Continuing with the tradition that dictates once a new technology is publicly available there is a surge in demand for it, Wireless Fidelity (WiFi) has been the talk about town, but does it have staying power? Although there are undeniable advantages to being able to wirelessly connect to the internet, there are many problems that have to be overcome.
Possibly the most useful application of WiFi technology is the ability for traveling business people to access the internet on their laptops. Access to WiFi is now being made available at businesses, such as fast food restaurants, airports, hotels and coffee shops, to customers either free-of-charge or a small fee. Recently more and more consumers have been setting up WiFi in their homes due to the decrease in price for the access and the hardware required.
The increase in popularity has created the first problem that WiFi faces, congested radio waves. WiFi runs on bands of the radio spectrum that are unlicensed. Employing the same frequencies that many cordless phones work on, 2.4 GHz, WiFi acts much in the way cordless phones work, on different channels. And, much like cordless phones, WiFi channels can get overcrowded causing access to be dropped. One solution would be to have channels assigned to ensure that one will not get backed, or users can utilize a few home remedies. Keeping other wireless electronic devises away from WiFi access points. Placing the WiFi access points high in the home can alleviate some interference.
Another problem for WiFi to overcome is the practicality of it as a product. Starting up a business selling WiFi is easy and affordable, evident by the numerous companies that attempted to do so. However, many of these companies have already folded due to difficulty in turning a profit. It seems that the only companies able to make selling WiFi profitable are those that have it as a sideline to other products.
Despite the obstacles that face WiFi, there is most likely a bright future. After all, most technologies experience at least a few bumps on the road to success.
