Wi-Fi

Wi-Fi

See also: wifi, WiFi, and wi-fi

English

Wi-Fi logo

Alternative forms

• wi-fi
• wifi
• WiFi

Etymology

Coined in analogy to Hi-Fi as a trade name developed for the Wireless Ethernet Compatibility Alliance (later Wi-Fi Alliance).[1][2]

Often analyzed as a shortened form of wireless fidelity (similar to how hi-fi is short for high fidelity); this is possibly due to the former slogan of the aforementioned Wi-Fi Alliance, The Standard for Wireless Fidelity.

Pronunciation

• IPA^(key): /ˈwaɪ.faɪ/

• Audio (US)

  (file)

• Rhymes: -aɪfaɪ

Noun

Wi-Fi (countable and uncountable, plural Wi-Fis)

1. (networking, uncountable) Any of several standards for short-range wireless data transmission (IEEE 802.11).

   Coordinate terms: Bluetooth, GPRS, IrDA, wireless internet, WISP, WLAN

2. (networking, uncountable) Wireless networking using one of these standards.
   • 2020, Avni Doshi, Burnt Sugar, Hamish Hamilton, page 13:

     He asked me if I knew the Wi-Fi password.

   I'll send the file using Wi-Fi.

   This coffee shop has Wi-Fi for its customers.

3. (informal, uncountable) The capability to connect to a Wi-Fi network.

   The refrigerator cost 1000 more dollars just because it had Wi-Fi, and I'm thinking "this is ridiculous"!

4. (countable) A Wi-Fi network.

Derived terms

• WiFier
• WiFiless
• WiFilike
• what is the Wi-Fi password
• do you have Wi-Fi

Related terms

• hi-fi
• lo-fi
• WiMAX

Translations

computing: wireless data communication standard

Arabic: وَاي فَاي‎ m (wāy fāy) Bulgarian: безжи́чен и́нтернет m (bezžíčen ínternet) Catalan: wifi (ca) f Chinese: Mandarin: 無線熱點／无线热点 (wúxiàn rèdiǎn), 無線網絡／无线网络 (wúxiàn wǎngluò), 無線網路／无线网路 (zh) (wúxiàn wǎnglù) (Taiwan) Czech: bezdrátové připojení n, Wi-Fi f or n Dutch: Wi-Fi, draadloos internet, wifi (nl) m Esperanto: sendrata Interreto Finnish: Wi-Fi (fi), langaton verkko French: Wi-Fi (fr), connexion sans fil f Galician: wifi f German: WLAN (de) n, Wi-Fi (de) n, kabellose Netzverbindung f Hindi: वाई-फ़ाई (vāī-fāī) Japanese: ワイファイ (waifai) Khmer: វ៉ាយហ្វាយ (vaayfaay) Korean: 와이파이 (ko) (waipai) Latin: Vi-Fi, cōnexiō computātrō sine fīlīs Marathi: वाय-फाय (vāy-phāy) Persian: وای-فای‎ (vây-fây) Polish: wi-fi (pl) n, bezprzewodowe połączenie internetowe n Portuguese: Wi-Fi (pt) m, conexão sem fio f, conexão sem fios f Russian: (colloquial) вай-фа́й (ru) m (vaj-fáj), беспроводна́я сеть f (besprovodnája setʹ) Spanish: wifi m or f Swedish: Wi-Fi n Thai: ไวไฟ (wai-fai), วายฟาย Turkish: kablosuz ağ, kablosuz ağ bağlantısı Yiddish: ווײַ־פֿײַ‎ m (vay-fay)

Verb

Wi-Fi (third-person singular simple present Wi-Fis, present participle Wi-Fi-ing, simple past and past participle Wi-Fied)

1. To equip with Wi-Fi; to Wi-Fi enable.
   • 2003 September 15, Scott Bradner, “So why isn't it wireless?,”, in Network World, volume 20, number 37:

     What type of electronics will be immune from being Wi-Fied?

   • 2003, Business Week - Issues 3827-3830:

     The biggest market may be Wi-Fi-ing people's homes.

   • 2004, Jon Edney, ‎William A. Arbaugh, ‎William Arbaugh, Real 802.11 Security: Wi-Fi Protected Access and 802.11i, page XVI:

     To Wi-Fi or Not to Wi-Fi?

   • 2017, Dean Koontz, The Silent Corner, page 10:

     There was no point in being off the grid if the vehicle you drove was Wi-Fied to it with every turn of the wheels.

2. To connect to the internet using Wi-Fi.
   • 2003, Newsweek - Volume 142, Issues 18-25, page 76:

     The hotel manager even claims he's seen Red Sox problem child Manny Ramirez Wi-Fi-ing in the lobby on his Palm.

   • 2004, Harold Davis, Absolute Beginner's Guide to Wi-Fi Wireless Networking, page 237:

     Perhaps someone sees you typing in confidential information while you are "Wi-Fi-ing" in a hotel lobby or a crowded airport waiting area.

   • 2004, Vanity Fair - Issue 524, page 146:

     If Addison and Steele were alive and holding court at Starbucks, they'd be Wi-Fi-ing into a joint blog.

See also

• AirPort
• HomeIR
• HomeRF
• PAN

References

1. Janice Reynolds (2003) Going Wi-Fi: Networks Untethered with 802.11 Wireless Technology, CRC Press, →ISBN, page 3: ““Wi-Fi” is a play on the old audio term “Hi-Fi” (high fidelity). The term also has been trademarked by the Wi-Fi Alliance (formerly the Wireless Ethernet Compatibility Alliance).”
2. Barrie Sosinsky (2009) Networking Bible, John Wiley & Sons, →ISBN, page 356: “Wi-Fi was created by the Interbrand Corporation in 1999 to replace the name IEEE 802.11b Direct Sequence, and it remains a brand name with no real relationship to the technology it describes.”

Further reading

• Wi-Fi on Wikipedia.Wikipedia

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Japanese

Alternative spelling
WiFi

Etymology

Borrowed from English Wi-Fi.

Pronunciation

• IPA^(key): [ɰᵝa̠iɸa̠i]

Noun

W(ワ)i-Fi(イファイ) • (wai-fai) 

1. (networking) Wi-Fi

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Portuguese

Noun

Wi-Fi m or f (usually uncountable, plural Wi-Fis)

1. Alternative spelling of wi-fi