Wi-Fi has become the most popular wireless networking protocol of the 21st century. While other wireless protocols work better in certain situations, Wi-Fi technology powers home networks, business local area networks, and public hotspot networks. Some people mistakenly label all types of wireless networks as Wi-Fi, when in reality, Wi-Fi is just one of several wireless technologies.

In the 1980s, a wireless cash register technology called WaveLAN was developed and shared with the Institute of Electrical and Electronics Engineers group responsible for networking standards, known as Committee 802. This technology was further developed through the 1990s until the committee published the 802.11 standard in 1997.

The first version of Wi-Fi from that standard, released in 1997, only supported connections of 2 Mbps. The technology was also not officially known as Wi-Fi from the beginning; that term was coined a few years later as its popularity grew. An industry standards group has continued to develop the standard since then, generating a family of new versions of Wi-Fi, called 802.11b, 802.11g, 802.11n, 802.11ac, and so on. Each of these related standards can communicate with each other, though newer versions offer better performance and more features.

Wireless broadband routers, often used in home networks, serve as Wi-Fi access points (among other functions). Similarly, public Wi-Fi hotspots use one or more access points installed within the coverage area.