ELI5: How does WiFi work?

Imagine your phone and your home internet router are like you and your friend wanting to talk, but you're not standing next to each other.

• WiFi is like a special walkie-talkie system.

1. You want to see a funny cat video. You tell your phone, "Hey, get me that cat video!". Your phone whispers this request using its WiFi walkie-talkie. It changes the request into a secret code (like Morse code, but much faster) using radio waves.

1. The router, listening for any whispers, hears your phone's request. It's like the friend who is always listening for his name.

1. The router then says, "Okay, I'll get that for you!" using its own WiFi walkie-talkie. However, the router doesn't have the cat video itself.

1. The router is connected to the internet, like a super-fast delivery service. It asks the internet for the cat video.

1. The internet finds the cat video and sends it back to the router.

1. The router then whispers the cat video back to your phone using its WiFi walkie-talkie, again using secret code over radio waves.

1. Your phone receives the whisper, decodes it, and shows you the cat video!