Regardless of whether we’re sharing information with our local communities or broadcaster our latest video blog across the globe, it’s the computer networks that interconnect our lives, interests, the digital signage we see and the businesses we care about the most.

Yet the idea of a complex global network of interconnected computers often escapes a lot of us. What exactly is a network and what can we expect to see in the future when it comes to networks and how we share information?

In this article, we cover all of the basic information about computer networks that you could want to know.

What is a network?

A network is a group of two or more computer systems or other devices, like Airtame, that are interconnected together for the purpose of exchanging data. The data shared over computer networks allow us to:

• Communicate (email, instant messaging, etc.)
• Share hardware (printers, input devices)
• Share software
• Store information on remote storage devices

Think of it as networks sharing resources. Besides files (documents, images, music files…) or the same printer, networks can even provide a stream of information, like the information we send to the Airtame device with constant video and sound.

Wired vs wireless

There are two types of networks; wired and wireless. They each come with both pros and cons. A wired network connection is the most secure and reliable choice for a stable internet connection. On the other hand, wireless connectivity gives you the freedom to move around and not stay tethered to the cable.

Sharing of files is a lot easier when you’re going wireless. The transfer time may be slower, but at least you don’t have to hook up to the other device with a cable. And when we’re at the point of cables, there’s tidiness of going wireless versus the cabled mess you often find in many work environments.

The setup of a wireless environment is far more hassle-free than a wired one. And as continued advancements make the wireless network technologies gradually more secure and speedy, you don’t have to worry as much about those issues either.

Read more: Facts you didn’t know about WiFi

Network terminology

• LAN: “Local Area Network” is a network that connects local computers, i.e. not the internet.
• WLAN: “Wireless Local Area Network” The same as a LAN but using wireless antennas sending electromagnetic waves.
• Client: A device connected to a network, i.e. “Airtame is a client of the network”.

Main physical components

• Router: A router is a device that forwards data packets along networks, usually to the internet. It’s connected to at least two networks and is located at gateways, the places where two or more networks connect. They act as an Access Point (WiFi) combined with a switch (Ethernet), to guide information to where it needs to be sent.
• Transmission Methods (Cable/Wireless): It’s the method or system used to communicate between systems. This could be ethernet cables, radio waves or fiber optic cable.
• Network Interface Card (NIC): A hardware component on your computer that allows it to be connected to the network. Most NICs are designed for a particular type of network, protocol, and media, although some can serve multiple networks.
• Endpoints: Computer devices, such as Airtame or a printer, that is not part of the essential computer. Examples of devices include network access storage, network-connected printers, network access storage or anything else that requires an IP network over a wireless medium.

Extra components

• Access Point: A device that allows you to connect a device to an IP network over a wireless medium.
• Switch: A device that filters and forwards frames between LAN segments. Switches operate at the data link layer (layer 2) and sometimes the network layer (layer 3) of the OSI (Open Systems Interconnections) Reference Model. At layer 2, the “chunks” of data are called “frames” and are forwarded based on MAC addresses. At layer 3, the chunks of data are called “packets” and they are forwarded by IP addresses.
• Server: A computer on your network that provides a resource. Such resources could be mail, DNS, DHCP, file storage, network authentication, PKI or media. The list of things you can do with a server is limitless. Servers are often dedicated, meaning that they perform no other tasks besides their server tasks.

Component characteristics

• IP Address: An “Internet Protocol” address (IP address) is a numerical label that can be automatically or statically assigned and helps an endpoint communicate with another endpoint on a different network segment.

• MAC Address: A MAC (Media Access Control) address, sometimes referred to as a hardware address or physical address, is a unique, 48-bit address that allows a device to communicate with other devices inside of a single subnet or VLAN. In our case each antenna in the Airtame device.
• Operating System: Operating systems provide a software platform on top of which other programs, called application programs, can run. Operating systems perform basic tasks, such as recognizing input from the keyboard, sending output to the display screen, keeping track of files and directories on the disk, and controlling peripheral devices such as disk drives and printers.

Virtual components

• Firewall:  A system designed to manipulate traffic based on security rules. It’s often the most critical component of your infrastructure that protects the network from malicious entities. At times, without proper configuration, the firewall can prevent legitimate devices from accessing the network or connect to the internet.

How does information flow through a network?

When you share something, like an email, that message is comprised of data packets that travel across the network. All files are broken down into data packets (1’s and 0’s), and data packets are created in “Internet Protocol (IP) transmissions” for data that navigate the Web and other types of networks.

Each packet is wrapped in a header and footer, that contains the information of what kind of data is inside, how it fits with other packets, where it came from and where to it is sent.

Different packets from the same message don’t always follow the same path, because that would slow the message down. Once the data packets arrive at the destination, the receiving unit assembles the packets and recreates the message.

Sounds abstract? Here’s an analogy that helps illuminate it. Imagine mailing an entire car to someone by packing each component into its own box and mailing them with a destination address and, in case it can’t make it, a return address.

It’s the same principle that applies to data packets, it’s just a little less cumbersome than mailing a car…

WiFi bands and channels

A wireless local area network (LAN) uses radio waves to connect devices (your laptop or smartphone) to the Internet, to your preferred network and the applications you use. When you connect to a WiFi hotspot, you connect to the wireless network it belongs to – could be an airport lounge or your favorite café.

Because WiFi is an electromagnetic wave, it can have different frequencies (the amount of times the wave repeats, up and down, during a period of time). To avoid interference, two frequencies bands are used. They are 2.4GHz and 5GHz (1GHz = 1,000,000,000 Hz = 1,000,000,000 repetitions in 1 second).

“Channels” are the smaller variations of the frequencies that add a few more repetitions to the electromagnetic wave (e.g.  2.4GHz on channel 4 = 2.432.00.000Hz).

2.4GHz Vs. 5GHz

• 2.4 GHz
  • All devices support this standard
  • It reaches further than 5GHz (less range)
  • Suffers more from interference from other WiFi, microwaves and cordless phones (common products)
  • Fewer channels to choose from
• 5GHz
  • A newer standard which is supported on fewer devices than 2.4GHz
  • Shorter range than 2.4GHz
  • Suffers from interference from military and Radar (not common*)
  • Many channels to choose from

*Interesting fact: Ultra-high channels of 5GHz are banned in Europe because they’re frequently used by the military.

**We recommend using 5GHz with Airtame.

Security of networks

Your data is valuable, and having something valuable can make you more susceptible to theft.

In other to protect the confidentiality, integrity, and availability of your data, conforming to security standards will bolster your security posture and leave your data and your networks safe from malicious entities that exist online.

Depending on what the network is used for, it may need to have some rules applied so that people can’t access other computers, files or the network itself.

Wireless Authentication Security is the security that allows devices and people to prove that they’re supposed to have access to the network.

You can protect your network in a variety of ways, from having user certificates to having a known, pre-shared key (PSK). The methods vary but the main types are:

1. Wired Equivalent Privacy (WEP): the very old standard. It allows the PSK to be sent over a wireless network in clear-text which makes it easier for an attacker to gain unauthorized access to your network. It’s highly recommended not to use WEP to protect your network
2. Wi-Fi Protected Access (WPA): versions 1 (WPA) and 2 (WPA2)
   1. Using a “Pre-Shared Key” (PSK) (“Password”)
   2. In enterprise environments, an authentication server will authenticate requests for access by reconciling usernames and passwords or authenticate user and computer certificates.
3. Certificate-Based Authentication: uses a file stored on the client to be granted access to the network. It’s like a person needing a badge to enter a secure space. No badge, no access!

Read more: How to increase your network security

The future of networks

Not that long ago, we needed a dial-up modem to access the Internet. We have a lot more mobility and flexibility nowadays, and who knows what the future will bring in terms of more freedom? Or perhaps restrictions thereof. We take an educated stab in the dark at what’s next for networks.

The Internet

The mother of all networks, the Internet, has also changed a lot in the past, and it’s sure to expand even further in the future. But will it be similar to what we have right now or could it possibly change to something completely different?

Cyber attacks are on the rise, and we can’t be sure that the Internet will withhold against increasingly powerful charges. Our guess is that either the Internet will improve vastly to withstand such attacks, or it will crumble and lead to a massively controlled security situation of Big Brother proportions where no ordinary cybercitizen is safe from scrutiny? We hope it’s the first.

Software Defined Networking (SDN)

Yes, we have a lot more mobility these days. Just think of your smartphone, essentially a small computer with as much power as one. Software Defined Networking, or SDN, is a cloud-based software that manages a network from one central point – and can really help with the desired mobility.

The architecture is more easily manageable and improves network performance, which is ideal for all of the high-bandwidth, dynamic nature of today’s, and perhaps the future’s, applications.

Internet of Things (IoT)

You may have heard the expression “Internet of Things” or IoT before, and no doubt you have come into contact with it.

In short, IoT is the network that links together smartphones, home appliances, vehicles and many other items embedded with software, connectivity, sensors etc. Because they’re linked together, all of these items can connect, collect and exchange data – and be controlled by you.

As more mobile devices, wearables, and other smart devices take over personal communication, managing traffic via fixed routers will not make as much sense as the devices communicating directly with each other and the Internet directly.

Instead of having isolated network automation, systems are bound to get more integrated as more of them enter the market. 

Seeing as the big players on the market are tapping into this trend with smart TVs, fridges, door alarms, lighting systems etc., the development of the interconnected devices will move rapidly.

This is bound to bring up some privacy issues as well. Who owns the communication that flows through your devices? Do you? Or does the company that made the devices? Or someone else? How we can protect our personal privacy is something we foresee to be a big, upcoming issue.

Dos and don’ts of networking

Here are a few things to consider when you’re dealing with networks:

Don’t merge your internal and guest networks

When an organization invests a lot of money in computers and other hardware, they need to protect that investment by protecting the integrity and availability of the networks.

Guests could potentially bring in malicious software (such as ransomware) on their computers that will affect the computers in the whole organization. By not merging the internal and guest networks, you’re taking the biggest and most important step towards protecting what’s in your organization.

Do make sure to stay updated

Stay updated at all times to mitigate any potential security risks that could be lurking around the corner.

Don’t put strange USB drives into your computer

You can’t see what’s on a USB stick just by looking at the casing. It could contain malware that will seriously harm your computer and the rest of the computers around the office if you’re on the company’s internal network.

Just like you would probably think twice about putting something in your mouth that you have no clue what is, you should feed your computer with the unknown either.

Do consult IT and management before making any changes to your network

When we don’t adhere to change management, things can happen and nobody will know about it before it’s too late to fix. You lose time and money when issues can’t be solved quickly, so don’t try to fix everything on your own or sweep it under the rug.

Anything we’ve missed? Need more network help? Reach out to us. We’re here to help!

The post How networks work appeared first on Airtame.

Deciding on what a new product should look like and be capable of is challenging to say the least. The new product specifications need to support the entire company strategy, which requires a lot of alignment and maturity within a company.

The specs should also be somewhat future-proof to accommodate for market variations because of the relatively long development time of most hardware products. Many things can go wrong, but in the end, that’s also what makes it so exhilarating.

Now that we have a second generation product out, we thought we’d share with you what the journey towards a new product looks like.

Better, faster, stronger

Our primary objective with the first Airtame was to get rid of cables. It’s a common problem that’s easy to solve with a tool like our first generation product. However, with the feedback we’ve received since, we realized there’s a huge potential to do more than make connection to screens cable-free.

We want to create a more inspiring environment for learning and sharing. To make screens in a professional setting easier to use and more functional for everyone. That’s why we’ve shifted our focus a little bit with the development of Airtame 2. We not only want to kiss cables goodbye; we also want people to use screens better.

It’s been approximately four years and 100,000+ devices shipped since our first device saw the light of day. What happens naturally in the lifetime of a hardware and electronics product is that some components reach their end-of-sales (EOS), which means it’s time to develop a new solution.

There are so many small electronic components that go into making a single device, each produced by different manufacturers spread across the world. The decision to stop or start production of any of these components is taken by their manufacturer based on profitability, supply and demand, and is not something controlled by end-product developers.

It is, however, standard within the industry to announce when parts are being introduced or removed so that development companies can adjust their product pipelines accordingly. This happened with some of the first-gen Airtame components, which, as a stroke of luck, coincided very well with our plans for the next generation product.

While the first Airtame is still a very capable streaming device, things have also started to shift during the four years since its first release, and our users are now hoping to do more with their screens than just screen mirroring. They want to utilize them in ways they haven’t before, such as implementing personalized digital signage, and we want to empower them to do so with Airtame 2.

These are the features our users have been requesting most frequently, and consequently the ones we have sought to improve with Airtame 2:

• More reliable streaming performance, especially when playing videos
• Better support for web content, digital signage, and dashboards
• Faster upgrade times, and improved speed all-round
• Stronger, more reliable wireless connection
• Robust security measures against theft
• Flexible hardware setup and installation

Let’s take a look inside Airtame 2 and check out some of the powerful components we’ve included and how they add value to our users.

Electronic components

When setting specifications and speaking with field application engineers (FAEs) and distributors about what components on the market were suitable for use in Airtame 2, we took complete advantage of the opportunity to select parts that improve on the exact features that our users were requesting. That’s why upgrading the following components was of utmost importance:

Cypress CYW88342 RSDB WiFi chip

Our new RSDB (Real Simultaneous Dual Band – more on this functionality in another article) WiFi chip on the Airtame 2 has more bandwidth than on our first generation, which means that it provides much faster and more reliable internet connection. It’s more than 5 times faster, actually.

With the first-gen Airtame, we received feedback from users that the network speed was relatively slow and you could only reliably stream offline content. We wanted to change that. With Airtame 2, the user can stream internet content such as cloud documents or YouTube videos while using WiFi Forwarding.

We worked closely with the chip manufacturer Cypress and our hardware partner RTX to implement this dual-band chip in an onboard design with custom antennas to maximize performance in all product orientations.

The RSDB functionality of the Cypress WiFi chip makes our product complete.

Ros, Firmware Team Lead @ Airtame

i.MX6 Dual(Core)Plus Processor

The name is quite a mouthful, so let me explain a little bit. Our new processor/SoC (System on Chip) has a better GPU (Graphics Processing Unit) and is much faster, stable, and optimized for graphics. In layman’s terms, that means bigger and more advanced dashboards and websites can be shown. Another nice perk is that when streaming, it can run up to 60 fps while the first-gen Airtame could only go as far as 30 fps.

2GB DDR3L RAM

The Random-Access Memory (RAM) is required for the device to operate. It allows for reading and manipulating data faster than from local storage (eMMC). With Airtame 2, we’ve upgraded both the size and the performance.

Going with a 64-bit data bus means that Airtame 2 can handle twice as much data as its predecessor within the same unit of time. We also increased the size of the RAM from 0.5GB to 2GB, which makes Airtame 2 a much more capable device when dealing with more memory-heavy tasks such as digital signage, dashboards, and apps. Gone are the days where the page would run out of memory!

eMMC Storage

We’ve opted to use an eMMC (embedded Multi-Media Controller) instead of a Micro-SD card. The reason we went with this was to save space on the PCB, and to be able to have a more performant, high-speed storage available to hold the Airtame OS. The impact of the speed upgrade can be seen in a reduced boot-up time, and a massive ten-fold speedup for firmware upgrades, going from around 20 minutes for Airtame 1 to between 2-8 minutes for Airtame 2.

Form factor

Unlike its predecessor, the Airtame 2 is designed to be seen. We aimed for an iconic aesthetic that is easily recognizable so that anyone walking into a meeting room, for instance, will recognize Airtame 2 and know that if they need to share their screen, then they can see the device to aid them to do so.

To drive home that point, we wanted to design a device that didn’t look too ‘techy’ or make our users feel alienated by thinking that the device is too big a handful to operate – when in fact the opposite holds true.

I like to call it ‘friendly’ design, and here’s why. There’s an LED light guide on the front that glows with a dimmed, solid white as a standard setting to tell the user that the device is doing just fine. It’s not intrusive, and once again it’s not taking the focus away from the screen. When it’s performing an update, it’s flashing. That way, the LED serves as a way to communicate what the device is doing in an intuitive way that doesn’t require one to read or memorize a manual.

Your Airtame 2 should be your friendly little helper, guiding your way but never being in the way. The new design doesn’t scream tech; instead, it looks intuitive without taking the focus away from what’s important; the screen.

Production and Quality Control

Two words associated with this Airtame 2 production process: patience and integrity. We need trusted suppliers and manufacturers of components to quality check our custom parts and components over anything. Our suppliers are like an extension of ourselves, and we need to treat them with patience and integrity – just like they will treat our product. We work closely with them to implement incoming and outgoing quality checks at each link in our supply chain to ensure that the end product that ends up in the hand of our users is flawless.

Many of the mechanical parts of Airtame 2 are manufactured in China, Poland, Sweden and Denmark, but the PCB (Printed Circuit Board) is mounted and our final product is assembled and packed in Sweden at our EMS (Electronics Manufacturing Service), Scanfil, in Malmö. They mount the components onto the PCB in their SMT (Surface Mount Technology) production lines and complete the programming, test, and assembly.

Let’s take a deeper look at what that process looks like. Scanfil receives the PCB panels, each containing four Airtame 2 PCBs. The panels have some exposed copper, which needs to be ‘painted’ with soldering paste using a custom stencil designed for our exact layout before components can be put in position.

Parallel to that, they collect all needed components from their storage system and prepare them to be mounted in the SMT pick-and-place machine by putting the reels or trays of components in special feeders. When the panel (with soldering paste added) finally passes through the production line, the SMT machine has been programmed to place each individual component in the correct location and orientation.

The machine uses visual detection to position the components in exactly the right position, which is crucial as we are dealing with very small tolerances. After the components are placed, the panel continues further down the line through the re-flow oven, where the soldering paste heats up and solders the components, fixing them in place.

Scanfil and Airtame also use AOI (Automated Optical Inspection) along our production line to ensure all components are positioned correctly after re-flow and that no components were missed in the SMT machine.

After SMT and re-flow comes a series of production stations for programming, assembly and testing. The process of starting with the raw PCB and ending with the packaged product is what we call the ‘production flow’ and it has been designed and tweaked to ensure quality and traceability is maintained in every step.

Scanfil helped us optimize the timing and implement the production flow of the Airtame 2, and they have been a fantastic partner because they were easy to communicate with and in such close proximity (our HQ is in Copenhagen, and Scanfil is just a bridge-ride across from us in Malmö) that we could have a lot of hands-on meetings together with the exact team that is doing the final assembly of the product. That also means we were able to get real feedback directly from the ‘end user (in production)’ and improve on the user experience and setup of the production flow.

Solving problems face to face rather than discussing them via email is a lot easier. With a good setup and partnership like this, we have a high awareness of what happens at Scanfil, we can support quickly in case of production issues, and have a more hands-on understanding of our production – with the help of the competent employees there.

Infographic: Check out the full production flow for Airtame 2

Packaging

With Airtame 2, we’ve gone with a packaging design that we call an ‘at-a-glance overview’. When you open the box, you’ll find all the essentials right away. The Airtame 2 itself is neatly encased in foam to keep it in place and on the inside lid of the box is a simple setup guide that’s hard not to notice. In the foam just below the device sits the magnetic wall mount and underneath the foam is a (quick) installation guide and the two other parts needed for installation; the Aircord (our custom cable) and the power supply.

We’ve kept our users in mind when we designed the packaging. First of all, we wanted there to be as little packaging as possible – both for ease of setup but also to minimize the carbon footprint. Secondly, it’s easy to assemble and disassemble the box, and it can also be flat packed for easier recycling.

B2B users, such as ours, don’t require ‘pretty packaging’ as much as B2C users do, and we’re very aware of that. For B2C users, it’s important to have good-looking packaging because they might want to resell or keep it in store (think Nike sneakers or iPhones). What B2B users need is a functional packaging design that’s simple to figure out, neat to look at, and easy to throw out (hopefully, recycle) afterward.

Another initiative we have in the pipeline is ‘bulk-packaging’ which will make it easier for our users to unpack and deploy devices for larger roll-outs and of course dispose of the packaging when they need to.

Most of the packaging material is entirely recyclable, and at some point, we would like to become fully sustainable too. That demands us to take a closer look at the entire supply chain and production process. It’s a work in progress but something that’s very important to us so we’ll be working towards that. The Airtame 2 packaging design is a step in the right direction.

Suppliers/Partners

We have a wide variety of skills at Airtame, but we don’t have all the expert competencies required to run a development project. That’s why we partner up with the best-of-the-best to apply the expert competencies to our projects that we ourselves do not possess. We work with our suppliers to find the best working solution throughout the process, from manufacturing the components, through (sub) assembly, to quality control, testing, packaging, and shipping.

In a development process, your suppliers and partners mean everything. Especially when developing (physical) hardware. Our suppliers have been of great help in the process. When it comes to suppliers, we think it should be a mutually beneficial relationship, and we try to make it so. We want them to be a part of the Airtame family with all the trust and loyalty that entails.

Many of our component and part manufacturers are based in China.  Because it’s so far away, it’s imperative to get a good relationship up and running and find out whom to trust. Luckily, we have many trusted suppliers. In such a short article, we don’t have space to name the many, many great suppliers that we have collaborated together with on this project, but we would like to shortly highlight a few of them below.

Goodway Plastics

Goodway Plastics, based in HK/China, is our custom injection molded plastic part manufacturer, who are also doing some of our sub-assembly. Goodway Plastics is a new partner for Airtame, but are easy to communicate with and great at finding a solution when problems arise.

For the collaboration to work, we need to trust in their abilities to control these processes, and they really shine at that. There are many concerns when trying to find a good supplier far away, but Goodway Plastics has put all those to shame. They serve as a shining example of a company that has fantastic communication and service despite the remoteness.

Cypress

We have some special relationships with part manufacturers as well. Take Cypress, who manufactures our WiFi chip (IC CYW88342 802.11ac transceiver with RSDB for the tech-heads out there). This relationship is special because it’s the first time this specific RSDB chip has been used in a consumer device outside of an automotive application. They’ve been extremely accommodating and supportive on this new journey, and we’re so excited to have had this opportunity work with them.

RTX

RTX is our hardware development partner and we have spent many months together building and qualifying both our first generation product and Airtame 2. They are really an example of a partner with expert knowledge in radio devices, and without them, we couldn’t have implemented this new Cypress chip and on-board antennas, that optimize our device performance.

They have collaborated with us to really push the limits of innovation with some new advanced components on Airtame 2 that allow us to, for example, have only one USB-C cable going into our device that can provide three things: power, HDMI, and Ethernet.

EKTOS

Finally, we have worked with the Danish testing lab, EKTOS Testing & Reliability Services (TRS), in the final phases of the project to get our device tested and certified for the market. EKTOS TRS has tested our product according to the relevant European and USA/Canadian standards.

Their accredited test reports can be used as a basis for obtaining the necessary certifications. It’s a crucial step in the development process to get these tests done and reported correctly, so we can back up our claims, that we are a safe, tested and reliable product for our end users.

Read more about our EKTOS collaboration here.

Ready for the future?

We designed Airtame 2 with the future in mind. Users shouldn’t have to throw out their hardware annually or biannually just because it doesn’t live up to the new expectations. That’s why we chose to focus on a future-proof solution that works for how we see our users utilizing their screens in the years to come.

Airtame 2 is designed for more demanding digital signage tasks, more advanced cloud app integrations and of course better and more reliable streaming. Some of those features we don’t even have yet, but we know that Airtame 2 can accommodate them.

Our new hardware device, Airtame 2, helps us get towards that goal we have as a business, while simultaneously allowing our customers to use screen better.

Find out more about Airtame and its new features in this short video:

Pre-order your Airtame 2 devices today!

The post How we made Airtame 2 appeared first on Airtame.

We’re big fans of WiFi. This shouldn’t come as a surprise since WiFi, just like Airtame, is a cable killer. But what do you actually know about WiFi? Take a look at all of these awesome WiFi facts we’ve compiled and check if you’re up to date.

1. WiFi could be older than you are

The group that would develop IEEE 802.11, later marketed as WiFi, met up to discuss the shape of the invention in September 1990. That’s almost 30 years ago.

2. The name doesn’t actually mean anything

You might have heard of the IEEE 802.11, but if not, here’s a recap: IEEE 802.11 refers to the set of standards that define communication for wireless local area networks.

IEEE stands for Institute of Electrical and Electronics Engineers. The number 802.11 refers to the methods and protocols of sending network information without any of the annoying cables. In short, it’s pretty geeky stuff.

It’s not a very catchy name, so with the help of a brand-consulting firm, the technology was instead marketed as ‘Wi-Fi’ in 1999. WiFi doesn’t actually mean anything, but we can all agree it’s a lot easier to remember. It is not, as commonly thought, an abbreviation for “Wireless Fidelity.”

The original term was ‘Wi-Fi’ with a hyphen, but like most hyphenated words, the use of the punctuation mark dissipates in time when the phrase is taken into common parlance. We like WiFi, but if you’re a bigger fan of Wi Fi or wifi, you’re (wi)fine too!

3. There are more than 9 billion WiFi devices in the world

It was estimated that more than 9 billion WiFi-enabled devices would be in use worldwide at the end of 2017. That number is likely a lot higher now, just a year later. But it makes sense. Just think about the different devices you have – and you probably have more than one.

4. WiFi uses radio waves

Let’s start with the basics. WiFi is a technology that uses radio waves to transfer information from one electronic device to the other. It’s what makes it possible for your computer to access the internet – without cables, which is the best fact of them all to us.

5. WiFi is very susceptible to interference

There’s nothing more frustrating than trying to stream a movie that keeps buffering, right?

The drop in your signal strength could be caused by interference. WiFi uses radio waves to send a signal, but they often bump paths with other radio waves at similar frequencies. With 9 billion WiFi devices in use, that’s no surprise.

Some of the sources that cause interference with WiFi networks include smart TVs, microwaves, cellphones, Bluetooth-enabled devices or even a fish tank. Different barriers may also cause interference, but whereas wood isn’t too bad, metal is sure to stop your signal.

6. Reduce interference by unplugging other devices

Your WiFi likes to be the only power in play, at least when it comes to interference.

Reduce interference by turning off and unplugging electronic devices such as TVs, Bluetooth devices, printer, baby monitors – and that microwave of yours as well! You could also change channels on your wireless network or move your WiFi closer to the computer.

Read more about how to improve your WiFi connection when using Airtame.

7. The best WiFi blocker is YOU

Water is a great signal blocker. Seeing as you’re made up of 75% water, if you’re sitting between your router and your computer, your body can significantly lower the strength of your WiFi signal. Good thing you’re not made of metal though because as we specified above, metal is a better blocker than both wood and water.

8. Doughnut-shaped signals are a thing

If you have an antenna on your router, the radio frequency energy that radiates from it looks a lot like a doughnut. In reality, you can’t really see a doughnut protruding from your router, but the thought of a doughnut-shaped energy field sounds delicious, right?

9. WiFi frequencies are different

WiFi transmits at frequencies of 2.4GHz or 5GHz and the frequencies for WiFi are much higher than those for cellular transmission. Higher frequencies, in short, mean that signals can carry more data.

Generally speaking, you give up range in exchange for more data, and that’s amazing if you care about digital signage. What would you choose?

10. WiFi is more important than breakfast

Speaking of doughnuts, breakfast is the most important meal of the day. So our parents have told us. Red Roof Inn, the US hotel chain, conducted a survey together with Research+Data Insights that asked 800 economy travelers how important different amenities are to them.

The survey concluded that in-room WiFi is more important to travelers than good location, parking or even complimentary breakfast. 80% of the travelers even stated that they would feel more amicable towards a hotel if complimentary WiFi is included.

So if you plan to open a hotel any time soon, remember that high-speed complimentary WiFi will convince guests easier than oceanview or a tasty brunch.

11. There are several different kinds of WiFi

Alright, so we taught you earlier what 802.11 means, but there are actually several other versions out there. The original is from 1997 and not in use anymore, but since then we’ve had 802.11b, 802.11a, 802.11g, 802.11n, 802.11ac, and 802.11ad.

It’s quite an alphabet soup to digest, but we can say that in general, newer versions are backwards compatible with older versions, but not the other way round. For newer versions, there are several things to consider such as speed, range, and cost.

12. WiFi originated in Hawaii

Well, sort of at least. Not everyone agrees with this fact, but the fact still remains that an early predecessor of WiFi was launched in 1971 in Hawaii and was called The ALOHAnet. It was a pioneering computer networking system developed at the University of Hawaii.

Two decades later, NCR Corporation and AT&T Corporation invented WaveLAN, which is considered the true precursor to WiFi. In 1997, the first version of IEEE 802.11 wireless protocol was released.

While we agree that there’s some controversy surrounding this fact, we don’t have anything bad to say about the name ALOHAnet.

13. Lithuania has the fastest WiFi

You probably wouldn’t have guessed that, right? Well, according to Rotten Wifi, Lithuania has the fastest WiFi in the world at 16.6 Mbps as per November 2016. The Baltic region country tops the list over Singapore (15.1), Switzerland (13.8), Denmark (12), and the United Kingdom (11.7). The United States ranked 19th.

14. IoT and WiFi aren’t a perfect match

The Internet of Things or simply IoT is the concept of connecting all things in the world to the internet. For some IoT applications like in-house energy management, surveillance or home appliances, WiFi works just fine.

But that’s not the case with all IoT applications. Standard WiFi (based on 802.11a/b/g/n/ac) has some limitations in both range and energy efficiency. So in home environments or campuses where there are power outlets for all IoT applications, WiFi is still a go-to choice.

Other areas such as outdoors will require a more IoT-friendly connectivity. But who knows, maybe that’s already underway?

15. Free WiFi for all EU citizens could be happening

WiFi4EU (what a catchphrase!) is a project by the European Commission that offers vouchers worth €15,000 for EU municipalities to set up WiFi hotspots in public spaces. These include libraries, parks, and museums among others. But don’t take our word for it:

We propose today to equip every European village and every city with free wireless internet access around the main centers of public life by 2020

Jean-Claude Juncker, President of the European Commission

If EU municipalities decide to benefit from this particular EU funding, every European city could have free WiFi soon. So now you know where to travel next.

Want more tech info? Explore the differences between screen mirroring, sharing and casting

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