World Wi-Fi Day

Even though mobile data prices are constantly on the decline, we prefer choosing cafes and restaurants which have free wifi access. After all, who doesn’t like a free Wi-Fi? The wireless Broadband Alliance which includes the tech giants, Cisco, AT&T, Qualcomm, Intel, LG among others has declared 20th June as the World Wi-Fi Day. The main aim of declaring it as a special day is to accelerate wireless connectivity around the world and to recognize and celebrate the significant role Wi-Fi is playing in getting cities and communities around the world connected. WBA’s vision for the World Wi-Fi Day is described as the acronym HOPE.

HELP: Funding Wi-Fi deployments. OFFER: More affordable Wi-Fi. PROMOTE: The success of Wi-Fi in interconnecting. ENGAGE: Removing the digital divide.

Alphabet’s Subsidiary Loon Loon is working on providing Internet access to rural and remote areas. The company uses high-altitude balloons placed in the stratosphere at an altitude of about 18 km to create an aerial wireless network with up to 4G-LTE speeds. Users of the service connect to the balloon network using a special Internet antenna attached to their building. The signal travels through the balloon network from balloon to balloon, then to a ground-based station connected to an Internet service provider (ISP), then onto the global Internet.

While free Wi-Fi is desired by all, but public Wi-Fi poses a threat to security and makes devices vulnerable to attacks. Some precautions that can be taken: Always check whether firewall is enabled or not. Make sure you use HTTPS and SSL. Use a Virtual Private Network.