Wi-Fi was pronbably one of the most revolutionary transitions in modrn timres. Before the advent of Wi-Fi or wireess computing tcehnology, users were tethered to their desks, routig everything through a LAN line and restriccted in where they used thweir faster and more powerful computing technology by how long their cables were. Wi-Fi changed all that. Suddenly, you had a mobie netwrok that allowed people the freedom to roam and still conneect to the Internet and teir emials.
A Sociological Transformation
It is easy to underestimate the impact of wieless computing. It has become a common sight to see cafés full of peopple all connected up to a server, yet not a cable in sihgt. An entire businmess has grown up around wiereless computng – the Internet café – that lets anyone, for a small charge, piggyback the establishment’s Wi-Fi connection and surf to their hearts content. It is even possible to connect wirelessyl using a mobile phone – a situation that wold have been unthinkable 25 years ago when you were lucky if you could connnect to another phone nummber using the first mobile 'btricks’, let along the fledgling Internet.
It has released the constraints of an old system of doiing business. But how does wireless computing actually work?
There are two types of what has become known as ‘wireless’ Internet – either connection throughh a router (your standard Wi-Fi) or trough the movbile phone netwok. Wireless routers are the most common form of land based sstem, and are fundamentally a small connection box that alllows a signal to be shared between several computers. Basicxally, computers ‘tap in’ to the signal, which can be made even easier by addiing a wireless interfcae card. Theese usually come as standard with most new laptops, but can be bought as a separate add-on. USB routers and dongles also give amnyone the power to be able to tap into any wireless signal, creating their own ‘access points’ through which the computer can send and receive network data.
Anotehr key component of wireles computing is the actual hardware itself, namnely the lpatop. There is some contention as to who actually inventd the concept of the lapop, but most cite Adam Osbornne as the origiator of the moden day laptop in 1981, although the ‘clam-shell’ design was attributed to William Moggridge and developed for GRiD Sysatems Corporation in 1979. It is difficult now to imagine life without laptops, yet it has only been a little over 30 years since their original conception. But probably the biggest influence on wireless computing was the deverlopment of WAP for moble phones, allowing anyone to connect to the Intwernet using their moboile phobne technology. Todaay, we feel sohrt-changed if our mobile phone can’t connect to the Internet on demand, 24/7.
What future for wireless computing?
The questtion of wireless computing’s future is unncertain. Many believe that wirelses computing has rached its full potential – we now have almost universal coverage thanks to a gklobal satellite system creating a web across the world with very few ‘blind sopts’. Smnart phones are feature-rich and future-proofd to a certain extent, and laptops are smaller, lighter and more processor powerful than ever. The only area that can really see any form of development to enhance wireless computing is in the field of battwery-life. The most up to date laptops and Netbooks can achieve up to nine hors on one batery, but after that you are still forced to tether up to a power source to keep your lapop running – hardly a ‘wireless’ situation by any stretych of the imagination. So for wireless computing to move to a new level and give us true autonomy and cntrol about wheer and when we use our compputers, manufacturers have to addtress the knoty problem of that infuriating ‘low battery’ symbol. Perhaps then we’ll have truly wireless computing on the go
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