Future Applications of Wi-Fi Technology

It has been 30 years since the first Wi-Fi network came into existence. If you enjoy wireless internet despite your age, you would be familiar with it and expect to have a Wi-Fi network at home. What are the future applications of widely accepted Wi-Fi technology?

Wi-Fi is one of the most commonly used wireless network technology today. In order to support higher data rate and serve more devices, Wi-Fi network also has to be efficient and smarter.

Wireless LAN technology has been evolving and future networks will be capable of delivering data up to few gigabits per second. Unlicensed spectrum below 6 GHz and millimeter waves up to 60 GHz are in consideration to support higher bandwidth for future wireless LANs.

Wi-Fi specification

Standard: IEEE 802.11

Frequency band: 2.4 GHz, 5 GHz

Range:  0 to 100 meters

Future applications of Wi-Fi

Internet everywhere: internet coverage will be inevitable in every home, office, shopping center, libraries, schools, work places, hospitals, fitness centers and sports events etc… Wi-Fi is perfect candidate to easily implement wireless connectivity with minimum installation cost.

Internet of Things: Wi-Fi is going to play an important role in IoT since millions of smart devices sensors will be connected to internet. IoT can’t be successfully implemented without Wi-Fi networks.

New generation household appliances can be connected to home wireless network and it can be remotely accessed for specific requirements.

Wi-FI offloading for 5G: Wi-Fi offloading is one of the alternatives in 5G technology to deliver higher data to mobile customers using WLAN network. Users will be able to connect to a wireless LAN and instead of connecting with mobile base stations and enjoy all services from mobile operators.

Medical and healthcare: Wi-Fi can be used to connect many medical equipment and devices to monitor patient’s status in real time. Wearable device to monitor health conditions can be easily configured to Wi-Fi network and medical practitioners from another location can check patient’s condition and advice them when it needed.

Industrial and logistics: many industrial and logistics devices are getting smarter and in future it will be connected to a wireless network for convenience. Mobile scanners and robots used in shipment can use Wi-Fi network to connect to the central processing station.

Public Wi-Fi: public internet access points are getting popular and the trend will continue in future. In order to avoid higher cost of mobile data charges, free wireless internet at public places are alternatives. Service providers can show some advertisements or get small membership fee from customers for its running cost.

Advantages of Wi-Fi technology

• High data rate
• Unlicensed spectrum
• Cost effective
• Less complexity
• Scalable and upgradable
• Compatible with all devices
• Power efficient
• Mobility

Disadvantages of Wi-Fi technology

• Limited coverage / range
• Reliability due to signal interference
• Speed limitation
• Security of network

Conclusion

Since we are moving forward with continuously evolving technologies, we need an efficient, cost effective and highly secure network to support our smart devices.  As one of the efficient technologies in wireless communication, Wi-Fi can be used for future technological advancements like IoT, 5G and beyond. In future we could expect a free wireless network almost everywhere.