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INTRODUCTION

Wi-Fi is a branded standard for wirelessly connecting electronic devices. A Wi-Fi device,
such as a personal computer, video game console, smartphone, or digital audio player can
connect to the nternet via a wireless network access point. An access point (hotspot) has a
range of about 20 meters (65 feet) indoors and a greater range outdoors. Multiple
overlapping access points can cover large areas. "Wi-Fi" is a trademark of the Wi-Fi
Alliance and the brand name for products using the EEE 802.11 family of standards. Wi-Fi is
used by over 700 million people, there are over 4 million hotspots (places with Wi-Fi nternet
connectivity) around the world, and about 800 million new Wi-Fi devices every year. Wi-Fi
products that complete the Wi-Fi Alliance interoperability certification testing successfully can
use theWi-Fi CERTFED designation and trademark. The Alliance enforces its use to identify
a range of connectivity technologies based on the EEE 802.11 standards from the nstitute
of Electrical and Electronics Engineers including wireless local area network (WLAN)
connections, device to device connectivity [such as Wi-Fi Peer to Peer (Wi-Fi
Direct), Personal area network (PAN), local area network (LAN) and even some limited wide
area network (WAN) connections. Derivative terms, such as Super Wi-Fi, coined by the
U.S. Federal Communications Commission (FCC) to describe proposed networking in the
UHF TV band in the US, may or may not be sanctioned by the alliance. Not every Wi-Fi
device is submitted for certification to the Wi-Fi Alliance. The lack of Wi-Fi certification does
not necessarily imply a device is incompatible with Wi-Fi devices/protocols. f it is compliant
or partly compatible, the Wi-Fi Alliance may not object to its description as a Wi-Fi device
though technically only the CERTFED designation carries their approval. Wi-Fi certified and
compliant devices are installed in many personal computers, video game consoles, MP3
players, smartphones, printers, digital cameras, and laptop computers. Some of these
devices can share their internet connection, becoming a hotspot or "virtual router".


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ITERATURE REVIEW

Wi-Fi technology builds on EEE 802.11 standards. The EEE develops and publishes some
of these standards, but does not test equipment for compliance with them. The non-profit Wi-
Fi Alliance formed in 1999 to fill this void to establish and enforce standards for
interoperability and backward compatibility, and to promote wireless local-area-network
technology. As of 2010 the Wi-Fi Alliance consisted of more than 375 companies from
around the world. Manufacturers with membership in the Wi-Fi Alliance, whose products
pass the certification process, gain the right to mark those products with the Wi-Fi logo.
Specifically, the certification process requires conformance to the EEE 802.11 radio
standards, the WPA and WPA2 security standards, and the EAP authentication standard.
Certification may optionally include tests of EEE 802.11 draft standards, interaction with
cellular-phone technology in converged devices, and features relating to security set-up,
multimedia, and power-saving. Most recently, a new security standard, Wi-Fi Protected
Setup, allows embedded devices with limited graphical user interface to connect to the
nternet with ease. Wi-Fi Protected Setup has 2 configurations: The Push Button
configuration and the PN configuration. These embedded devices are also called The
nternet of Things and are low-power, battery-operated embedded systems. A number of Wi-
Fi manufacturers design chips and modules for embedded Wi-Fi, such as GainSpan. The
term Wi-Fi suggests Wireless Fidelity, resembling the long-established audio-equipment
classification term high fidelity (in use since the 1930s) or Hi-Fi (used since 1950). Even the
Wi-Fi Alliance itself has often used the phrase Wireless Fidelity in its press releases and
documents; the term also appears in a white paper on Wi-Fi from TAA. However, based on
Phil Belanger's statement, the term Wi-Fi was never supposed to mean anything at all. The
term Wi-Fi, first used commercially in August 1999, was coined by a brand-consulting firm
called nterbrand Corporation that the Alliance had hired to determine a name that was "a
little catchier than 'EEE 802.11b Direct Sequence'". Belanger also stated that nterbrand
invented Wi-Fi as a play on words with Hi-Fi, and also created the Wi-Fi logo.
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ECONOMICA IMPACT OF WI-FI

The Wi-Fi has, in a short space of time, become fundamental to the global economy. More
than a billion people worldwide use it, both at work and in their social lives. Over the past
three decades it has grown from an experimental research network and now underpins a
range of new economic activities as well as activities and infrastructures that support our
economies, from financial markets and health services to energy and transport. Major
changes are taking place in how we access the nternet and how we make use of it. As a
result, the Wi-Fi's reach, capabilities and potential achievements are high on the policy
agenda in OECD and non-OECD countries. The Wi-Fi offers access to a host of activities
through wireless technologies. t provides a platform for innovation, for new communication
technologies, the provision of new products and services and access to an unparalleled
wealth of information. But this also raises concerns, notably in the area of reliability,
scalability, security and openness of access. f global supply-chain management depends on
the Wi-Fi, then a breakdown or security breach could cause major economic damage. f
people's personal data are compromised online, it may breach their privacy or affect many
other aspects of their lives. Looking forward, the Wi-Fi is poised to connect an ever-greater
number of users, objects and information infrastructures. This means that the policy
framework governing its use and development also needs to be adaptable, carefully crafted
and co-ordinated across policy domains, borders and multiple stakeholder communities. This
Policy Brief looks at likely future developments in the Wi-Fi economy, and how all
stakeholders can help the Wi-Fi to meet the increasing demands made upon it, continue to
drive innovation, provide new communications services and platforms, while being secure
and respecting privacy. The Wi-Fi is making economic activity more efficient, faster, and
cheaper, and extending social interaction in unparalleled ways. ncreasingly, the largest
productivity gains for businesses come from using online networks in some form. The
multinational food giant Nestl, for example, now receives all of its orders directly from
supermarkets over the nternet. The shipping company UPS used online networks to
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optimise its delivery routes, saving 12 million litres of fuel in 2006 from nearly 100 000 trucks.
The Wi-Fi has also brought unprecedented user and consumer empowerment as well as
opportunities for new innovative and social activities. ndividuals have greater access to
information, which facilitates comparisons and creates downward pressure on prices.
nternet users are extremely active, creating new content themselves and interacting in new
ways. The Wi-Fi is quickly permeating all economic and social domains, and most public
policy areas. For instance, e-government has become the prime tool for supporting
government functions and interaction with citizens and businesses. Healthcare systems are
increasingly making use of the Wi-Fi and online networks to increase affordability, quality and
efficiency, through electronic patient record systems, remote patient monitoring and
healthcare delivery, along with improved diagnostics and imaging technologies. Educational
performance is found to be correlated with home access to, and use of, computers all other
things being equal. The influence of the "network of networks is inherently global; helping to
forge closer integration of our economies and societies. Moreover, as the Wi-Fi expands
even further it can help the economic and social development of people of all countries.
While there have been remarkable developments in recent years, much remains to be done:
about 20% of the world's population use the nternet, but over 5 billion people still lack
access to it. Before the rapid development of the Wi-Fi, separate systems such as telephone,
television and video, individual computer systems stored and transmitted voice, video and
data. Today, these systems are converging onto the Wi-Fi. n addition to convergence of
network platforms, convergence is also taking place at several other levels: at the content
level with Video on Demand (VoD) and television over nternet Protocol networks (PTV); at
the business level, with companies offering combined television, nternet and telephone
services to subscribers; and at the device level, with multi-purpose devices that can combine
email, telephone and nternet, for example.ndeed, this has become the era of converged
media. Users upload some 10 hours of video per minute alone to the video sharing site
YouTube. By 2008, nearly 300 million people are registered to use free VoP (voice over
nternet Protocol) software Skype, enabling them to make phone calls worldwide at little or
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no extra cost via their existing nternet access. Converged media are also increasingly
becoming mobile with the expansion of wireless broadband networks. As convergence takes
place and investment in next generation networks (NGN) begins, the role of very fast optical
fibre networks "to the home becomes increasingly important given that emerging
applications, such as high-definition television and video-on-demand, require increasing
amounts of bandwidth. The regulatory challenges associated with convergence are
significant. With migration to nternet Protocol-based networks, one network can handle
many types of converged services. This means that governments face a fundamental shift in
the way they regulate broadcasting and telecommunication services. The issue for the future
of the Wi-Fi Economy is how best to stimulate a competitive environment as technologies
and markets evolve, to ensure that the Wi-Fi can meet growing expectations, especially as
high speed networks develop. For this, insight is needed into the impact of convergence on
competition, the regulatory and policy issues of network infrastructure and services, the
promise of multi-platform competition, and the implications for greater connectivity, pricing,
sustainable competition, investment and innovation. As communication platforms converge
towards using the nternet Protocol (P), P addresses are crucial to the scalability of the
nternet and thus to the continued growth of the Wi-Fi economy, as all devices connected to
the nternet need P addresses to communicate. Over 85% of the total fourbillion Pv4
address blocks are already allocated and expectations are that the current pool of
unallocated P version 4 address blocks will be depleted within the next few years. Deploying
the newer P version 6 address blocks is necessary to enable growth in use of the nternet.
But making the switch is difficult and it takes time and resources as well as a commitment by
all stakeholders, including governments. The nternet and information and communications
technologies (CTs) are profoundly changing how research and creative activity are
undertaken, for example by enabling distributed research, grid and cloud computing,
simulation, or virtual worlds.


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ENVIRONMENTA IMPACT OF WI-FI

t would seem that wi-fi has become the acceptable standard for nternet connectivity as well
as a host of other electronic gadgets. As more and more municipalities decide to blanket
communities with free wireless nternet access, some citizen groups are questioning the
safety of Wi-Fi. One of the first groups that has come against wireless of technology is
firefightersalthough they might not want it publicized. Firehouses are often the targeted by
cellular phone companies as ideal places to place antennas. Because firefighters work and
sleep in the same location, they opposed the continuous exposure to non ionizing radiation
and were able to litigate against it. The nternational Association of Firefighters has taken the
position that firehouses should not be the site of cellular base station antennas until more is
known about the long term effects of exposure. The firefighters found that they could not
respond as well when exposued to continuous radiation. They understood that by using
Wi-Fi, you never give your body a break. Many people sleep in close proximity to wireless
devicescell phones, routers, PDAs. The intensity of the exposure is not the issue. Chronic
exposure to low intensity exposure is considered to be worst than a single high intensity
exposure. The work of Canadian scientist Magda Havas is frequently referenced to
demonstrate the adverse biological impact of electromagnetic radiation. Her research
focuses on the effects of radio frequency radiation (RFR) used by cell phones and other
wireless technologies. There is little funding in the United States for research of the biological
and health effects of RFR or and EMF by government agencies. Available studies are often
funded by the wireless industry, and not surprisingly, these studies often find no adverse
effects. Consumers can protect themselves best by simply using wired devices instead of
Wi-Fi. Wi-Fi is slower in comparison to wired technology, and wireless networks are
notoriously insecure. n the meantime, educate yourself on the various issues. f you use the
internet, a Wi-Fi connection seems like the greatest thing since cell phones. ncreasingly,
however, questions are being asked about the health impact of these handy devices and
their signal towers. Each expansion of the technology spreads more invisible rays through
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our schools, our cities, and our bodies. Digging into the information on electromagnetic fields
(EMF) is a minefield, occasionally entertaining, frequently fascinating, definitely complicated,
certainly a great way to spend a lot of time to win few answers. Turns the whole extensive
debate about electromagnetic pollution and cancer on its head, because the fields kill cancer
cells right off. But each type of cancer cell responds to a different amount of electrical field
applied at different angles. No wonder the research on human health impacts is confused,
with a confusion no doubt compounded by the enormous amounts of money at risk. For
example, a huge multi-nation study of cell phone users defines a "regular user" as someone
who has at least one incoming or outgoing call per week for 6 months or more. n a British
study, although tumours were found to be more frequent on the side of a person's head
where the phone was held, this was explained as probable recall bias. n most of the studies,
the "control" population had used cordless telephones, which are already implicated in
tumour rumour, and which certainly would confound the results. Even more frustrating, when
strong results do turn up, in those who have used a cell phone for more than 10 years, the
sample size is statistically unconvincing. Our bodies work on electromagnetic and chemical
signals, so it makes sense to suspect some sort of biological impact, but the question is,
what?. For sure, there is enough smoke among the research papers and first-person
accounts to make one wary of Wi-Fi city cores. We should support the location of cell towers
and power lines away from schools and homes. One recent British study found that the EMF
in some Wi-Fi schools was three times as strong as that from a cell phone tower. The British
Chair of the Health Protection Agency has been advocating that children not be given cell
phones and that the health effects of Wi-Fi in schools be monitored. Meanwhile, Saltzburg
Austria is already removing the systems from schools. An international working group of
scientists, researchers, and public health policy professionals at the University of Albany in
New York, the Bionitiative Working Group, is raising serious concern about electromagnetic
fields (EMF) and health. Their report, released August 31 2007, disputes the safety of
existing public limits that regulate how much EMF is allowable from power lines, cell phones,
and many other sources of EMF exposure in daily life. The authors reviewed more than 2000
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scientific studies and reviews, and concluded that the existing public safety limits are
inadequate to protect public health. Electromagnetic radiation from such sources as electric
power lines, interior wiring, and grounding of buildings and appliances is linked to increased
risks for childhood leukemia and may set the stage for adult cancers later in life.
The report provides detailed scientific information on health impacts when people are
exposed to electromagnetic radiation hundreds or even thousands of times below limits
currently established by the US Federal Communications Commission (US FCC) and
nternational Commission for Non-onizing Radiation Protection in Europe (CNRP). From a
public health policy standpoint, new public safety limits, and limits on further deployment of
risky technologies, are warranted based on the total weight of evidence. The report
documents scientific evidence, raising worries about childhood leukemia (from power lines
and other electrical exposures), brain tumors and acoustic neuromas (from cell and cordless
phones), and Alzheimer's disease. There is evidence that EMF is a risk factor for both
childhood and adult cancers. Public health expert and co-editor of the report, Dr. David
Carpenter, says "This report stands as a wake-up call that long-term exposure to some kinds
of EMF may cause serious health effects. Good public health planning is needed now to
prevent cancers and neurological diseases linked to exposure to power lines and other
sources of EMF. We need to educate people and our decision-makers that 'business as
usual' is unacceptable." Health questions about power line EMFs were initially raised in 1979
by Nancy Wertheimer, a Colorado public health expert, and Ed Leeper, an electrical
engineer. Wertheimer noticed that children in the Denver, Colorado area living in homes
close to power lines and transformers were two or three times as likely to have leukemia as
those living farther away. Today there are dozens of studies confirming the link, but public
health response has been slow in coming. New standards to protect the public are
necessary.



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CONCUSION

For years, the tech industry tried to kill Ethernet with newer and more innovative technologies
but Ethernet kept evolving to meet and exceed the challenge. n fact now the replacement of
T1s and T3s with Ethernet is common. Although not exactly analogous, We always think of
WiFi as similar to Ethernet in that it continues to evolve to take on technologies such as
WiMAX, LTE and other next generation networks. Certainly anyone who has used a
municipal W-Fi solution which works well knows you can somewhat replace cellular
providers in this manner. say somewhat because coverage of Wi-Fi in metropolitan areas is
generally more spotty than current 3G networks. Still, the technology is promising and is
getting better. Recently, Comcast, Cablevision and Time Warner Cable have launched
a roaming agreement making all three networks that much better. 802.11N will take over
90% of the market soon and the new Wi-Fi Direct standard will be a true cable replacement
for USB, RGB, VGA and just about everything else. The technology formerly known as Wi-Fi
Peer-to-Peer has a simpler name but still allows p2p sharing. Another benefit of this standard
is being able to more easily connect disparate devices without the need for a central access
point. Another amazing nugget: the consumer electronics world will be a full 25-33% of the
WiFi market soon. Some areas where the alliance is looking are the smart grid, M2M and
television white spaces. nterestingly the cellular companies too are looking at the first two of
these areas and perhaps Wi-Fi will be complimentary in these places as well. There was a
point in time when small hard disks were complimentary to large enterprise-class hard drives
which were much more expensive to deploy. Eventually technology evolved to the point
where RAD allowed these inexpensive drives to be combined to provide a more reliable
solution than large drives at a fraction of the cost. am not saying this will happen in the
world of Wi-Fi but as long as have studied and been involved in the tech markets; History
has always repeated itself. doubt this time will be any different.


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REFERENCES

1. Bionitiative Report, August 31, 2007.
2. Mariea, Tamara and Carlo, George. Wireless Radiation in the Etiology and Treatment
of Autism: Clinical Observations and Mechanisms; Journal of the Australian College
of Nutritional and Environmental Medicine, August 2007.
3. Havas, Magda. Analysis of Health and Environmental Effects of Proposed San
Francisco Earthlink Wi-Fi Network. May 31, 2007.
4. D. Brevi et al., "A Methodology for the Analysis of 802.11a Links in ndustrial
Environments, EEE nt'l Workshop on Factory Comm. Systems, EEE CS Press,
2007, pp. 165174.
5. B. Potter, "Wireless Security Future, EEE Security &Privacy, vol. 1, no. 4, 2008, pp.
6872.