Free course · 8 chapters · about 40 minutes
Learn how Wi-Fi works
A short, visual course on how Wi-Fi actually works: radio and walls, channels, bands, signal strength, speed and delay, security and coverage. No jargon.
- What Wi-Fi actually isWi-Fi is radio between your device and the router, and nothing more. Why walls and water block it, and why full bars can still mean no internet.
- Channels, and why your neighbours slow you downWi-Fi channels are lanes, and neighbours sharing yours take turns with you. Why only 1, 6 and 11 avoid overlapping, and when changing channel helps.
- 2.4, 5 and 6 GHz explained2.4 GHz reaches furthest, 5 GHz is the everyday one, 6 GHz is fastest and shortest. A plain guide to which Wi-Fi band to join, and when.
- What signal strength really meansWi-Fi signal is measured in dBm and is always negative. What -60 and -75 feel like in real use, why bars mislead, and where to see the real number.
- Speed, latency and jitterBandwidth is how wide the pipe is, latency is how fast it starts, jitter is how steady it stays. Why a fast connection can still feel terrible.
- How a web page actually reaches youA page crosses your device, the air, your router, your provider and the wider internet. Where delay comes from at each hop, and which parts you can fix.
- How Wi-Fi keeps you safeYour Wi-Fi password protects the air; the padlock protects the content. Two separate locks, and why a cafe sign-in page is neither of them.
- Mesh, extenders and why placement winsMoving the router often beats buying hardware. How extenders and mesh really differ, and how to tell which one your home actually needs.
Then check your own network
Reading about signal is one thing; seeing your own numbers is another. The free tools run in your browser, and the Wifify app reads the things a browser cannot.