Welcome to this course. Wireless local area networking, also known as WLAN or wireless LAN, is a term for using wireless digital signals to connect computers and other devices. One of the most common wireless LAN technologies now in use is Wi-Fi, which refers to a set of standards for how devices can talk to each other on wireless networks. It's not the only wireless LAN technology out there, but it's the one you're most likely to encounter. A wireless LAN is a wireless computer network that links two or more devices using wireless communication to form a local area network within a limited area such as a home, school, computer laboratory, campus, or office building. Wireless communication is the transfer of information between two or more points that do not use an electrical conductor as a medium by which to perform the transfer. The most common wireless technologies use radio waves. With radio waves, intended distances can be short, such as a few meters for Bluetooth or as far as millions of kilometers for deep-space radio communications. Wireless networks are computer networks that are not connected by cables of any kind. The use of a wireless network enables enterprises to avoid the costly process of introducing cables into buildings or as a connection between different equipment locations. The basis of wireless systems are radio waves, an implementation that takes place at the physical level of network structure. It is common for people to wonder “what is a wireless network” because while they exist nearly everywhere people live and work, how they work is often a mystery. Similarly, people often assume that all wireless is Wi-Fi, and many would be surprised to discover that the two are not synonymous. Both use RF, but there are many different types of wireless networks across a range of technologies, while Wi-Fi is specific to the wireless protocol defined by the Institute of Electrical and Electronic Engineers (IEEE) in the 802.11 specification and it’s amendments. Wi-Fi is the wireless standard 802.11 and nothing else. Through the years, we've seen different evolutions of Wi-Fi, culminating in the new 802.11ax standard. Each version of the 802.11 standard is written for compatibility with 802.3 Ethernet -- the most common LAN type -- given that Wi-Fi typically extends the edge of the LAN.