Exploring Frequency and Wavelengths in Wireless Communication

Let’s continue our discussion from the last lecture, diving deeper into frequency and wavelength. As a quick review, we talked about the electromagnetic spectrum, noting that Wi-Fi (802.11) operates in a specific part of this spectrum. We also covered waves as the medium used to transmit data from point A to point B and discussed two types of waves. Let’s now focus on frequency.

Understanding Frequency

Frequency is the rate at which a wave repeats. Think of it as the measure of how many times a wave cycle occurs within a certain period. Higher frequency means the wave cycles happen more frequently, while a lower frequency means the cycles occur less often.

To visualize this, consider Wi-Fi frequencies:

2.4 GHz: Here, the frequency is lower, so wave cycles happen less often.
5 GHz: With a higher frequency, wave cycles are more frequent.

On a 5 GHz frequency, for instance, you may have almost twice as many cycles as on the 2.4 GHz within the same time period. Higher frequencies like 5 GHz, however, face more obstacles in penetrating walls or other barriers compared to lower frequencies like 2.4 GHz. This is because lower frequencies can pass through these mediums more easily.