"So what is WiFi?"

Wi-Fi is wireless networking - the ability to connect to a network or PC using radio (as opposed to network cabling). It's faster and has a greater range than Bluetooth, and is ideal for home or office connectivity. Using a Wi-Fi setup with your PDA or laptop means that you can share a broadband or dialup Internet connection, swap files, or share a printer or CD ROM between computer users.

Wi-Fi comes in two speeds: 802.11b (data transfer rates up to 11 megabits per second) or the newer to 54 mbps, 802.11g (data transfer rates up to 54 megabits per second). This compares with Bluetooth's 0.57 megabits per second. Devices based on the new 802.11g standard are backwards compatible with 802.11b equipment, may be a better investment.

Wi-Fi 802.11 is in the 2.4GHz frequency band (as with Bluetooth and microwave ovens), and has a typical range of around 500 feet (with clear line of site). Indoors, you can expect around 150 feet.

"What is Bluetooth?" I hear you ask yourself

Bluetooth is a wireless technology that allows computers, phones and other devices to talk to each other over short distances (typically about 10 meters). Bluetooth uses radio waves (in the 2.4 Gigahertz range), and is designed to be a secure and inexpensive way of connecting between devices without wires.

You'll find Bluetooth in mobile phones, handheld computers, laptops, printers, handheld organisers, and all sorts of products. As it uses a common protocol, transmission of data (and voice) between two Bluetooth devices should be straightforward, as long as the devices have the software to cope with supporting the same service (such as exchanging business cards, sending data over a modem, sending voice from a headset to a mobile phone). Bluetooth is of a lower speed and power than 802.11b), used for wireless networking (Wi-Fi).