The 802.11s task force has gotten down to work. The task force is trying to come up with a mesh networking spec to finally define how to do it. Motorola has already taken the preliminary draft and stated that their software already supports it. As with most standards task forces, this one looks to have some battles brewing between proprietary technologies that want their standard to be the one accepted. In the end they will likely come up with something, but it should be an interesting battle.
Via [wi-fiplanet.com]
Continue reading ‘Motorola Incorporates Mesh Spec’
Archive for April, 2006
Manufacturers are rushing pre 802.11n gear out the door without knowing if the gear will work in 18 months. WiMax is rolling into areas already loaded with wired competition. How are these guys going to make money? Any responsible consumer, unless they have a urgent need for the higher bandwidth of 802.11n and can afford to risk having to replace it, should probobly wait.
Via [vnunet.com]
Continue reading ‘Wireless History Repeats Itself’
ISP’s are facing a problem. Dial-up is dying and broadband is levelling off. How do you get new customers to continue growth? Well, for Earthlink, they are betting thier chips in WiFi in San Francisco, hoping that they can make a go of it. After many years of renting other companies infrastructure, it will be interesting to see how they do with building thier own.
Via [money.cnn.com]
Continue reading ‘Why EarthLink Needs Wi-Fi To Work’
In the good old days of 5 years ago, WiFi was touted as the ‘it’ product that would provide internet service to thousands and start a revolution. Well, it did’nt really happen that way. Alot of early municipal wireless installations never got the market penetration that was expected. However not all was lost as many communities found alternate or unexpected uses from the systems.
Via [usatoday.com]
Continue reading ‘High Hopes Grow For Big, New Wireless Networks’
People like free stuff, and that goes for WiFi services too. A survey of users show that 58% of users only use public hotspots when they are free. The rest presumably are willing to pay. Another interesting fact is that lack of necessity to go online and lack of equipment are bigger reason than price that people don’t use public WiFI. No word though on the confusion of having hundreds of different companies running the hotspots, all with different prices and authentications.
Via [informationweek.com]
Continue reading ‘People Don’t Want To Pay For Public Wi-Fi’
It’s rough out there in the wireless world. Keeping things secure should be a top priority for everyone dealing with WLANs. Thinking about security from the outset makes the job easier. Thinking about end to end security makes it safer.
Via [computerworld.com]
Continue reading ‘How To Keep Your Wireless LANs Safer’
Even WiMax has it’s alphabet soup. 802.16d and 802.16e are both WiMax standards, .16d is fixed, .16e is mobile, and they don’t play nicely together. There are advantages to both, but anyone investing in WiMax should look at 802.16e for a whole host of reasons.
Via [computerworld.com]
Continue reading ‘WiMax d vs. e: The Difference A Letter Makes’
People seem to want to use the internet everywhere, and businesses are listening. In California, the Bay Area Rapid Transit (BART) system has put out a request for proposals on WiFi enabling the 105 mile system. No excuse not to have your presentation for the morning meeting now.
Via [mercurynews.com]
Continue reading ‘Browsing The Net On The Rails’
Aperto, manufacturer of WiMax chipsets, has recieved another $26 Million in funding, making it the most well funded start-up in the WiMax field. With very little delivered so far in terms of product, it will be interesting to see how the market handles this disruptive technology.
Via [redherring.com]
Continue reading ‘Aperto Bags $26M For WiMAX’
As with any new project nowadays, privacy is becoming a concern with the Google-Earthlink plan to provide free WiFi to San Francisco. The debate stems from Google’s plan to pay for the service with targeted ads based on the users location. Since the system will know who’s signed on through user ID’s and will also know thier location, this could easily be logged and become quite a privacy liability. Fortunatly nothing has been built yet and the EFF has stepped up with a list of the minimum requirements the system should meet in terms of privacy.
Via [informationweek.com]
Continue reading ‘Google’s Wi-Fi Plan For San Francisco Stirs Privacy Debate’
HiPath Wireless Advanced, the latest management package for Siemens’ Wi-Fi LAN products, comes with compliance technology built right in; predefined business rules automatically check data for government regulations conformity. Advanced also comes with built-in intrusion and protection capabilities, but rather than a denial of service each time a rogue AP is mistakenly accessed, the Siemens software sends a “disassociate command” to the rogue AP, leaving the network available for legitimate users.
Via [computerworld.com]
Continue reading ‘Siemens Building Compliance Into Wi-Fi’
Fort Wayne, Indiana, is now a “hot zone,” thanks to the Indiana Data Center, an ISP that serves Fort Wayne and its surrounding communities. The wireless distribution system, developed by Colubris Networks, uses dual-radio access points, situated on water towers, hospital rooftops, and fire stations, to cover the downtown area as well as the local airport, coliseum, convention center, hospital, and public library.
Via [informationweek.com]
Continue reading ‘Fort Wayne Gets Wi-Fi ‘Hot Zone’’
The goal of mobile Wi-Fi is, of course, mobility, but seamless connectivity for users who wander about isn’t always completely seamless. In a world where roaming delays exceeding 100 milliseconds aren’t tolerated (wireless voice), and where giving up on one access point before finally finding another can take up to 5 seconds, users should take such delays into account when deploying wireless LAN applications.
Via [wi-fiplanet.com]
Continue reading ‘Is Wi-Fi Roaming Really Seamless?’
Airspace, by its very definition, seems boundless, but apparently it’s not. Next-generation 802.11n WiFi links, in order to achieve top data rates, would be forced to hog already congested bandwidth channels or to “bond” two channels into one, a practice that is already illegal in Japan. Systems using the new standard would be faster even without bonding, but the predicted top rates of up to 600Mbits/sec would depend on it. In addition to increased speed, the new spec will improve both WiFi security and the standard of VoIP calls.
Via [vnunet.com]
Continue reading ‘11n Links ‘Will Hog WiFi Airspace’’
The Problems With Citywide Wireless
Municiple WiFi seems to have a problem. Millions are spent to set it up, but no one wants to pay to use it. This is the problem faced by some municipal and city-wide network installations. The solution seems to be with third party partnerships that allow for advertising and pay-for-higher-speeds plans, as is the case with the Google-Earthlink proposal in San Francisco. Privacy and security are also becoming big factors in the municipal and city-wide WiFi field, with the EFF and EPIC stepping up with proposals for how to run such systems and maintain user privacy.
Via [wi-fiplanet.com]
Continue reading ‘The Problems With Citywide Wireless’