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LOOK, MA--NO WIRES!

It used to be that your telephone received signals through a copper line and your television from an antenna. Then came cell phones and cable TV, and that which was wired became wireless, and vice versa. Now the wireless revolution is coming to the Internet, enabling road warriors and home users alike to roam the Web with no strings--or cables--attached. Wi-fi is not perfect--setup is clunky and the range limited--yet it's fast becoming not just a nifty new technology but a way of life. Find out why.

LEARNING OFF-LINE A08 A school in Brooklyn, N.Y., struggles with the ups and downs of going wireless

WI-FI HITS THE ROAD A16 At RV parks that offer it, the wireless Web is more popular than the pool

WHERE'S THE BUZZ? A20 Thousands of Starbucks stores are wi-fi hot spots. Why isn't the service a hit?

ALL BUSINESS ALL THE TIME A23 A wireless network may boost office productivity--but at what cost?

GLOBAL HOT SPOTS A26 PHOTO ESSAY: By the end of the year, some 30,000 wireless networks will be in place from Bali to the Baltics

NO PAYMENT NECESSARY A33 What ever happened to the movement to create a network of free wi-fi nodes?

HOME IMPROVEMENT A36 A step-by-step guide to setting up your own secure network

ASSORTED FLAVORS A38 All wireless standards are not created equal. See how wi-fi stacks up

BUYER'S GUIDE A40 Wireless cameras, PDAs, music systems, bathroom scales--and more

A DAY WITH MY WIFE A42 Joshua Macht tells how getting wi-fi at home nearly wrecked his marriage

*TIME ONLINE EDITION

WEB EXTRAS Can't get enough of the wireless world? We've got more online. Visit TIME.com for additional stories, photos, how-to and commentary: www.time.com/wireless