People are just realizing what WiFi actually stands for… and the answer may surprise you
People are just realizing what WiFi actually stands for… and the answer may surprise you
Whether you work from home or stream Netflix, you know the value of a fast and reliable Wi-Fi connection.
But have you ever stopped to think about the meaning behind the word and what it actually stands for?
Some may have been told it stands for ‘wireless fidelity’ – a bit like Hi-Fi stands for ‘high fidelity’.
But one of the founders of the Wi-fi Alliance has tried to dispel these origin myths, and the truth may surprise you.
But you might be surprised to find out what Wi-Fi stands for — or supposed Wi-Fi was short for “wireless fidelity”
Phil Belanger said: ‘It’s not an abbreviation. There is no meaning’.
He explained that some people who work in the tech industry just wanted a less cumbersome name to refer to the IEEE 802.11 standard technology.
“We needed something more catchy than ‘IEEE 802.11b Direct Sequence,’ he explained.
The Wi-Fi Alliance hired Interbrand to come up with ideas, and the branding consultancy suggested 10 names, including Wi-Fi (which sounds a lot like ‘hi-fi’, or ‘high fidelity’).
He explained that the erroneous etymology of the word had come about as a direct result of his colleagues’ clumsiness.
“The only reason you hear about ‘Wireless Fidelity’ is because some of my colleagues in the group were scared.
“They didn’t understand branding or marketing. They couldn’t imagine using the name “Wi-Fi” without a literal explanation.
Phil explained that some people who work in the tech industry just wanted a less awkward name to refer to the IEEE 802.11 standard technology
So we compromised and agreed to include the slogan ‘The Standard for Wireless Fidelity’ along with the name.
“This was a mistake and only confused and diluted the brand.”
In addition to this astonishing revelation, it turns out that according to the tech expert, the term ‘wireless fidelity’ is also meaningless.
Phil called it “a clumsy attempt to find two words that could go with ‘Wi-Fi.’
He added: “While the slogan ‘The Standard for Wireless Fidelity’ appeared in early communications and swag around 2000, the Wi-Fi Alliance chose to drop it after about a year.
“So we were smart to hire Interbrand to come up with the name and logo. We were stupid to confuse and dilute their efforts by adding the pointless slogan,” he concluded.
Phil insisted, “Please help reinforce the good work we’ve been doing and forget the tagline.”
Did you know that Wi-Fi didn’t really stand for anything? Let us know below.