NetStumbler.com

With 12,000 comments to review, the earliest date that the IEEE Task Group E in the 802.11 Working Group can come out with a 2.0 draft on Draft-N chips is sometime in January 2007, and not next month as many had looked forward to. The panel had already tackled half of the comments as part of the process that has been called “tedious and time-consuming.” One major question is how 802.11n should merge 20MHz channels into a sole 40MHz channel so as to double Wi-Fi signal throughput. Another issue is the inability of Draft-N products to work harmoniously together.
Via [wi-fiplanet.com]

Like other U.S. cities, Boston is hoping to build a citywide Wi-Fi network. The goal is to reduce broadband fees in the area from around $35 to $15 per month. Pamela Reeve, former Lightbridge CEO and a member of Boston’s Wireless Task Force, is in charge of establishing a not-for-profit agency that will manage the 49-square-mile network, which is expected to serve 590,000 residents and will allow for neutral access to third-party providers. Boston hopes to secure between $16 million and $20 million from local businesses, hospitals and universities to fund the project.
Via [vnunet.com]

Socket Communications unveiled its new SDIO (Secure Digital Input/Output) card that allows for 802.11g wireless LAN connectivity in Windows-supported mobile devices. The Go Wi-Fi! P300 card, which comes with Wi-Fi Companion connectivity and management software, is sold for $99. The Socket’s website provides a list of devices that are compatible with this new card.
Via [networkworld.com]

The future of WiMax remains in doubt, as per remarks by analysts. Craig Mathias of research firm Farpoint Group said “there’s just no infrastructure supporting WiMAX today.” In addition, “converged Wi-Fi and cellular networks also give the best of both worlds.” Dave Park, BelAir Networks’ vice president of product development, believes the situation is a chicken-and-egg issue. “You have to have a network to get users, but if you have no users then it’s hard to [build] a network,” Park said. Ellen Kirk, vice president of marketing for mesh networking technology provider Tropos Networks, expects 3G companies to fight the deployment of mobile WiMax as the technology, which has the capability to provide a much faster transmission than 3G, will see it as “a direct competitor to mobile cellular.”
Via [internetnews.com]

At the Black Hat security conference in Las Vegas, two researchers showed how criminals can attack laptops due to a flaw in WiFi card software. David Maynor of SecureWorks and independent researcher Jon Ellch, aka Johnny Cache, opted for a video presentation instead of a live demo so as not to provide too much information that could be taken advantage of by cyber criminals. The video showed how easily Maynor was able to remotely control an Apple Computer MacBook Pro using a Dell laptop due to a flaw in the MacBook’s third-party WiFi card. Maynor clarified that the problem is not unique to Mac units and can also affect those running Windows or Linux.
Via [businessweek.com]

The LiftPort Group is conducting a two-month test to find out if a balloon-based platform can act as a reliable relay of Internet signals in remote regions. The company’s president, Michael Laine, said the Federal Aviation Administration issued a waiver for the trial, which began last week in a rural area near Poulsbo on western Washington’s Kitsap Peninsula. According to Laine, wireless Internet access provider Lightspeed Broadband already expressed interest in the technology. Lightspeed currently has less than 200 subscribers in western Washington and hopes the technology will boost the company’s expansion plans. It intends to offer broadband service for $20 a month should the test becomes a success and the technology is approved by the FAA.

The Wireless Silicon Valley Task Force has chosen MetroFi Inc., VeriLAN Event Services Inc. and Silicon Valley Metro Connect Team to go through the next round of negotiations concerning a plan to provide wireless Internet coverage in the area. Seth Fearey, chief operating officer of the Joint Venture Silicon Valley Network, which assisted in the creation of the 40-city task force, believes the three finalists are capable of undertaking the assignment though it is still unclear “what they are prepared to cover.” Fearey said that issue will be taken up in the next round of discussions. The following round will trim the line-up to two companies — a finalist and a runner-up — with the task force coming out with it’s final approval by the end of August. The recommendation will be reviewed by the full board, and later by the San Mateo Telecommunications Authority, which will prepare the contract. The winning company would then need the approval of all 40 participating cities so it can begin the $75 million project.
Via [sanjose.bizjournals.com]

Green Wi-Fi is looking to develop cheap solar-powered WiFi networks in the hope of bridging the digital divide in developing countries. The non-profit group has obtained funding from the One Laptop Per Child initiative to enable it to build and test prototype nodes, each of which will include a battery-powered router and a solar panel to charge the battery. These nodes, which Green WiFi organizers Bruce Baikie and Marc Pomerleau expect to cost no more than $200 apiece, will be installed on rooftops and will use the 802.11b/g wireless network standard to transmit WiFi signals.
Via [news.com.com]

Intel has discovered flaws in its Centrino’s wireless technology that could make laptops hosting it susceptible to security attacks such as worms. The vulnerabilities, according to a statement by the company, “exist in the Microsoft Windows drivers for the Intel 2200BG and 2915ABG PRO/Wireless Network Connection Hardware because of the way that they currently handle certain frames.” They “could potentially be exploited by attackers within range of the Wi-Fi station to execute arbitrary code on the target system with kernel-level privileges.” Intel’s website provides more information on these security holes.
Via [vnunet.com]

Caltrain declared its trial of uninterrupted wireless Internet access on one of its trains a success. The test forms part of the transit agency’s plan to offer free wireless Internet service on all its trains within a year. Upgraded service, according to Caltrain spokeswoman Rita Haskin, will be available for a fee. The project will use a combination of WiFi antennas and WiMax Internet towers to ensure consistent connection. The agency is hoping that the new initiative will attract more customers, which currently number over 35,000 each weekday.
Via [mercurynews.com]

According to a new study by Juniper Research, Mobile WiMax subscribers will exceed 21 million by 2012, a great leap from next year’s estimate of 1.7 million. The analyst firm ascribed the trend to the growing preference for the technology over its fixed counterpart as well as the relative inexpensiveness of deploying mobile WiMax base stations as compared to cellular solutions. The report indicates that mobile WiMax equipment revenues will soar to $2.53 billion by 2012.
Via [networks.silicon.com]

The city of Burbank in California is one of the many the cities in the U.S. that currently offer free WiFi service to residents and visitors. The downtown area has 12 access points and is expected to have nine more in the coming months. Getting a strong-enough signal, however, is very difficult, with the highest level, as per an assessment, reaching only 31 percent. This common problem has not deterred many other cities to go the wireless route. They believe free WiFi will attract customers and investments and therefore promote the growth of the local economy.
Via [latimes.com]

The Florida Department of Transportation plans to offer free WiFi service to traveling motorists. Under the project, 50 to 60 Wi-Fi hotspots will be placed at various sites — rest stops, turnpike plazas, welcome centers and truck weigh stations — on interstate 95 and other major highways in the state. The plan also involves installing firewalls on the system, imposing a 30-minute limit for users, and, possibly, providing internet-capable computers for travellers who do not have their own wireless devices. The agency is now talking with Texas-based Coach Connect to provide the service. According to a DOT spokesman, Coach Connect will earn revenues from advertising.
Via [cbronline.com]

UK’s largest free municipal wireless network, Norfolk Open Link, is now up and running. Kurt Frary, Open Link project manager for Norfolk County Council, claimed that the pilot system is “the first network of its type to tackle both urban and rural areas at once.” The East of England Development Agency financed the project, whose free broadband coverage has now extended to council employees and the general public from the original plan that limits it to local businesses. The network is placed atop the County Hall and is supported by a “pre-WiMax” 5.8GHz connection for backhaul and between-the-mesh nodes connectivity. Norfolk Open Link believes the project is not in any way competing with private sector services. “We’re not selling a service and we’re not competing with telcos, because it’s an outside wireless network,” Frary stressed. Under the plan, council employees and businesses that agree to give full feedback on their use will get 1Mbps in connection speed, while the remaining users will be restricted to 256Kbps.
Via [news.zdnet.co.uk]

EarthLink is looking to clinch a contract for a 23-square-mile wireless network in Pasadena, California. The Pasadena deal, if it pushes through, will be the ISP’s fourth muni-wireless contract in the state — the company is likewise running similar projects in Anaheim, Milpitas and San Francisco. Earthlink launched its first Californian network in Anaheim, which became operational in late June. It also has ongoing WiFi projects in Philadelphia and New Orleans.
Via [wirelessweek.com]