WiFi is a technology that interconnects, in a wireless way, terminals such as a personal computer or a handheld device (for example, a PDA, a tablet or a mobile phone). Wireless local area networks have been standardized in an IEEE 802.11 suite generally referred to collectively as Wi-Fi®. (Wi-Fi is a registered trademark of the Wireless Ethernet Compatibility Alliance, Inc. of Austin, Tex.). Wi-Fi can be used to provide mobile users with wireless accesses to a broadband Internet, allowing users to access network resources and services in a home, an office or from some other public venue.
In a Wi-Fi wireless network consisting of a wireless access point (WAP) and a wireless network card, the WAP is generally referred to as a network bridge or a access point, and provides a bridge between a traditional wired Local Area Network (LAN) and a Wireless LAN (WLAN), thus any device equipped with a wireless network card can, via the WAP, share resources of the wired LAN or even a wide area network (WAN). The WAP can serve as a HUB or router with a built-in wireless transmitter, while the wireless network card serves as a client device responsible for exchanging wireless signals between the mobile device and the WAP.
Access to the WAP can be provided in an open manner allowing devices to connect in an unrestricted manner and often without requiring authorization. Alternatively or in addition, access to the WAP can be restricted to users providing an appropriate network access, e.g., encryption, key.
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USPTO Backgrounds