A Brief History of WiFi

Although the first wireless networking specifications and standards were released in 1997, the technologies that comprise the WLANs of today have a long history that can be traced back to the 1800s.

The estimated number of WiFi enabled devices in use today is estimated to be close to 7 billion! With that said, it's easy to understand why WiFi is considered one of the greatest technology inventions in modern history. Could you live a day without your smartphone, tablet or laptop?

The table below listed the key dates and their significance in the evolution of WiFi. I purposly began the adventure at the discovery of Electromagnetic Waves as to not go down the rabbit hole that could include half of science!

See my previous post for a summary of IEEE 802.11 PHY Standards.