How fast does Wi-Fi travel (eg type used to communicate with Mars Rovers) compared to light speed?
Wi Fi is radio transmission, therefore it travels at light speed. But you do not communicate with the Mars rovers through Wi Fi, the range of those low power units is just not enough. Speed of transmission depends on two things: the media and the distance involved — at light speed, communicating with Mars takes 4 to 20 minutes depending on the relative position of the planets — and how much information is communicated per unit of time, the rate of transmission. To make a parallel, if you speak very slowly, no matter how fast the speed of sound is, the message gets there slowly. And the rate that one can use depends on how many times the same bit of information must be sent to ensure it is well received, and the frequency used — higher frequency allows more data to go through.
