(‘The Internet’ and ‘Wi-Fi’ Are Not the Same)
“Hi, can I please use your Internet?”
“No, but you are welcome to access my Wi-Fi – let me give you the password.”
The Internet and Wi-Fi are not the same. Nobody owns the global Internet, but people pay for their connectivity and Wi-Fi services (to the home or office) to access the Internet. Knowing the difference makes for clearer understanding and communication.
And just as it’s the nature of water to flow freely through a well-built system, so does information on the internet when it’s enabled by the correct infrastructure. Wi-Fi enables us to access this information without having to plug in our devices through a cable – let’s take a look.
The Internet of Possibilities
Back in its earliest days, people had to plug their devices into an ethernet cable (or before that, an ADSL connection, which was essentially a Telkom landline) to connect to the Internet.
That’s why people talked about ‘Being online’ – because you were ON the internet, but only because you were connected to a LINE (i.e. the cable).
Today, most people connect to the Internet in their homes (or at their office premises) through a wireless connection, in other words through Wi-Fi access. It’s a huge step up from having to have your device constantly plugged in to remain connected.
So how does Wi-Fi access enable wireless connectivity?
From Fibre Outside to Wireless Inside
Your home Wi-Fi network begins with Fibre Optic cables that are laid outside your property within the neighbourhood by the fibre network operators (FNOs). Through these Fibre Optic cables, Internet data is transmitted at the speed of light.
When you sign up for a Wi-Fi service, an internet service provider (ISP) – like Vox – then takes over. The ISP links the FNO Fibre box outside your property boundary with a separate (shorter) Fibre Optic cable to an optical network terminal (ONT) inside your home.
The ONT is linked with one last short cable into your Wi-Fi router, which then ‘converts’ Internet data received via the Fibre optics into radio signals, to create your home Wi-Fi network.
And voila! You and your devices have access to wireless Internet access in your home.
Internet Like Water
Much like water, the Internet, with its constant access to information and services, has become fundamental to modern life today. So you could also think of the process like this:
- Firstly, the Internet is the water that is constantly flowing.
- The Fibre cables are your hosepipe – the actual infrastructure that carries the Internet to you.
- Your Wi-Fi router is the primary sprinkler that makes the Internet easily accessible. Wi-Fi lets you access the Internet without having to literally plug in your device.
- Finally, mesh units or access points placed strategically within your home further sprinkle your Wi-Fi everywhere it’s needed, allowing for the freest possible flow of the Internet and the information it allows us to share.
From the way we communicate and work, to how we shop, bank and entertain ourselves, the Internet has revolutionised multiple aspects of our lives.
Vox can assist you with all of your connectivity needs, from infrastructure to Wi-Fi, with a host of additional options to quench your thirst for fully-enabled communications.
We’re proud to say that there’s no obstacle to free-flowing communications that we can’t solve for you.
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