It seems that everywhere you turn in the world of technology, some new product is coming out and touting its revolutionary “wireless” capabilities.

Computers, cell phones, game consoles, and even toys are going wireless. If the makers of high-tech gadgets have their way, all the wires connecting us to each other, to the Internet, to our printers, scanners, Bluetooth-enabled headsets, to our TV, and even to our power grid will soon be a thing of the past.

Wireless as a generic term, though, usually refers to wireless Internet access. Connecting to a network via a cable is becoming the exception rather than the rule in many homes and offices. More and more wireless “hot spots” are popping up at many locations, including coffee shops, fast food restaurants, public buildings, college campuses, and apartment complexes, to name just a few.

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However, even as wireless proliferation seems poised to skyrocket, more and more people are “locking down” their wireless access points. Restaurants and coffee shops are starting to charge for their access, either forcing customers to input credit-card information or type in codes that are given out when customers purchase an item. College campuses are requiring people to provide student ID numbers or other credentials before signing on. Home users, fearful that someone might use their connection without their knowledge, are enabling WEP encryption on their access points. What this means for us is that although there are more and more access points, there are less and less open access points for us to actually use, which is a shame.

To combat this, several initiatives such have formed whose collective aim is to create as many open access points as possible in urban areas. Arguably the most popular of these organizations is FON, which subsidizes router purchases that are used to provide open access for other FON members.

Another technology, though, is starting to make its way into new laptop computers that also aims to provide an alternative for mobile Internet users. The technology is commonly referred to as WiMax, and it is basically Wi-Fi without the access points.

Of course, this new technology uses access points, but these access points are integrated into cell-phone towers and similar structures, and are far more powerful than traditional access points, allowing people to have Internet access at a much greater distance (up to 70 miles away). This technology is being considered as a possible method for getting high-speed access to people who are outside of cable and DSL coverage areas, as well as a high-speed connection for mobile users.

Right now the technology is still in its infancy. Companies are just starting to build the necessary infrastructure. As time goes on, though, more providers will be deploying WiMax networks, and more and more PCs will come with the new technology built-in, just as nearly every laptop sold today includes regular Wi-Fi capabilities.

Eventually, WiMax or some variant may replace traditional Wi-Fi altogether and we’ll have so much Wi-Fi proliferation that we’ll be able to get a signal almost anywhere. We will all look back in wonder at the days when we had to plug in to the network, just as many of us remember “dialing up” to the Internet, or not having Internet access at all. Either way, though, wireless is here to stay and the days of limited connectivity are numbered.