Eli5:Is WiFi an actual physical thing? If no, then how do companies charge money for it? If yes, what is it?
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WiFi is a radio signal (or more so a specific code for radios to speak in). A device to speak in this code of course costs money, just like any device costs money, but communication alone is useless.
Having a box in my cabinet which can communicate with my computer is useless unless that box has access to information which my computer wants. For most people, that information is ‘the internet’, which is a rat’s nest of cables and computers encompassing the entire globe. These cables and computers cost money to maintain and are owned by people and companies. When you pay for internet, you pay the company which maintains your connection to the internet, and in exchange they continue to do so.
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