But a physicist has attempted to tackle the problem by mathematically working out the optimum position for a router.

He studied how walls and reflections affected signal strength and concluded that, as common sense might suggest, there’s just no beating the centre of a house for router location.

Via [The Daily Mail]

Spokesmen from the HPA believe that the study will confirm the safety of using WiFi, but feel that since England’s Chief Medical Officer suggested children limit their non-essential cell phone use due to potential exposure to radiation that a study into the radition emmissions of WiFi was the next logical step.

Results of the study will be publicly available, but officials reinforce their belief that WiFi is safe.
Via [bbc.co.uk]

The research involves RF frequencies around 60 GHz, which anyone can freely use as they are unlicensed. So far, GEDC scientists have seen wireless data-transfer rates of 15 Gbps over a 1-meter distance, 10 Gbps at 2 meters and 5 Gbps at 5 meters. Laskar is optimistic that very rapid peer-to-peer data connections will emerge in the near future, possibly within two years. Such technology can benefit devices like external hard drives, laptops, MP3 players, cell phones, and commercial kiosks that need to transmit large data volume in seconds.
Via [gatech.edu]

This apparent record link was created by using some of Intel’s new equipment which can electrically steer signals and some parts that Pietrosemoli picked up at local stores. He then concocted his own long range Wi-Fi system which apparently works incredibly well.

Further research and experiments are being done as long-range Wi-Fi isn’t as reliable as WiMAX but it’s more cost effective.
Via [news.com.com]

Vendors are taking note of this trend. At the Intel Developer Forum (IDF) in Beijing, China, the chipmaker provided details of its plans for its Centrino products. This May, it is due to ship the Santa Rosa chipset a package containing a Core 2 Duo processor, the Mobile Intel 965 Express chips, Intel Next-Gen Wireless N, Gigabit Ethernet and Turbo Memory. But this chipset will be replaced by “Penryn” and later by “Montevina” in 2008.

Phone manufacturers are also developing products supporting WiMax. Nokia, Samsung and Motorola are supplying the equipment and handsets for the mobile WiMax service that Sprint Nextel plans to roll out in the U.S. next year.
Via [wi-fiplanet.com]

Because of WEP’s vulnerabilities, it is recommended that wireless network owners opt for WPA2, which is yet to be cracked by any known cryptographic attacks. The mechanism also provides support for infrastructure and ad-hoc networks, and includes pre-authentication and CCMP encryption features.
Via [arstechnica.com]

In the case of a Windows computer, Ferret can generate a roster of wireless networks to which the PC secured connection previously, provided the user has not taken out the entries from the preferred networks list in Windows. The Bonjour feature reveals the version of the operating system used by Apple Mac OS X computers. The sniffer also shows the past Internet Protocol address and information on networked drives or devices like printers that the computer tried to access earlier.
Via [news.zdnet.com]

The study also indicated that WiFi users are younger (18-49 years of age) than the general Internet population, whose ages range from 30 to 64. More men (56 percent) use WiFi but more women (54 percent) go online. The survey also found that young WiFi users opt for cellphones and laptops to connect wirelessly to the Internet. Of Internet users under the age of 30, laptop and cellphone owners account for 40 percent each and those using PDA with wireless features only make up 17 percent.
Via [arstechnica.com]

Report author Dr. Therese Cory believes real-time electronic data monitoring can help enterprise performance and efficiency. But carrying out M2M projects requires time as well as long-term investments. Nonetheless, some companies have initiated ventures in this area such as Italian energy company Enel, which has installed 30 million AMRs in 2006.
Via [tmcnet.com]

An earlier WiFi Net News report, however, indicates that the people who claimed they suffered the symptoms were those who were informed that they were exposed to radiation. A representative from the British Health Protection Authority has clarified that WiFi equipment only generate a tiny amount of signal when compared to that from cellphones. Considering that cellular networks are more pervasive, it would be safe to assume that WiFi presents only a slight health concern.
Via [arstechnica.com]

Chips for Wi-Fi-enabled laptops and routers make up most of the volume at 75 percent, while those for portable consumer electronics like hand-held video games and the Zune account for around 15 per cent — down by 2 percent last year — and those for stationary consumer electronics like video game consoles represent 10 percent, or a 2 percent increase from last year. In-Stat believes shipments of chips for dual-mode phones will rise from 1 percent this year to 5 percent in 2007, to nearly 25 percent by 2010.

As to variants, pre-standard “n” wireless chips only captured 4 percent of the market this year. The “g” variety remains dominant with a 55 percent share, followed by the combination “a” and “g” technology at 25 percent, a considerable jump from 9 percent in 2005.
Via [theglobeandmail.com]