Author Archives: Wayne Slavin

Mars Wants Wi-Fi!

It’s a great story and a defining public relations opportunity for Wi-Fi infrastructure vendor Tropos Networks. Via [wi-fiplanet.com]Continue Reading

Wi-Fi Roadshow To Tempt Firms Into Wireless

Representatives from the industry plan to descend on cities across Britain over the coming weeks to combat the continued reluctance of companies to install and use Wi-Fi. Via [news.zdnet.co.uk]Continue Reading

Vendor Group Aims To Boost Voice Over Wi-Fi

A group of suppliers led by SpectraLink is pushing the IEEE to set up a study group for a future voice over Wi-Fi standard. The companies were hopeful that their proposal would be adopted at the currently ongoing IEEE summit in Vancouver, Canada, though sources believe that is unlikely to happen. Via [theregister.co.uk]Continue Reading

Will Pressure To Speed Up 802.11n Wreck Standards Process?

This week sees a major IEEE meeting in Vancouver, Canada, with high hopes that the standards body will accelerate progress on several of its key specifications. There is particular pressure to speed up the development of the 802.11n extension to Wi-Fi, which will support speeds of up to 108Mbps, since vendors are already pre-empting thisContinue Reading

Free Wi-Fi May Be In The Cards

The future of Wi-Fi may be playing out in a quiet neighborhood in Austin, Texas. At a Starbucks Corp. store, Wi-Fi users fire up their laptops and log onto the Internet. At nearby Schlotzsky’s, the sandwich shop’s patrons likewise log onto the Web. The difference? Starbucks charges $40 a month for the privilege; at Schlotzky’s,Continue Reading

Intel Updates Centrino With New Wi-Fi Part

Chipmaker Intel is making new Wi-Fi parts available in its Centrino bundle of chips so that PC makers can use the latest Wi-Fi standard in their notebooks. Via [news.com.com]Continue Reading

Wireless Lamp Posts Take Over World!

Computerised lamp posts look like being the basis of the biggest data network ever, as the world’s traffic monitors set about controlling cars with wireless. And the result could be an absolute windfall for a startup company which, it seems, owns all the relevant patents. Via [theregister.co.uk]Continue Reading

US Players To Shake Up Europe’s Pricey WiFi Scene

A fierce battle is looming to win the hearts, minds and wallets of the burgeoning army of European corporate WiFi road warriors. Although wireless roaming is still in its infancy, existing high service tariffs are likely to fall as competition heats up from North American market entrants, the latest report from London-based consultancy BroadGroup predicts.Continue Reading

Wi-Fi Buyer Beware

Wi-Fi security is complicated, and it takes a lot of work to implement it right. If not done correctly, WPA and WEP may work on your device but will not interoperate with others. Via [enterprise-security-today.newsfactor.com]Continue Reading

SMC Launches New 802.11a/b/g Router

SMC Networks Inc. launched a new wireless router Wednesday, aimed at users who want to share multimedia files on different computers over a home network. Via [infoworld.com]Continue Reading

Dell Preparing Axim X3 With Bluetooth, Wi-Fi

The U.S. Federal Communications Commission (FCC) has approved for sale in the U.S. an Axim X3 personal digital assistant (PDA) from Dell Inc. with both a Bluetooth and an 802.11b chip, according to documents posted on the FCC Web site. Via [infoworld.com]Continue Reading

For Now, Wi-Fi Is A Hacker’s Delight

You’ve heard of a drive-by shooting, but maybe not drive-by hacking. It’s a worrisome sort of cybercrime in which burglars sit in a car outside a company and use laptop computers with antennas to hack into cash registers and corporate records by snagging data as they travel over the airwaves. Via [businessweek.com]Continue Reading

Britain’s Biggest Wi-Fi Hot Spot Rides The Waves

The Hampshire coastline will soon sport the largest area of commercial Wi-Fi coverage in Britain, spanning a three-mile stretch of water. Via [news.zdnet.co.uk]Continue Reading

European Wi-Fi Tariffs High, Buildout Slow

The average price for one-hour connectivity to public access wireless local area networks in Europe is $8.24, according to a new report by London-based consultancy BroadGroup. In addition, the difference between average pricing for one-hour use and 24-hour-use pricing is 57 percent in Europe, with most pricing categories being prepaid. Via [rcrnews.com]Continue Reading

The Next Big Thing For Wireless?

WiMax is a lot faster than Wi-Fi and has a bigger range — but success isn’t assured. Via [businessweek.com]Continue Reading