The year 2020 highlighted the importance of Wi-Fi® in our lives, as users around the world came to rely on Wi-Fi more than ever for teleworking, virtual learning, and staying connected with friends and family during a global pandemic. In 2020, Wi-Fi shipments reached nearly four billion, with cumulative shipments reaching more than 33 billion.

This content was originally published in the IEEE Communication Standards Magazine.

The year 2020 was monumental for Wi-Fi®.

The COVID-19 pandemic has proven to be a fundamental challenge on a global scale. Our socioeconomic systems have been strained as a result, forcing entire societies to reexamine social practices and production systems that have often been in place for decades, if not centuries. These changes have caused a global economic recession worse than the 2008-2009 financial crisis.

NASA astronauts route first Ethernet cable onto truss and install a Wi-Fi® access pointAbove the International Space Station’s habitable modules, the Integrated Truss Structure supports sun-tracking solar arrays, adjustable thermal radiator panels, experiment pallets, and transporter rails.

Continual evolution, greater transparency, and WPA3™ support for Wi-Fi CERTIFIED™ devices ensures Wi-Fi delivers state-of-the-art security protections.

This post is part of a series highlighting key technologies in Wi-Fi CERTIFIED Vantage™ – a Wi-Fi Alliance® solution making it easy for devices to provide an elevated experience in managed Wi-Fi® networks.

This post is part of a series highlighting key technologies in Wi-Fi CERTIFIED Vantage™ – a Wi-Fi Alliance® solution making it easy for devices to provide an elevated experience in managed Wi-Fi® networks.

Wi-Fi Alliance® recently spoke with Rich Nedwich, Worldwide Director of Education for CommScope, about CommScope’s project in progress with New Zealand’s Ministry of Education, and how Wi‑Fi® can help educational institutions now and in the future.

This post is part of a series highlighting key technologies in Wi-Fi CERTIFIED Vantage™ – a Wi-Fi Alliance® solution making it easy for devices to provide an elevated experience in managed Wi-Fi® networks.