25 years of WiFi

1997 was an eventful year. Jan Ulrich was the first German to win the Tour de France, the Hale-Bopp comet spectacularly lit up the night sky, and kid’s favourite toy was the Tamagotchi. What has all this got to do with WiFi? Not a lot, because in comparison to those examples from 1997, WiFi still plays a key role in our everyday lives. WLAN can now look back on a quarter of a century, just like the tram.news.
By Ruben Vorwald

Allow me to differentiate at the outset: in the German-speak-ing world, the concepts of WLAN and WiFi are generally used synonymously. Technically speaking, however, there is a difference. WLAN stands for Wireless Local Area Network and is a generic term for all spatially limited wireless networks. WiFi, i.e. wireless fidelity, on the other hand, refers to wireless networks which comply with IEEE 802.11. And this WiFi standard was approved by the Institute of Electrical and Electronics Engineer in 1997.

The standard made its big commercial breakthrough in 1999 when Apple offered a WLAN interface for its new iBooks, which was only compatible with IEEE 802.11b (the second generation of the standard). This launched the first mass product with the WiFi logo on the market and marked the beginning of a success story.

With data speeds of mere 2 Mbit/s to begin with, the standard was continuously developed. We are now in the sixth generation of WiFi with IEEE 802.11ax and data transmission of up to 9,608 Mbit/s.

WiFi can be used in many settings apart from offices, homes or public places. It can be used for rough location detection in places where no GPS signal is available. WiFi sensing uses existing WiFi signals to detect events or changes such as movement and gestures. This way, widely used hardware can be supplemented with the function of sensor technology, for example as a motion detector or alarm system. As of mid-2021, vehicles in Germany which have the appropriate technology (e.g. VW Golf 8), can be warned in advance of roadworks on some stretches of motorway. (Partly) autonomous cars can warn drivers in good time, slow down, or take a bypass.  

In 2019, almost 15 billion devices were networked per WLAN, in 2021, this figure had reached 22.2 billion and the trend is continuing. In many places, buses, trams and mainline trains also have a WiFi signal. This not only gives passengers internet access on the move but also enables passenger-counting or information systems to be connected. Applications are becoming more diverse every day, and the possibilities seem far from exhausted: Automatisation of diag-nostics, ticket sales and process sequences are conceivable. Whenever information has to be conveyed over a medium distance, WiFi is the alternative to cables.

So, to sum up: WiFi is something which was launched 25 years ago and still accompanies us today; it has never gone out of fashion, and it has continued to develop. Just like our tram.news.