What’s WAP?

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WAP is a simplified browsing method used on mobile devices, allowing for faster loading times. The WAP protocol stack involves five processes, streamlining websites by removing large graphics and scripts. WAP-enabled devices optimize internet usage and are important due to slower processing speeds.

Wireless Application Protocol (WAP) is a special type of information retrieval and Internet browsing method used exclusively in mobile devices, such as telephones and personal digital assistants (PDAs). When a WAP-enabled device accesses a website, its request goes through several processes and fetches a stripped-down version of the website, which improves loading times. Without this, information retrieval would be both difficult and slow. The simplification means that the website will not include some or many of the functions it would have if a desktop computer were used to visit the same website, but will allow the mobile device to search the website at a relatively high speed.

Most of the modern mobile devices came types of Internet access programs. When a computer user visits a website, the computer goes directly to the server and retrieves the website information, but a WAP device has to go through several processes. These processes limit the functionality of the website and reduce the size of the site, but allow the website to load quickly on a mobile device. Collectively, the processes are called the WAP protocol stack and involve five distinct processes.

The wireless application environment contains protocol coding and web site search. In the wireless session protocol, the mobile device determines whether the website requires the phone and the website to talk to each other or if there can be a streaming connection without talking. Next, in the wireless transaction protocol, the mobile device works to facilitate the data transfer. Security is needed, so because some websites are riddled with viruses, wireless transport layer security offers browser-like security measures at scale. The wireless datagram protocol adapts the WAP website to the network operator.

Most websites will go through the WAP protocol stack, so the website will be streamlined. This means that apart from the navigation, only simple graphics and text will remain. Large graphics and scripts that create special effects are usually removed from the website so as not to clog the data flow of the mobile device. The functionality may be a problem for some websites, but these limitations are usually beneficial for the mobile device.

Mobile devices have much slower processing speeds than full-sized computers, which is why the wireless application protocol is so important. Loading a website on a non-WAP-enabled phone can take five to 10 times longer, depending on the signal strength and size of the website. Internet usage, such as checking e-mail, are optimized by using a WAP-enabled device.




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