Home Networking Segment Transformed By WiFi

Wi-Fi technology, along with mobile broadband, has noticeably transformed the way we use the internet, in spite of having certain demerits, according to John Dunn, editor of an IT website Techworld.

Commenting upon ABI Research’s latest forecasts that around one billion Wi-Fi chipsets would be hitting the market by 2011, Dunn said that although Wi-Fi technology has taken considerable time to reach to masses, but its pricing as well as speeds have brought upon a dramatic change in the home networking market.

“After going nowhere for years and years, Wi-Fi took off about five years ago as speeds improved and prices plummeted. It's a winner because it’s mature, cheap, and is used by PCs the world over. It has transformed the home networking market”, he said.

He further suggested that the development of Wi-Fi technology has pushed the introduction of couple of rival platforms, including 3G. He touted Wi-Fi technology by saying that it presented users with a feasible alternative to mobile broadband for providing internet connectivity on laptops and other mobile devices, particularly when 3G speeds were holding the users back.

However, Dunn pointed out that Wi-Fi technology does have some demerits, like power drain, and a short range of network availability, but its future looks promising with its transition into Wimax technology, which can transmit long distance signals.