Prepaid WiFi is Coming!Before we talk about prepaid WiFi (or Wi-Fi), let's go thru what exactly is it. WiFi is a wireless technology that is found in virtually every modern computer usually used to connect wirelessly to the Internet. It's also common to now find it in other devices like printers, gaming consoles, and even mobile phones. In the case of a WiFi enabled printer, it enables you to print wirelessly from anywhere in the general vicinity. Indoors, you'll usually be able to connect to it within 32m or 120 feet. Our printer has this feature, and I'm able to print when I'm downstairs in the family room on the printer upstairs in the office. I find this tremendously convenient, and it reduces the number of cords and wires! One important thing to keep in mind is that WiFi in and of itself is not the Internet. It's basically a wireless protocol (or standard) that allows you to connect, or network, two devices together. So, if you have an Internet connection with 
your cable or home phone provider, you can buy a wireless router that
uses the WiFi standard, and if your computer
has a WiFi network card, you'll be able to connect your computer to
the router and thereby connect to the Internet! In
the case
of the wireless printer example, the printer is not connected to the
Internet, so the wireless connection you're making is simply to allow
your computer to communicate with your printer to avoid the need to use
a cable.What does Wi-Fi stand for?  You'll
often read that it stands for "Wireless Fidelity," however, that's
actually not the case. It's actually said to be a play on
words
to mirror the commonly used term "Hi-Fi," and is simply a more consumer
friendly term referring to the wireless networking IEEE 802.11
technology. There are a number of version of this standard
that
you may have heard of, including
802.11a, 802.11b, 802.11g,
and 802.11n. Generally speaking, these represent different
speeds
and security standards. Newer versions are typically
backwards
compatible, which means that if you buy an 802.11.g router, it will
still work with your older computer than may only have the 802.11b
standard. The same logic applies to prepaid WiFi, as prepaid
is
simply a payment option.
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