Wi-Fi relies on radio waves to send information back and forth between your device and a router. It operates on two frequency bands—2.4 gigahertz (GHz) and 5 gigahertz—depending on how much data needs to be transferred. To understand this, think of frequency as the rate at which waves occur. If you were sitting on a beach timing the gap between crashing waves, you’d essentially be measuring their frequency. One hertz equals one wave per second, while one gigahertz equals one billion waves per second. Higher frequencies allow more data to be transmitted each second.
To minimize interference, each Wi-Fi frequency is divided into multiple smaller channels. This ensures smoother data transfer, and here’s where the real magic of computer science takes over. When you open a webpage or request any online content, your device first converts that request into binary code—the 1s and 0s that form the foundation of all computer operations. Your device’s Wi-Fi chip then translates this binary data into radio wave signals, which travel through the designated channels to your router.
The router receives those signals, converts them back into binary, and then translates the code into the Internet data you requested. That information is retrieved via the router’s wired connection to your Internet provider. The exchange continues rapidly until your webpage, video, or application loads completely.
What makes this remarkable is the speed at which it all happens. Many routers process data at around 54 Mbps (megabits per second), meaning they can send or receive 54 million bits of binary data—those 1s and 0s—in just one second.
