Hit the hotspots

Wi-fi, short for wireless fidelity, is growing in Ireland, writes Niamh Hennessey. It lets you connect to broadband internet wirelessly through an unlicensed radio spectrum within a 100-foot range, relying on a single standard called 802.11.

Wi-fi, short for wireless fidelity, is growing in Ireland, writes Niamh Hennessey. It lets you connect to broadband internet wirelessly through an unlicensed radio spectrum within a 100-foot range, relying on a single standard called 802.11.

At 802.11b, the most common standard, a wi-fi connection to a laptop operates at up to 11 megabits per second.

Access to it may be still fairly expensive (see cost panel opposite) but free hotspots are multiplying. ...