Preface
Wireless networking technology has shown an explosive growth
worldwide over the past few years, bucking the general downward
economic trend in the telecommunications industry. What is it about
wireless networking that makes it so alluring on a grand scale? Why
did over 22 million Wi-Fi devices ship last year, with double that
projected by some for this year? While marketing folk might tell you
that the particular feature set and brand name of their product is
driving demand, I believe the answer is much simpler:
it's magic.
Right where you are sitting now, there could be dozens of wireless
data networks slinging information to the far corners of the Earth. A
neighbor orders food online while someone across the street is using
voice chat to talk to relatives (for free!) in Hong Kong, all the
while someone upstairs is downloading a new album from their favorite
band's web site in San Francisco. The information
flows all around you (and, indeed, even through you) without you
seeing or hearing a thing. Make no mistake, wireless networking is
probably the second most magical technology on the planet—just
behind the Internet.
In hundreds of cities around the world, wireless networks are making
ubiquitous connectivity more the rule than the exception, providing
service (often free) to millions of users who suddenly need nothing
more than a laptop and wireless card to get online. Wireless
networking is getting people connected to each other more cheaply and
easily than any other networking technology since the telephone.
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