A study by Infonetics Research predicted that Wi-Fi IP phone sales will grow to $3.7 billion by 2009, a considerable leap from the 2005 level of $125 million. The trend suggests increasing interest among organizations particularly those with a sizable mobile workforce, such as hospitals. Companies like D-Link, NETGEAR, and Linksys are taking advantage of… Continue Reading
Category Archives: Commentary
Is WiMax Secure?
The IEEE 802.16 committee has introduced mechanisms aimed at minimizing possible security risks associated with WiMax. The committee included support to the Extensible Authentication Protocol (EAP) for 802.16e networks. The amendment is in response to earlier authentication issues. Under the fundamental principle, each subscriber station will carry X.509 certificates that are required for uniquely identifying… Continue Reading
Wi-Fi Cities May Fail To Realise Potential
BT’s Wireless City initiative hopes to make wireless data access pervasive in large U.K. cities such as Newcastle and Birmingham initially as well as six other city centers in the future. The program is limited to allowing local government employees and citizens access to local government content such as tourism information. It does not include… Continue Reading
Windows Vista Supports WiFi Sleep Mode, But Only In A Perfect World
A post by senior product manager Jason Leznek on the Microsoft Windows Vista team blog stating that Vista RTM features a “sleep” function for WiFi connections raised concerns among laptop users. The pre-RC1 version is set to “Medium Power” if a laptop operates on battery power and this default setting carries a “sleep” feature, which… Continue Reading
Is WiMAX Going Places? It Depends Who You Ask
The debate as to whether WiMax will gain global acceptance continues. Intel believes that with the existence of global frequency support for standards-based WiFi and WiMAX, scalable channel bandwidth, and high-performance multiple-antennas, the technology is ready to “bring about mobile communications and rich content across supported networks anywhere in the world. Peter Gardner, technology sector… Continue Reading
WiFi Radiation Is Low-risk
A recent Times of London feature said concerns are increasing over health risks posed by exposure to WiFi radiation. The article is partly based on a report to the Irish Doctors Environmental Association affirming the existence of “a growing, consistent body of literature” suggesting that such kind of radiation causes distressing symptoms to WiFi users.… Continue Reading
The Air Is Free, And Sometimes So Are The Phone Calls That Borrow It
Some consumers are now having a taste of mobile phones that can make calls over the Internet. Companies like Vonage, Skype and T-Mobile are either promoting or selling these devices, which tap WiFi access points, particularly those installed in coffee shops, parks, businesses and homes, to enable calls. Some home network users do not welcome… Continue Reading
WiMAX May Challenge Asia 3G ‘In Five Years’
Analysts believe it will take another five years for WiMax to challenge 3G in the Asia Pacific region. According to In-Stat analyst Bryan Wang, WiMax users will grow to 14 million by 2011. This is just about 8 percent of the Asian 3G market by that time, as per the prediction of Frost & Sullivan… Continue Reading
Wi-Fi’s Secret Packet Loss Revealed
A new Veriwave test debunked notions that wireless standards — 802.11a, 802.11b and 802.11g — have zero error in data transmission. It found an “unavoidable packet loss” due to the fundamental transmission protocol used in wireless networks. The 802.11 standards supposedly have “foolproof” mechanisms that allow for detection of corrupt data and retransmission. The test… Continue Reading
WiMax – Ready To Take On Cellular?
The WiMax World event has one message: both fixed and mobile WiMax are real and companies are ready to supply the market with products using the technology. Mobile WiMax, in particular, is expected to become a hit in 2007 and seen as a major rival to cellular technologies such as EV-DO Revisions B and C… Continue Reading
Security Flaw Could Ground Wi-Fi Users
A group of security researchers discovered a flaw in Broadcom’s BCMWL5.SYS wireless driver that could make a Wi-Fi enabled laptop prone to security risks. The said buffer overflow error could enable hackers to stage kernel-mode code and take advantage of the security opening through the Metasploit Module. The Zeroday Emergency Response Team or ZERT believes… Continue Reading
Bangalore Challenge Spurs Valley WiFi Discussion
The Wireless Silicon Valley task force is looking into plans by Bangalore to become “the second city in the world to be fully WiMax enabled.” Taiwan earlier claimed to be the first city providing its residents wireless connection anywhere, anytime. The subject of Wireless Silicon Valley’s discussion ensued from an article in Hindustan Times written… Continue Reading
Schools Expel WiFi
Reports of ill effects on health have forced some schools in the U.K. to switch off their wireless networks. One such school is Carmarthenshire comprehensive Ysgol Pantycelyn. Headteacher Hywel Pugh said that, though the county council and central government gave assurances that wireless networks are safe, the school decided to take down WiFi due to… Continue Reading
Wi-Fi Standards Face Patent Threat
A ruling by a federal judge in Tyler, Texas upheld the validity of a 1996 patent obtained by the Commonwealth Scientific and Industrial Research Organization (CSIRO) on a technology used in implementing wireless standards developed by the Institute of Electrical and Electronics Engineers (IEEE). The said patent owned by Australia’s national science agency involves a… Continue Reading
Businesses Too Scared To Switch To VoIP
In a new study commissioned by VoIP software company Shortel, some 70 percent of companies cited cost reduction as the biggest reason for adopting VoIP. They also mentioned ‘managing calls more effectively’ and ‘enabling home and mobile working’ as other benefits. But a third believed VoIP is too expensive to deploy and operate. Quocirca principal… Continue Reading