WiFi Does Not Mean “Wireless Fidelity”
You probably think that the term WiFi means “Wireless Fidelity”. Well, technically this is incorrect.
WiFi was simply designed as a logo and a trademark by Wi-Fi Alliance back in 1999 without any additional meaning. Brand names are created to conjure an association in the consumer’s mind and the product is the definition.
Wi-Fi and its letter pattern simply sounded catchy similar to hi-fi which means “High Fidelity”. The link between Wi-Fi and hi-fi does not necessarily must results in “fi” meaning “fidelity”.
Wi-Fi Alliance recognized after the adoption of the name and logo, that it did look like an abbreviation but did not have any plain explanation. They agreed on including a tag line along with the logo and brand name: “The Standard for Wireless Fidelity”.
The public associated the tagline with the brand name now. Phil Belander (WECA Chairman) said back in the days:
“Wi-Fi doesn’t stand for anything. It is not an acronym. There is no meaning.
This tag line was invented after the fact. … The tag line was invented by the initial six member board and it does not mean anything either. … And “Wireless Fidelity” – what does that mean? Nothing. It was a clumsy attempt to come up with two words that matched Wi and Fi. That’s it. By the end of 2000, the pointless tagline was dropped and the term “wireless fidelity” was supposed to disappear into the ether. But somehow, as the Wi-Fi brand gained traction, so did the mistaken notion that it was “short for wireless fidelity.”