What does the name Wi-Fi mean?

Wi-Fi doesn't stand for "wireless fidelity" as many people think.

In the age of technology, Wi-Fi has become a familiar, indispensable connection on most devices. However, the name of this connection is misunderstood by many people.

People often think of Wi-Fi as an acronym for 'wireless fidelity', which is a connection that uses radio waves to transmit signals. In reality, though, the term Wi-Fi doesn't make any sense.

"Wi-Fi" is just a meaningless phrase chosen at random by the founders to name their connection.

Recently, an interview from 2005 was re-shared. In it, Phil Belanger, a founding member of the Wi-Fi Alliance, revealed the true story behind the name.

According to Phil Belanger, Wi-Fi was just a phrase that was accidentally chosen by the team among 10 other phrases created by the brand consulting company, Interbrand, after signing the contract.

The full name of Wi-Fi is 'IEEE 802.11b Direct Sequence', but the founders said the name would not be universally used. They need a different name that is easier to remember and more accessible to users. That's why this alliance chose the name 'Wi-Fi' for its new connection.

Misconceptions about the meaning of the term 'Wi-Fi' began to spread since the Wi-Fi Alliance used the slogan "The Standard for Wireless Fidelity" in advertisements. his fox.

Belanger said at the time that his colleagues had to think about a reasonable explanation for the name 'Wi-Fi', which had no meaning, and then had to use the slogan.

The founding members admitted it was their fault for confusing users, calling it a 'clumsy attempt at trying to find meaning for the two words 'Wi' and 'Fi'.

This misconception was further spread when the Union printed its slogan on souvenir shirts and hats. Today, the phrase "The Standard for Wireless Fidelity" is so popular that everyone thinks that Wi-Fi is an acronym for 'wireless fidelity'.

However, according to TechRadar, the phrase 'wireless fidelity' itself has no meaning. The term 'fidelity' is commonly used to describe how well a device can reproduce the signal. For example, Hi-Fi (High-fidelity) TVs are devices capable of displaying images with high realism and vividness. But Wi-Fi does not have this property. It's just a method of connecting vehicles together.

But the question is, why has this misunderstanding become so widespread? Over the past two decades, everyone has gotten used to using this phrase. As soon as someone asks about the meaning of Wi-Fi, we will immediately explain it as 'wireless fidelity', wireless connection.

However, as a founding member of the Wi-Fi Alliance, Belanger thinks it's best for people to forget the tagline "The Standard for Wireless Fidelity" and this misinterpretation.

But ignoring the misunderstandings behind the name, Wi-Fi is still an indispensable element in people's lives. Wi-Fi, also known by its codename 802.11, is the IEEE standard for wireless local area networks (WLANs).

In principle, Wi-Fi uses radio waves to transmit data from transmitters (routers) and receivers (adapters available on mobile devices, computers).

Vic Hayes is considered the 'father' of Wi-Fi because he was the leader of the team that developed the IEEE 802.11 wireless LAN and helped make Wi-Fi what it is today.