A review of the history of WiFi
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Wi-Fi was not the first method of wireless data transfer between nearby devices. The first PDAs used infrared, which allowed for syncing calendar appointments and email inboxes, for example. But infrared is directional, so to connect the PDA and PC, you had to point the infrared adapter and stand still for several seconds. -
As a curious fact, the wireless Telex already sent data by air, surely before that time. It is closer to a fax than to a 56K modem but it was the first wireless data method for the general public (for companies with money at the beginning, let's go).
Salu2.