023, APAC’s average Wi-Fi speeds from mobile devices will reach 116 Mbps, which represents 3.4-fold growth from 2018 (34.5 Mbps);
- The average Wi-Fi network connection speed (30.3 Mbps in 2018) will exceed 91.6 Mbps by 2023. Asia Pacific will experience the highest Wi-Fi speeds, 116.1 Mbps, by 2023.
4. MSPs started emerging in the 90s thanks to Wi-Fi
MSPs like Globalnet Solutions started emerging in the 1990s. Those were, in fact, the years when, in order to guarantee continuity and performance, business environments started to depend heavily on connected devices. The scope of MSPs has now expanded and it includes network monitoring and management, mobile device management, security-as-a-service, remote firewall administration, managed security, systems monitoring and management, and much more..
5. Your home is a Wi-Fi Blocker
Like all wireless connectivity devices, Wi-Fi is susceptible to wireless interference as well. Blocker materials in your home are the most likely cause of obstructions to your Wi-Fi signal; including metal, brick, concrete, plaster, ceramic tiles, windows and tinted glass, drywall, appliances, water, furniture, and wood. Most of the time when we have connectivity problems in our homes we attribute the fault to the internet connection but the problem is usually the signal within our home because of these materials. The best thing to do in these cases is to contact your service provider and to ask for solutions the can help improve the distribution of our Wi-Fi signal.
6. There are more Wi-Fi devices than people
Forecasts suggest that by 2025 there will be more than 75 billion connected devices in use. This would be a nearly threefold increase from the devices in use in 2019.
7. Singapore is the country with the fastest Wi-Fi speed
As of April 2021, according to Ookla, a company specialising in internet speed testing, Singapore is the nation with the fastest broadband download speed sitting at 245.50 Mbps. Follows South Korea with 241.58 Mbps and Hong Kong with 240.83 Mbps. A faster internet speed contributes to the improvement of the Wi-Fi peed.
As we said at the beginning, Wi-Fi has truly become a really important technology in our lives throughout the years.
When the Wi-Fi works, it is great but when it doesn’t, it can be a disaster.
Globalnet Solutions has in place technological solutions that can help your business ensure its wireless network has been designed to give you reliable Wi-Fi.
Achieving better Wi-Fi is not as hard as it may look, or you might think. We offer solutions that cater to different business sizes. Some of Australia’s largest companies, such as Isuzu, Regis Care, Porter Davis, Moncler, Tory Burch have seen amazing results and significant improvements thanks to our Wi-Fi Solutions and we can replicate that success for your business. Let us make sure your wireless stays reliable while you take care of your business.
What is World Wi-Fi Day?
World Wi-Fi Day is a global initiative that aims to bridge the digital divide.
Today, an estimated 3.8 billion people still do not have basic Internet access. Enabling high-speed satellite broadband access everywhere is not only an opportunity equaliser, but also an economic imperative.
#WorldWiFiDay recognises and celebrates the significant role Wi-Fi is playing in connecting cities and communities around the world.
The HOPE for Connectivity charter educates cities, government bodies, fixed and mobile operators, technology vendors and more on the significant role that wireless connectivity plays in bridging the digital divide.
World Wi-Fi Day is an opportunity for us to remember the work that we still have to do as an industry to deliver connectivity around the world. For this next week only, we are offering a Free Wi-Fi Audit up to the Value of $1500 ex GST.