Beyond Everywhere: How Wi-Fi Became the World’s Most Beloved Technology

Greg Ennis

korr 2023 · Post Hill Press

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Eighteen billion Wi-Fi devices are in use around the world, with four billion more added every year. Connecting everyone to everything, it is central to our lives today. How did this happen? Beyond Everywhere is the surprising story in its entirety: the techno/political conflicts at its birth, the battles against competing technologies as it was being nurtured, and the international diplomatic intrigue as it spread across the planet. This vivid narrative about the people who gave Wi-Fi to the world is told with humor, insight, and charm by one of Wi-Fi’s key developers.

 

“An accessible account of how Wi-Fi tech became a crucial part of our work, society, and lives.”

—Kirkus Reviews

 

“Whether you are a fan of technology or simply a fan of great storytelling, you will be captivated by Beyond Everywhere, the heretofore untold story of how the fundamental Wi-Fi connectivity we all rely on came to be. Because of his unique and longstanding position at the very center of the Wi-Fi world, there is no one better than Greg Ennis to tell this dramatic tale. Now synonymous with the internet itself—and with billions of users—the Wi-Fi story has finally been told.”

    —Edgar Figueroa, President and CEO, Wi-Fi Alliance

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For twenty-five years, until his retirement as Vice President of Technology for the Wi-Fi Alliance, Greg Ennis was at the very center of the Wi-Fi industry. In 1993, Ennis and two co-authors developed the technical proposal that was voted in by the IEEE 802.11 committee as the foundation for the Wi-Fi standard, beating out nine competing proposals from IBM and others. He then served as Chief Technical Editor for that Wi-Fi standard and was awarded by IEEE a “Certificate of Appreciation—in grateful acknowledgment of his outstanding contributions.” In 1999, Ennis and a handful of colleagues founded the Wi-Fi Alliance (“the international network of companies that bring you Wi-Fi”) and from the very beginning, he held that organization’s lead technical position until retiring in 2016. Ennis has been inducted into the Wi-Fi Alliance Hall of Fame. He currently lives with his wife in the beautiful Sierra foothills, just below Yosemite.