| Term | Description |
| Wi-Fi | Wi-Fi (short for "Wireless Fidelity,") is a term used generically when referring to any type of 802.11 network, such as 802.11g, 802.11n, or 802.11ac. Wi-Fi uses DSSS, and is comparable to Ethernet in functionality. While most Wi-Fi connections are between a mobile device and an access point, it is also possible to create an "ad-hoc" network directly among two or more devices, without an access point. All Wi-Fi products using the same radio frequency band (2.4GHz or 5GHz typically) are designed to work with each other and be backward compatible. Notes: Wi-Fi is a trademark of the Wi-Fi Alliance, a nonprofit industry association. The IEEE technical specification for Wi-Fi is 802.11. In an effort to simplify wireless standards, the Wi-Fi Alliance introduced a new naming system in 2019 to identify Wi-Fi standards and their generations retroactively to help users identify devices that provide "the latest Wi-Fi experience". This new naming convention for current Wi-Fi standards is as follows: Wi-Fi 6E: 6GHz extension to Wi-Fi 6 devices Wi-Fi 6: 802.11ax (2019) Wi-Fi 5: 802.11ac (2014) Wi-Fi 4: 802.11n (2009) |