Listen to my interview on “The Signal” podcast from the Wi-Fi Alliance — available on Spotify
“An accessible account of how Wi-Fi tech became
a crucial part of our work, society, and lives.”
—Kirkus Reviews
Beyond Everywhere
How Wi-Fi became the world’s
most beloved technology
Billions of people rely upon Wi-Fi every day. With 18 billion Wi-Fi devices around the globe, and with 4 billion more sold every year, it supports over half of all internet traffic. But we all simply take it for granted -- our ever-present companion, so prevalent as to be virtually “beyond everywhere”, working exactly the same in Cairo, Beijing, and Tierra del Fuego, in planes and cars, hotels and shops, connecting laptops, cellphones, TVs, cameras, thermostats and just about everything else. How did this come to be?
Beyond Everywhere tells the entire dramatic Wi-Fi story, spanning two decades and three continents -- its origins including an FBI sting operation, the intense battles among rivals as the standard was being developed, to its final explosive success all over the globe. Written by one of Wi-Fi’s key players, this is the definitive inside story of how Wi-Fi became the world’s most beloved technology.
by Greg Ennis
RELEASED ON JULY 18, 2023!
Paperback, Hardcover, Audiobook and Kindle versions
available NOW at Amazon
What People Are Saying
“Whether you are a fan of technology or simply a fan of great storytelling, you will be captivated by Beyond Everywhere, the heretofore untold story of how the fundamental Wi-Fi connectivity we all rely on came to be. Because of his unique and longstanding position at the very center of the Wi-Fi world, there is no one better than Greg Ennis to tell this dramatic tale, from the very beginnings of Wi-Fi to its surprising explosion across the globe. In this marvelous book, Ennis portrays in captivating detail the pivotal episodes that brought Wi-Fi into our lives and brings to life the key players in the technical and political battles that determined its ultimate victory. Now synonymous with the Internet itself, and with billions of users, the Wi-Fi story has finally been told.”
— Edgar Figueroa, President and CEO, Wi-Fi Alliance, 2007-2022
“In Beyond Everywhere, Greg Ennis eloquently presents the complete story of Wi-Fi–how it developed from a relatively small-scale project to the now ubiquitous technology that enables modern life in the form of streaming video, connected appliances, and Zoom calls with distant coworkers and family members. Ennis was not a detached observer of this drama. He was one of the original developers of wireless LAN technology and for sixteen years served in the chief technical leadership position for the Wi-Fi Alliance. From this ringside seat, Ennis details the many potential minefields that nearly blocked the creation of a worldwide standard. If not for the efforts of Ennis and his colleagues, there would not be the seamless connection we now experience across various devices, localities, and nation states. Greg Ennis narrates this harrowing journey in a way that will reward everyone from those who have a casual interest in technology to the more serious historians of science.”