Cutting Loose; Believe the hype. Wi-Fi technology may well change the world, mostly because of the efforts of those who, like its creators, are seeking out the rebel potential of wireless.(Cover Story)

Byline: Steven Levy

In the '90s, people went bananas about wireless. Electronic communications once thought bound permanently to the world of cables and hard-wired connections suddenly were sprung free, and the possibilities seemed endless. Entrenched monopolies would fall, and a new uncabled era would usher in a level of intimate contact that would not only transform business but change human behavior. Such was the view by the end of that groundbreaking decade--the 1890s.

To be sure, the sepia-toned hype of those days wasn't all hot air. Marconi's "magic box" and its contemporaneous inventions kicked off an era of profound changes, not the least of which was the advent of broadcasting. So it does seem strange that a century later, the buzz once more is about how wireless will change everything. And once again, the commotion is justified. Changes are afoot that are arguably as earth shattering as the world's first wireless transformation.

Certainly a huge part of this revolution comes from untethering the most powerful communication tools of our time. Between our mobile phones, our BlackBerries and Treos, and our Wi-Fi'd computers, we're always on and always connected--and soon our cars and our appliances will be, too. While there has been considerable planning for how people will use these tools and how they'll pay for them, the wonderful reality is that, as with the Internet, much of the action in the wireless world will ultimately emerge from the imaginative twists and turns that are possible when digital technology trumps the analog mind-set of telecom companies and government regulators.

Wi-Fi is itself a shining example of how wireless innovation can shed the tethers of conventional wisdom. At one point, it was assumed that when people wanted to use wireless devices for things other than conversation, they'd have to rely on the painstakingly drawn, investment-heavy standards adopted by the giant corporations that rake in the dough through your monthly phone bill. But then some geeks came up with a new communications standard exploiting an unlicensed part of the spectrum (the wonks at the U. S. Federal Communications Commission called it "junk band," stuff designated for techno-flotsam like microwave ovens and cordless phones). It was called 802.11, and only later sexed up with the Wi-Fi moniker.

Though the range of signal was only some dozens of meters, Wi-Fi turned out to be a great way to wirelessly extend an Internet connection in the home or office. A new class of activist was born: the bandwidth liberator, with a goal of ...