With commercial rollouts of Wi-Fi technology in planes fast approaching, users of laptops in cabins–as well as other public places–have been warned about an easy-to-overlook security threat: shoulder surfing. Via [zdnet.com.com]… Continue Reading
Author Archives: Wayne Slavin
Hackers War Drive Into Wireless
Security weaknesses of 802.11 LANs will be addressed in three separate sessions, and include ways to defeat wireless encryption protocol (WEP), detecting attacks against 802.11 networks, and installing rogue access points in existing LANs. Via [newsfactor.com]… Continue Reading
Sprint PCS To Offer Public WiFi
Sprint Corp. plans to offer high-speed wireless Internet access in the U.S. for laptops equipped with WiFi by the end of summer, joining a growing number of major phone companies that have embraced the hot technology. Via [globetechnology.com]… Continue Reading
Hot Spots Elude RIAA Dragnet
Early last spring, NYCWireless co-founder Anthony Townsend got a note in the mail saying that someone on his network had been violating copyright laws. Via [news.com.com]… Continue Reading
Intersil Quits ‘Overcrowded’ WiFi, Finds Sucker To Buy
The writing is on the wall for WiFi chip suppliers. The WLAN market may be about to boom, but the main beneficiaries of the boom look like being Cisco and Intel – so Intersil has sold off its Prism line of chips to someone who thinks they can out-think those two giants. Via [theregister.co.uk]… Continue Reading
As WiFi Surges, Asia-Pacific To Outpace North America
There will be 28,000 WiFi hotspots around the world by the end of this year, and more than 160,000 of them in four years, Allied Business Intelligence said Thursday, and it predicted that in five years the Asia-Pacific region will have more wireless hotspots than North America. Via [pacific.bizjournals.com]… Continue Reading
Kensington WiFi Finder Helps Locate Hotspots
Home handypeople may be familiar with the “StudSensor,” a device that uses ultrasonic signals to find wooden studs behind the sheetrock in the walls of your house. Now computer peripheral maker Kensington has introduced an alternative for users looking for Wi-Fi (Wireless Fidelity) connections when they’re on the road: The WiFi Finder, a handheld wireless… Continue Reading
Wi-Fi Pushes Beyond The Laptop
Manufacturers are adding Wi-Fi wireless connections to media adapters that let home electronics equipment play music or show photos stored on personal computers. Via [asia.cnet.com]… Continue Reading
McDonald’s Starts WiFi Access In Bay Area
McDonald’s became the first fast-food chain Tuesday to offer high-speed wireless Internet in the Bay Area, another sign that the wireless technology is spreading from geek techies to mainstream. Via [siliconvalley.com]… Continue Reading
Sit, Sip And Surf
Will Wi-Fi change the way you access the Net? Some companies think so, but for now, your options are limited. Via [sptimes.com]… Continue Reading
Wireless Hunters On The Prowl
Mike Outmesguine leans against a Chevy Suburban packed with Wi-Fi, GPS and ham radio gadgets, gazing out at the necklace of hilltop radio towers that surround Los Angeles’ Chinatown. Via [wired.com]… Continue Reading
Souped-up Wi-Fi Handset Includes Web Browsing And Email
A Japanese manufacturer has released a Wi-Fi mobile phone that carries voice via VoIP but also gives access to Web browsing and email. Via [news.zdnet.co.uk]… Continue Reading
Wi-Fi Crime Fighters
For several years, police departments have used low-bandwidth wireless systems to check on suspect IDs and vehicle license plates. Cellular carriers are now promoting faster technologies, the so-called third-generation, or 3G, networks such as general packet radio service (GPRS) that offer modem-like speeds. But that’s still not enough for transmitting photos or case records. Via… Continue Reading
Gartner Projects Rapid Growth For Hot Spots
The number of wireless LAN (WLAN) hot spots worldwide will more than double by 2005, but the services are unlikely to reach “critical mass” until three to five years from now, according to a Gartner Inc. analyst. Via [computerworld.com.au]… Continue Reading
Get Free Wi-Fi, While It’s Hot
Over the years, I’ve seen a handful of news items and at least one documentary on water divining. Usually the practice proliferates during droughts. It involves a tool such as a forked or Y-shaped stick and someone—a dowser—who can use the tool to find water underground. The tail end of the Y bends down when… Continue Reading