Last Thursday on April, 8^th I did my case study presentation on the up a coming sources of Wi-Fi and where it is headed in the future. To answer the question of the week, “Who controls the network?” I proposed the idea that although Wi-Fi doesn’t have direct control over who controls the Internet, it indirectly controls the Internet by giving consumers (us) more access to the internet. I believe that no particular person or organization has complete control over the Internet. The government can keep putting more restrictions over the Internet, but inevitably we are the ones who control the Internet because we are the ones who keep changing it.

I went through the different phases of the Internet from the WiFi form 802.11 to 802.11g to WiMax. To me the most interesting form of wireless Internet, or the one I believe will have the most effect on people the years to come is WiMax. The thought of having wireless Internet available to a whole city, and eventually even a whole country in the years to come amazes me. Wi-Fi technology has a lot of security issue that pose a problem with owning a wireless Internet, but if it is password protected you should be OK, but it is good to keep in mind the different risks you are taking as well as how you are protected under Wi-Fi. (For example, with the Computer Fraud and Abuse Act and with the Electronic Communications Privacy Act.) With technology like this, and more and more people having access to the Internet requires more restrictions by the government, but a more versatile and changing Internet in the end.

“Will the future of Wi-Fi cause the Digital Divide to get larger or smaller?” This is the question I proposed to the class during my presentation. I got very interesting feedback, but this seems to be an overall concern with how fast technology is growing. I believe that with more access to Wi-Fi that there will be a number of people where the Digital Divide’s gap will close especially among the older generation because the Internet will be even more prominent in society and even a bigger number of people have access to it. I also believe that with fast growing technologies, technologies are only going to be cheaper. Soon I believe a computer could be like a radio where almost every family owns one, and in fact they are even putting computers and Wi-Fi in vehicles, like the radio. One thing that I do think is discouraging for the Digital Divide is the facts that as technologies keep advancing; it is hard to keep up with it if you are just beginning to learn.

My case study presentation really taught me a lot about Wi-Fi, more than I ever thought I could know about it. I’m really interested to see where the 802.11 technologies will lead us in the next 10 years and what Internet access will be like. In the end I will be more and more restrictions placed on the Internet society, but its quick advancing and educated users will lead government protection in the dust.

Here's a quick video with more information on Wi-Max -

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=chlGqhRKVjQ

Robyn Wooderson