Mobile Internet Glossary

Wi-Fi is a short-range local wireless networking technology use to connect devices together. While the technology is often used to also deliver an internet connection, the word itself does not necessarily mean internet access.

Wi-Fi also has multiple meanings and contexts when we're talking about mobile internet.

You can create your own local Wi-Fi network using a smartphone, hotspot device or router. Your internet source for these networks might be cellular, satellite or another Wi-Fi network.

But more commonly when we're using the word Wi-Fi as a way to get online while traveling, we're referring to a Wi-Fi network hosted by someone else - such as a campground, marina, cafe or library. Most often, the internet source for these access points is cable or DSL.

WAN means Wide Area Network - otherwise known as 'the internet'. In networking terms, it's what the internet source is for a router.

Some routers support using another Wi-Fi network as their internet data connection, and this is called WiFi-as-WAN.

With WiFi- as-WAN, you can use your router to connect to a campground or marina's network. This allows all of your local area devices (laptops, tablets, streaming devices) to use the router's connection to the external Wi-Fi source without having to change Wi-Fi connection settings on each device.

Most phones support making and receiving voice calls over a Wi-Fi connection as well as over a cellular connection. This is a handy feature when your smartphone itself doesn't have a solid signal or you're traveling internationally without roaming - but you do have other sources of internet access (such as a hotspot on another carrier, or a public Wi-Fi source.)

Long time manufacturer of RV specific Wi-Fi as WAN extending gear and routers, frequently installed at RV factories & dealers but also available aftermarket.  WiFiRanger was acquired by Winegard.

Manufacturer of rooftop cellular and Wi-Fi router devices installed on many RVs. They also purchased WiFiRanger, and resell Starlink dishes. 

The term WISP (wireless internet service provider) has typically been attached to ISPs that deliver service to fixed locations via long-range wireless signals, often in rural areas where cable and DSL are not practical options.

A WISP providing service may have a transmitter on a nearby tower or mountain, and then installs directional antennas aimed towards the transmitter on the sides of customers’ buildings.

WPA2 is the standard protocol for protecting Wi-Fi networks, replacing the now obsolete WPA and WEP protocols.

The WPA2 protocol is set to slowly be replaced with WPA3, which improves security significantly - especially on public networks.

WPA3 is the first major security standards update for Wi-FI networks in over a decade - and in particular it includes some important improvements for security on open public networks.

WPA3 will eventually be as prevalent as WPA2 is today.

But it will take a LONG time before WPA3 is prevalent. The standard has only been finalized as of mid-2018, and it will be many years before WPA3 becomes widely supported in routers, operating systems, and devices.