RV FEATURE
If you run through the list of things invented by Australians, I’ ll bet that a wi-fi wireless network wouldn’ t be one that comes to mind. Yet the truth is, back in 1989( that’ s 37 years ago, in case you were wondering), a team of Aussie scientists working at the CSIRO began developing wireless local area network( LAN) technology. Just three years later, a team led by a bloke named John O’ Sullivan made a prototype wireless LAN, or WLAN. That work led to the CSIRO lodging a patent for the wi-fi protocol. The wi-fi network you have in your home today is a direct development of the work of those Aussie scientists.
It is difficult to imagine what our lives would be like without wi-fi in our homes or at work but, for some reason, many travellers manage to do without it in their caravans. Perhaps it’ s the need to get away from technology and enjoy the great outdoors. Or maybe they don’ t realise just how useful a wi-fi network can be in their caravans.
This month, in the second of our four-part series on caravan information technology, we look at the ins and outs of setting up a wi-fi network in your caravan and some of the amazing things you can do with it.
THE BASIC PURPOSE OF WI-FI
If you think about the wi-fi network in your home or at work, it is there to allow all the connected devices to share resources and data. The main shared resource is your internet connection. That bit is obvious. But you may also have a printer that can be shared by anyone on the network. You might also have devices or appliances you can control, such as a robot vacuum cleaner or even a garage door.
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