Wi-Fi

An abbreviation of 'wireless fidelity'; the popular term for a high-frequency wireless local area network (WLAN). It provides short-range high-speed wireless data connections between various devices such as laptops, mobile phones and PDAs. It is much faster than other data technologies such as HSDPA, EDGE, and GPRS.

The range of a Wi-Fi base station (access point) is around 100-300 feet indoors and 2000 feet outdoors. Many hotels, airports, and other services offer public access to Wi-Fi networks so people with a Wi-Fi phone or other device can access the Internet and receive emails on the move. These locations are known as hotspots.