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News that's changing the Wireless World!
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Monday, November 10, 2003 |
Source: Wi-Fi Networking News
FCC Chairman Complex Counter-Revolutionary
One thing's for certain: you can't call Michael Powell, the chairman of the FCC, anything but smart: Powell is simultaneously the strongest advocate for innovative uses of wireless spectrum that has ever held the office of chairman, while also an incredible defender of big media and its desires. This article goes a long way towards reconciling the two sides, while painting a clear picture of his deep intelligence....
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10:20:01 PM 
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Source: Wi-Fi Networking News
Integrating VOIP, Wi-Fi, and Cell
Jim Louderback writes about Intel's experiments and hurdles in merging VOIP, Wi-Fi, and cellular communications in a single device: Problems abound, which Intel's researchers are working on solving, including when and how you hand a call off from cell to Wi-Fi as networks become available. Another issue is where handoffs happen: the corporate switch? the cell provider's switch?...
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8:46:40 PM
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Source: Wi-Fi Networking News
Security Starts to Ramp Up
Business Week notes that the Wi-Fi security market is heating up: As companies get more serious about deploying and more informed about the risks, money is flowing to companies that provide security solutions for local networks and roaming users....
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8:45:31 PM
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Source: Wi-Fi Networking News
Dell Offers Unlimited GPRS with New Card and T-Mobile
Dell's new card for tri-mode GPRS is $99, but it allows unlimited GPRS use on T-Mobile's network for $30 per month: The card works on Dell Latitude and Inspiron notebooks, and you can subscribe to either AT&T Wireless or T-Mobile for service. However, AT&T's plan starts at $30 per month for 10 Mb, while T-Mobile's offering is $30 per month for unlimited usage or $50 per month for unlimited GPRS and hotspot use on T-Mobile's network. Here's an important note, however: the unlimited GPRS for no additional fee does require activation and a one-year commitment, but it also only includes T-Mobile's GPRS network. How extensive that network is, I'm not sure, but the question is whether or not you're informed when you're roaming and using GPRS: can you just not connect or are you charged some enormous rate without knowing about?...
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4:12:21 PM
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Source: Wi-Fi Networking News
Free Austin
This Austin Statesman story ran last week; if you missed it, it's worth checking out: Austin has a thriving Wi-Fi community, many of whom believe that hot spots should be free. One group of volunteers that will set up a hot spot for venue, sometimes using donated gear. I talked to Rich MacKinnon, the founder of Less Networks and a driving force behind Austin’s free networks movement, and was impressed by his passion and drive. While this article points out that the free hot spots in Austin are often more crowded then the cafes where you have to pay to get online, I still think that ultimately there will be space for both free and fee. The trick will be offering something worth paying for in the fee sites, such as added security or guaranteed bandwidth....
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4:12:20 PM
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Source: Wi-Fi Networking News
Norway Airports Get Wi-Fi
Proxim said it will provide the gear for hot spots in all of Norway’s airports: The networks should be live by the end of the year. It's not clear how many airports are part of this deal but it may just include four....
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4:12:18 PM
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Source: Wi-Fi Networking News
Broadreach Networks in the Zone
Broadreach says it has built Britain's first Wi-Fi zone: The multi-hot spot area stretches through a region of London. Until the end of the year the zone will be free to use, which is a bit limiting given that the weather will probably be too crappy for many to want to sit outside between now and the end of the year....
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4:12:17 PM
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Source: Wi-Fi Planet
iPass Gets Fries and a Shake
McDonald's has yet to pick an overall provider as it experiments with hotspots, but one clear winner has emerged: business users of the iPass service will get access at all of the restaurant's McD Wireless hotspots now and in the future.
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4:12:16 PM
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Source: Wi-Fi Networking News
U.K. Rails Getting Wi-Fi
Broadreach is building Wi-Fi hot spots in 20 stations along Virgin's west coast rail line in the U.K.: The hot spots will just cover the stations. The article says the network will "likely" use satellite for the downstream and cellular for the up. The operator of the east coast line in the U.K., GNER, is also building hot spots over its stations. Busy train lines in the U.S. should be working on this too. One in San Jose already is, but I haven't heard of any Wi-Fi coverage over lines on the east coast along busy corridors around Washington, D.C., or New York....
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4:12:15 PM
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Source: Wi-Fi Networking News
Wi-Fi With Wires
d&name=News&file=article&sidg2&mode=thread&order=0&thold=0 ">The companies developing technology that uses existing electrical wiring in a house to build a network seem doomed for failure: When Wi-Fi is cheap, easy and better, why bother using one of these HomePlug solutions? With Wi-Fi you can hang out anywhere and get online, instead of only next to an outlet. Seems like a no-brainer. Before Wireless Distribution System (WDS) became widespread this year, a HomePlug bridge might have made sense to avoid running wire between access points. That's now moot....
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4:12:13 PM
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Source: Wi-Fi Networking News
Intel Buys into Bluetooth
Intel bought Mobilian, a Hillsboro, Oregon chip maker: The acquisition will allow Intel to integrate Bluetooth into 802.11b chips. Mobilian's combined 802.11b/Bluetooth chip is designed for cell phones. Intel's processor supported Bluetooth, but didn't offer it. Maybe we'll see more Intel acquisitions as the company plays catch up to its competitors....
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4:12:12 PM
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Source: Wi-Fi Networking News
Portugal Launches Huge Hot Zone
Lisbon's Parque das Nações becomes massive Wi-Fi zone with 100 mesh access points covering 100 hecatres/250 acres: The park was the site of the 1998 World's Fair, and access will be free for the first six months. It then moves into a vendor-neutral host position in which any wireless ISP can resell access. The network will divide itself into VLANs with unique SSIDs for each WISP -- a very clever idea, indeed, because VLANs with unique SSIDs can run as an overlay on a single infrastructure. The project is backed by the government and the agency running the park. Portugal is well on the way to becoming the most egalitarian promoter of Wi-Fi usage in the world, through its subsidies and loans for laptop purchase by students, implementation of networks at universities, and generally encouraging attitude towards this uptake....
Source Link
4:12:11 PM
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Source: Wi-Fi Planet
Bringing Testing to the Big WLANs
Azimuth Systems is bringing testing products to 802.11 networks so enterprises and even Wi-Fi product vendors can make sure their equipment can scale upward as the LAN grows.
Source Link
10:04:14 AM
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Source: Wi-Fi Networking News
3Com Has Three-Mode Solutions
3Com will shortly ship its a/b/g enterprise products: Proxim was first out of the gate with 802.11g enterprise gear, and 3Com now has a full line-up that they say will ship this month. The retail prices are quite extraordinarily high, and the question is whether in an age of commoditization in which a $100 consumer box handles WPA (TKIP), 802.1X, and other advanced features, whether you have enough value added in the enterprise realm to charge $750 for a more robust, more network-manageable version of the same thing....
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9:53:43 AM
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Last Update: 12/1/2003; 5:10:44 AM
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