WiFi = IEEE 802.11b

JeremyZ · 09-21-2010, 09:26 AM

So I was thinking yesterday, what does WiFi mean? Of course I know what it means in colloquial usage.

I thought back to my grandpa referring to his stereo as a 'HiFi' in the 80s. Which means High Fidelity. (as opposed to low fidelity, which most records could be considered)

Then, I thought: "Does WiFi mean Wireless Fidelity?" 'Wireless Fidelity' doesn't seem to make any sense. It is like saying 'spoon fidelity' or 'coffee mug fidelity'. But I admit it is more catchy and easier to annunciate than 'IEEE 802.11b' which is the technical term.

Further reading, for the technically curious: http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/WiFi

murraypaul · 09-21-2010, 09:51 AM

Specifically, for current iThings WiFi means 802.11 a/b/g/n

Yoshi 1080 · 09-21-2010, 02:04 PM

I think the name is just an homage to the term HiFi that sounds less nerdy than WLAN. BTW I never understood why so many people pronounce the second syllable ”fai”, shouldn't fidelity be pronounced something like ”feedalety”?

JeremyZ · 09-22-2010, 07:30 AM

You're right, Yoshi. It just doesn't sound as catchy. I think the reason is that we don't have any words in English that end in the short I sound, so truncating it sounds "bad" to us.

09-21-2010, 09:26 AM	#1
JeremyZ Addict Posts: 303 Karma: 1000702 Join Date: Sep 2009 Location: Chicago Device: Nook ST, Kindle 2, Samsung Galaxy Stellar phone	WiFi = IEEE 802.11b So I was thinking yesterday, what does WiFi mean? Of course I know what it means in colloquial usage. I thought back to my grandpa referring to his stereo as a 'HiFi' in the 80s. Which means High Fidelity. (as opposed to low fidelity, which most records could be considered) Then, I thought: "Does WiFi mean Wireless Fidelity?" 'Wireless Fidelity' doesn't seem to make any sense. It is like saying 'spoon fidelity' or 'coffee mug fidelity'. But I admit it is more catchy and easier to annunciate than 'IEEE 802.11b' which is the technical term. Further reading, for the technically curious: http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/WiFi

09-21-2010, 09:51 AM	#2
murraypaul Interested Bystander Posts: 3,725 Karma: 19728152 Join Date: Jun 2008 Device: Note 4, Kobo One	Specifically, for current iThings WiFi means 802.11 a/b/g/n Last edited by murraypaul; 09-21-2010 at 09:54 AM.

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09-21-2010, 02:04 PM	#3
Yoshi 1080 Addict Posts: 303 Karma: 204 Join Date: Oct 2009 Location: Germany Device: iPad, iPhone, Mac	I think the name is just an homage to the term HiFi that sounds less nerdy than WLAN. BTW I never understood why so many people pronounce the second syllable ”fai”, shouldn't fidelity be pronounced something like ”feedalety”?

09-22-2010, 07:30 AM	#4
JeremyZ Addict Posts: 303 Karma: 1000702 Join Date: Sep 2009 Location: Chicago Device: Nook ST, Kindle 2, Samsung Galaxy Stellar phone	You're right, Yoshi. It just doesn't sound as catchy. I think the reason is that we don't have any words in English that end in the short I sound, so truncating it sounds "bad" to us.

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