It recently occurred to me that I've been taking advantage of an incredible technology while simply sitting on my couch-namely, wireless Internet access. Wireless technology, often referred to as Wi-Fi, provides the easiest way of accessing the Internet while away from home. Wi-Fi is now a standard feature in many venues, particularly coffee houses. Other devices are also taking advantage of Wi-Fi, such as the Sony PSP and the Nintendo DS.

Given its massive consumer acceptance, I'm certain that the proliferation of Wi-Fi will open up a world of possibilities for one's relationship with technology. Not only will it offer Internet access practically anywhere, it will also become a ubiquitous method for consumer devices to communicate with one another. The early stages of this phenomena are evident even today in wireless digital cameras that can easily transfer files to computers and print to wireless printers directly. It's also the method used by the PSP and Nintendo DS for multiplayer communication.

Over the next few decades, there will be more devices taking advantage of wireless technology. For a good intellectual exercise, let's try to imagine the possible functionality of refrigerators and microwave ovens as wireless devices. What if a refrigerator could track all the items it contains, and make nutritional statistics available to its owner? Imagine downloading recipes into a microwave to make the perfect meal. The functional possibilities will only be limited by one's imagination.

Before achieving this wireless utopia, however, the two main issues facing Wi-Fi technology, speed and reception, must be overcome. The most common type of Wi-Fi network uses the 802.11b standard, which offers a theoretical maximum speed of 11 megabytes per second and range of about 30 meters indoors. In real world usage, the fastest speed possible from this sort of network is about 6 Mbps, about the maximum capacity of a typical cable modem. The range also varies depending on the placement of the wireless access point, and the architecture and radio interference near its location. The 802.11b standard became popular five to six years ago because it was the first wireless technology to offer decent speeds and reception. Today, it is still the most prevalent type of Wi-Fi network.

While popular, 802.11b is not without its flaws. The standard runs at the 2.4 Ghz frequency, which is crowded with other household devices like microwaves and cordless phones. Thus, it is prone to radio interference. Simply put, it was an incredible technology back in 2000, but wireless users expect more now that the Internet is mainstream. Non-technical users are incredibly frustrated by the unpredictability of wireless reception; they just want things to work. Clearly, 802.11b needs a significant upgrade.

In 2003 a new wireless standard was created, 802.11g. It offered a hypothetical speed of 54 Mbps, which is significantly reduced to about 36 Mbps in real world usage. The "G" standard was mainly a speed upgrade, as it fell victim to the same reception problems of "B" devices. Even worse, the extra speed was reduced to 802.11b levels if a "B" wireless card was connected to an original "G" network. The omnipresence of "B" cards among the consumer population made "G" networks no better than their predecessor. For this reason, one will rarely get "G" level speeds on Amherst's campus wireless network, which holds true for any public "G" network.

So "G" was a bust, but don't lose hope. An up-and-coming wireless standard, 802.11n, promises to relieve current wireless woes. With a supposed speed of around 600 Mbps, and a larger range than "B" or "G," 802.11n will be the first step to ubiquitous wireless coverage. Its developers boast that one may be able to share Internet connection over several city blocks with a single access point. "802.11n" is scheduled to make its debut in 2007, and I will be waiting, microwave in tow.