Wi-Fi (IEEE 802.11)
- Date
- 1997-1999 · confidence high
- Place
- NCR/AT&T, Nieuwegein, Netherlands; CSIRO, Sydney, Australia (OFDM patent); IEEE
- Credited to
- Vic Hayes (IEEE 802.11 committee); John O'Sullivan and CSIRO (key patent); Wi-Fi Alliance (1999)
- People
- 👤 Vic Hayes1941–
- Field
- Communication
⚠️ Disputed: the sources disagree.
What it is
A local-area wireless network on unlicensed bands that connects any device to the internet without cables. It made the laptop, the mobile phone and the connected home possible.
CSIRO successfully litigated its 1996 patent against major manufacturers.
What it led to
- Home, café and airport internet and the mobility of work
- The domestic internet of things
- The offloading of mobile networks through access points
Built on
- ALOHAnet, first wireless packet networkjunio de 1971
- Ethernet1973
- Portable / laptop computer1981-1982
- spread spectrum (Hedy Lamarr)
- OFDM