Believe it or not, your wireless Internet connection has more in common with your microwave and car radio than it does with the rest of your computer. Let’s jump into it.

The secret to wireless Internet is electromagnetic radiation. Everything you access on the Internet has travelled to you through space via energy pulses like visible light, x-rays, and radio waves, at the speed of light or 300,000 km 186,000 miles per second.  

When you access the wireless Internet – you’re tapping into this invisible current which moves through space like a water ripple, radiating outwardly from its source. The same goes for your radio and your television and your microwaves. All of these separate appliances operate via waves. Now, the reason you can run them simultaneously is dependent solely on the length of each waves. Various waves don’t interfere with one another because they travel along different wavelengths. The wavelength of one Wi-Fi signal is 12 centimeters. Wi-Fi waves also travel at the frequency of 2.4 or 5 GHz.  This frequency is considerably higher than the frequencies used for cell phones, walkie-talkies and televisions and allows the signal to carry more data.

However, that doesn’t mean that these waves aren’t subject to inference. You’ve probably experienced slow Internet connection speeds in the past thanks to a poorly positioned router. One way to eliminate interference is to position your router away from anything that emits its own signal (radio, microwaves, phones, televisions) and large, thick obstructions (walls, desks, etc.) – just to be safe.

How Does a Wireless Internet Connection Work?

Imagine that each of the tiny water molecules that comprise this ripple is a letter, with a forwarding address and a return address. Each little letter contains the following information: where it’s going and where it’s from, much like conventional snail mail.

Your Internet Service Provider sends an Internet signal out. The ISP may provide a wireless connection with coverage of tens of kilometers/miles, to get the Internet to your house. The link may be land-based (terrestrial) or satellite.

Once the signal makes it to your nearest tower, it travels directly to your receiver.  Your receiver sends it to the modem. Inside your home, the router not only sorts your mail but it acts as a tiny local tower that sends out its own short distance waves throughout your home. This wireless local area network (WLAN) and allows you to connect several laptops to it. The technology that you install in your home, during your wireless Internet setup is the mailroom.  

Let’s break down the mailroom. In order to send and receive the radio waves or letters which comprise your wireless Internet connection, you’ll need a wireless router. The router not only broadcasts high-speed Internet throughout your home, but it sorts your mail for you. It sends your information on its proper route.  

You’ll also need the DSL modem provided by your broadband service provider to access your wireless Internet connect. That’s because your modem de-codes or translates the letters.

So, your wireless Internet service provider sends is in constant communication with your home network. Your ISP sends out a ripple of letters, where your equipment translates, decodes, sorts and sends its own letters back.  This constant communication is what creates your wireless Internet connection.

Why Does My Wireless Internet Connection Experience Hiccups?

Assuming that you’ve installed your equipment properly and that equipment is in great shape, if you’re experiencing difficulty with your wireless Internet connection, the answer may boil down to the science behind wireless transmission.

Whether you’re experiencing slow connection speeds or the strength of your wireless Internet connection is inconsistent throughout your home just remember – we’ve got the scientific answer behind your issues and the technology to solve it. 

For more information on the secrets of wireless Internet, check out our handy visual guide or contact us at (781) 484-1265 for guidance.