IEEE 802.11 wireless networks, better known as Wi-Fi, are the beating heart of modern connectivity. From a niche solution for home use to a technological cornerstone for the Internet of Things (IoT), smart cities, and enterprise infrastructure, Wi-Fi has evolved unstoppably. Today, in 2025, the arrival of Wi-Fi 7 (IEEE 802.11be) brings theoretical speeds of over 46 Gbps and latencies of less than a millisecond, but with it comes new challenges: security, interference, and spectrum management. In this article, part of Red Hot Cyber’s Wi-Fi series, we analyze the fundamentals of IEEE 802.11 networks, exploring their architecture, signal behavior, advantages, and limitations.