“The real ethernet”: The transnational history of global Wi-Fi connectivity

Abstract

Wi-Fi is an integral and invaluable part of our media practices. Wireless networks are blended into our media environment and, in terms of infrastructural importance, have become comparable with electricity or water. This article offers a new transnational perspective on the underexplored history of IEEE 802.11 standards by focusing on the tensions between the United States and Europe in terms of development trajectories of wireless technology. The goal is to analyze the standardization of wireless networking through a transnational lens and to contribute to enhanced understanding of the global proliferation of Wi-Fi technology. Four particular aspects of the transnational development of Wi-Fi technology are discussed: the rivalry between US and European standards, the constitutive choice to focus on data transmission, radio spectrum availability, and the peculiarities of network authentication.

Monitoring system for the construction of buildings in the area of mining exploitation impact

“…The safety of structures directly fits into the area aimed at developing tools that support effective risk management. Dating back to the early 1980s, the development of direct digital control (DDC) technology and Ethernet as a widely accepted standard for data exchange gave rise to the design of integrated systems [9].…”