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Radio Band

Wifi is a family of wireless network protocols based on the IEEE 802.11 family of standards.

Wi-Fi most commonly uses:

  • 2.4 GHz (120 mm) UHF
    • Microwave heating uses 2.45 band, which causes interference
    • Bluetooth is another networking technology using the 2.4 GHz band
  • 5 GHz (60 mm) SHF radio bands
  • 6 GHz SHF band used in newer generations of the standard

These bands are subdivided into multiple channels. Channels can be shared between networks, but can only transmit on a channel at a time.

Virtually all laptops, tablet computers, computer printers and cellphones now have 802.11 wireless modems using the 2.4 and 5.7 GHz ISM bands

Near-field communication (NFC) devices such as proximity cards and contactless smart cards use the lower-frequency 13 and 27 MHz ISM bands.

  • IEEE 802.11/Wi-Fi 2450 MHz and 5800 MHz bands
  • Bluetooth 2450 MHz band falls under WPAN

Government Regulation

ISM radio bands are portions of the radio spectrum reserved internationally for industrial, scientific, and medical (ISM) purposes

  • Governed by the FCC (Federal Communcations Commition).

However, it made it's way to be approved for many low power communcation devices:

  • Cordless phones
  • Bluetooth devices
  • Near-field communication (NFC) devices
  • Garage door openers
  • Baby monitors
  • Wireless computer networks (Wi-Fi)

Outside this band, they would require a government license.

Speed

As of 2019 - can run at 9.6 Gbit/s

Obstructions

Common obstructions:

  • walls
  • pillars
  • home appliances

Citations

  • https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Wi-Fi
  • https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/ISM_radio_band