What's
Wiffy?
Wi-Fi
stands for "wireless fidelity" and taken purely
as a concept is unlikely to appeal to anyone other than super-geeks.
But if you can bear with me for a moment, you’ll see that
it’s really pretty marvelous for us all. Really.
Normally computers and printers are networked together on a LAN
or Local Area Network. This means that every computer and printer
is physically connected together via cables, in addition to the
internet connection through a phone line. A lot of wires to trip
over.
Wi-Fi
replaces all this cabling with a ‘wire free’ system,
not too dissimilar to the cordless phone system in your home. There
is a base station, as with the phone system, and your computer
or laptop has a Wi-Fi receiver (the phone in the cordless phone
analogy), and the two communicate with each other. A Wi-Fi enabled
laptop computer can be taken anywhere within range of the base
station and still connect to e-mail and the Internet.
The benefits are numerous:
Cost – no
need for all those cables and you can put computer terminals
all over the place without having to run wires through
walls.
Easy – every corner can enjoy internet access. Someone in
a ticket kiosk in the grounds of a historic house can be connected
to the main operations’ centre through Wi-Fi. No more feeling
like Nobbie No-mates alone in a field.
Same
speed and quality - there is no difference in the speed or
quality of a cabled or Wi-Fi network.
Increased
mobility – people are no-longer restricted to
working only at their desks or in offices. I’m able to write
this outside in the sun – it’s just the sun I’m
missing.
The
cost of creating Wi-Fi networks in places like coffee shops are
low,
leading to the creation of many new “Wi-Fi hotspots”,
places with Wi-Fi access or coverage. Some Wi-Fi hotspot owners
make a charge whereas others offer it as a free service, knowing
it encourages clients to linger and spend more on refreshments
etc.
Hotels have also benefited. In the same way that some hotels have
started upgrading in room entertainment to include flat panel televisions,
high-speed Internet access may soon be as common as soap in the
bathroom.
Hotels can even have the best of two worlds. They can provide
free Wi-Fi access for residents and be a paid-for hotspot for non-residents.
It is worth noting that North American leisure travellers increasingly
also want to be able to access their e-mail whilst travelling,
and are making accommodation decisions based on this.
It is also likely that pubs will get a welcome boost during the
day-time by installing Wi-Fi to attract business travellers and
people who want to hold informal meetings with Internet access.
Internet access is not the only way in which Wi-Fi is being used.
The London-based chain of noodle restaurants, Wagamama has adopted
Wi-Fi in its day-to-day operations. The waiters are equipped with
handheld computers running on a Wi-Fi network, with immediate connection
to the kitchen and pay point. They can even accept orders from
customers waiting to be seated and have their chosen food on the
table immediately the customers sit down, ensuring faster turnover.
The
implications for major visitor attractions are equally dramatic.
Overseas’ visitors
to museums or galleries could easily bring along their own Wi-Fi
enabled device and access the museum web
site in their own language with information on exhibits, restaurants
and special viewings.
Attractions with large queues can use mobile terminals to take
bookings, issue tickets and provide all manner of information services
previously only possible via tethered equipment, thus improving
customer service.
Elias Moubayed
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