How does Wi-Fi work?

Wi-Fi lets devices communicate wirelessly by sending and receiving data as radio waves. A router connected to the internet converts data into radio signals and broadcasts them; your phone or laptop has a small antenna that picks up these signals and converts them back into usable data, and vice versa. Wi-Fi typically operates on frequencies around 2.4 and 5 gigahertz. The waves travel only a limited distance and weaken through walls, which is why signal strength drops the farther you are from the router.