24November2009
Extending the Wifi Range
New York City is considered the heart of the rebel Wifi movement. With a population of over 8 million people, the Big Apple blasts taxi exhaust into the air along with internet connectivity amid a flare of honking horns. Wifi networks have virtually taken over the way people connect and go about their day-to-day activities. Traffic police use hand-held scanners linked via Wifi to issue tickets that are then transmitted to central computers saving the city millions of dollars, business people can be seen busily sending out emails while they are connected to hotspots in their favorite restaurants and even parks throughout the city allow you to use your computer as you relax. New York is a stunning example of how wifi networks are changing the way people live and do business. Having access to the internet anytime and anywhere is quickly becoming a need for many people. In fact, as one enthusiast said, I feel insecure when I am not connected.
Wifi networks are available in airports, libraries, banks, government offices and fast-food restaurants. You may be excused for thinking that these networks are free due to their low connection speeds, but think again. Wifi networks connection speeds are in the megabits-per second range and every year, previous speeds are surpassed in amazing ways. On a wifi network, you can take pictures of your location and upload them to your blog immediately. That is how fast these connections are. In fact, in some places, the networks overlap in thousands thus guaranteeing your internet connection at all times. Wireless technology is now almost embraced almost as a democratic right and private enterprises and governments are not being left behind. Thanks to wifi networks, you can now pay for anything from a parking lot to a glass of beer on your cell phone in virtually all the major cities in the world.
Even where public Wifi nodes do not exist, there are many commercial hotspots that allow people to subscribe and you re their services. In some places the demand for internet connectivity is so high that companies have no choice but to deploy wifi networks to meet the growing demands. Already, wifi networks have seen their use in virtually all industries as the need to stay connected becomes ever more urgent. As speeds continue to increase and signal ranges continue to extend, it can be expected that consumer expectations of an always on connection will be a reality.