The WLAN Project Team (L-R): Mr Graham Daniels, Dr John O'Sullivan, Dr Terry Percival, Mr Diet Ostry, Mr John Deane.

Wireless LANs

CSIRO's wireless invention lies at the heart of what is now the most popular way to connect computers without wires. It is used in offices, public buildings, homes and coffee shops - often called 'WiFi Hotspots'.

• 5 May 2009 | Updated 14 October 2011

Background

The invention came out of CSIRO's pioneering work in radioastronomy. That work involved complex mathematics known as 'fast Fourier transforms' as well as detailed knowledge about radio waves and their behaviour in different environments.

Indoor environments are particularly difficult for the rapid exchange of large amounts of data using radio waves. CSIRO solved these problems in a unique way at a time when many of the major communications companies around the world were trying, but with less success, to solve the same problem.

CSIRO's invention was granted a US patent in 1996. There are corresponding patents in 18 other countries.

The technology was first embodied in an industry standard in 1999 (called IEEE 802.11a) and later in other standards (IEEE 802.11g and IEEE 802.11 draft n).

As well as computers, it is now used to connect wirelessly many electrical and electronic devices including printers, game consoles, TV sets and phones. Forecasters predict that there are likely to be more than a billion devices sold worldwide over the next several years using the technology invented by CSIRO scientists.