How does Wi-Fi connect devices to the internet wirelessly?

Wi-Fi connects devices to the internet using radio waves, just like a walkie-talkie.

Imagine you have a toy radio that can talk to another toy radio across the room, that’s kind of how Wi-Fi works, but with bigger toys and more people talking at once. Your phone or tablet is one toy, and your Wi-Fi router is the other toy sending messages.

When you open an app on your phone, it sends a message to the router, like shouting across the room. The router gets that message and sends it on its way to the internet, kind of like passing a note to your friend who then takes it to school. Then the internet sends back what you need, like a reply in a letter.

The messages go through radio waves, which are invisible energy waves that move through the air. Your phone and the router can “hear” these waves, just like how your ears hear sound. That’s why you don’t need any wires, everything talks through the air!