[1] From Internet to Wireless Fidelity (Wi-Fi): A Study of Wi-Fi Public Hotspots Users by E. P. Udeh

From Internet to Wireless Fidelity (Wi-Fi): A Study of Wi-Fi Public Hotspots Users.

E. PATRICK UDEH, ABD, MBA.
espatfame@aol.com
Prof_udeh@yahoo.com
pudeh@tourou.edu
epu@berkeleycollege.edu
admin@wstudy.org

New York City
August 20, 2006
To shed lights on the usage of Wi-Fi, we are currently collecting data for research study www.WStudy.org click - Wi-Fi Survey If you have used Wi-Fi Public Hotspot go to the site above and participate. There is a Dollar donation to charitable organization of your choice for completing the survey. For questions and information send an e-mail to pudeh@tourou.edu or admin@wstudy.org .

Introduction
Since its commercialization, the Internet has emerged from the confines of academia to become a mass-market service used by over 60 percent of the population (US Department of Commerce-NTIA, 2002). The Internet has also become a ubiquitous medium and a basic tool available to the general populace. Researchers suggest that advanced information technology and telecommunications infrastructures are requirements for active participation in today?s global information economy (Kelly, 1998; Cairncross, 2001).

One of the most important components in accelerating electronic-commerce, electronic government, and business development is high-speed broadband technology. The United States Department of Commerce (2002) noted,

?Broadband high-speed, always on Internet connectivity represents the next phase in the evolution of the Internet. Most experts predict broadband access will enable the creation of new applications and services that will transform economies and significantly impact the competitiveness of the businesses of the future?.

According to Nielsen/Net Ratings data, as of March 2004, the United States broadband penetration of home connectivity was 45 percent, while at work penetration stood at 70 percent. Nearly three out of four U.S.households with a phone have access to the Internet, an overall penetration rate of 75 percent (Nielsen/Net Ratings, 2004). More recently, wireless Internet access has entered the mainstream of theUnited States and industrialized countries. As a result, broadband access to the Internet has increased and become more available to the general population.

Wireless Revolution
The provision of wireless communications was not conceived until Bell Laboratories developed the cellular concept in the 1960s and 1970s. With the development of highly reliable, miniature, solid-state radio frequency hardware in the 1970s, the wireless communications era was born. Wireless local area network (WLAN) also dated back to early 70s when the University of Hawaii launched a research project,ALOHANET, which connected several computers on different islands via a radio network. It is not until the 80s did the Federal Communication Commission (FCC) authorized the use of the Industrial Scientific and Medical (ISM) band for public and commercial use. The ISM band spans902 MHz to 5.85 GHz frequencies. The wireless fidelity (WI-FI) fits into this unlicensed band.

A wireless network is a network that uses radio waves as its carrier that can be used to establish network connections to the Internet for users within a coverage area. There are different types of wireless technologies available, for example, wireless fidelity (IEEE 802.11), Bluetooth (IEEE 802.15), and WiMax (IEEE 802.16), and 3G (WCDMA/CDMA2000) Internet accessing phones. Wireless technology provides new, low-cost and fast broadband connections to the Internet. Wireless communication allows consumers and businesses to transcend time and place, thus increasing accessibility and expanding both social and business networks (Palen, 2002). Wireless communication also promises to provide convenience, localization, and personalization of services (Clarke, 2001). Wireless Local Area Network shipments rose 65% from 2001 to 2002 with business shipments of 11.6 million units and home shipments of 6.8 million units, generating total market revenue of 2.2 billion dollars (Instat, 2002).

Wireless Fidelity (Wi-Fi)
One of the driving forces behind wireless technology growth was the creation of the IEEE 802.11 standard called wireless fidelity, popularly known as Wi-Fi. The IEEE 802.11 standard is the product of seven years of research that came to a head in 1997 (Champness, 1997). In addition to providing high performance and robust systems, the standard also promises multiple vendor interoperability. This means customers have the freedom to mix and match vendors to meet the requirement for each given application. As standards for wireless technology evolved, its speed increased and the prices of the wireless components decreased, making wireless technology pervasive and a commonplace part of the telecommunications infrastructure (Selander, 1999).



IEEE 802.11
The working group of the Institute of Electrical and Electronics Engineers (IEEE) in 1997 standardized 802.11 for wireless local area network. The 802.11, popularly known as wireless fidelity (Wi-Fi) was designated a throughput of 2 Mbps over the 900 MHz ISM band. It was marred by interference since other products such as cordless phones operated on the same band. 802.11 also used two different encoding methods, Frequency Hopping Spread Spectrum (FHSS)