Debate over the safety of Wi-Fi radiation levels in Britain continues. Britain has adopted municipal Wi-Fi fairly well and has added millions of users and several wireless cities to its roster, but they’re now finding the debate over health and safety is spreading. Stirring the pot of contention is the BBC program Panorama, which is… Continue Reading
Wi-Fi: A Warning Signal
Municipal Wi-Fi in Britain doesn’t seem to be hitting the same stumbling blocks that it’s American counterpart. With millions of subscribers and entire cities going Wi-Fi, Britain has developed a new concern… health risks. The radiation produced from a Wi-Fi tower is similar to that from a cell phone tower. And in 2000 Sir William… Continue Reading
Avoid Draft 802.11n Standard, Says Analyst
Wireless protocol is finally about to get some standardization. The Wi-Fi Alliance has said that it will soon be certifying products based on pre-standard version of the next generation hi-speed wireless networking technology with 802.11n. This means that IEEE (Institute of Electrical and Electronics Engineers) wireless LAN standard will receive a well needed revision. The… Continue Reading
Despite High Hopes For Economic Development, Cities Struggle With Wireless Internet
It seems the dream of an inexpensive Wi-Fi connection for all might be just that…a dream. About a year ago the city of Lompoc, California sunk $3 million into this dream, hoping that the internet could connect them with the outside world. Currently, only a few hundred subscribers have latched on to the service, far… Continue Reading
Three Vendors Spotlight 11n Wireless LANs For The Enterprise
A group of wireless LAN vendors plan to showcase their new high-performing enterprise access points at the Interop Las Vegas this week. Colubris will bring its Multiservice Access Point (MAP)-625, which has two radios. One radio supports 802.11a, b, and g while the other is compatible with 11n draft 2 standard. The MAP-625 11n radio… Continue Reading
Wi-Fi Better Designed For Shorter Ranges, Not Citywide Deployments
Wireless technology is no match to wired networks as primary connection. This is according to Dave Burstein, editor of the industry newsletter DSL Prime. “Where you have a choice, DSL or cable compared to wireless, you are going to go for DSL or cable unless it’s ridiculously overpriced.” Burstein conceded that wireless networks are useful… Continue Reading
Next Gen Of Wi-Fi Is Planned For Summer
The Wi-Fi Alliance is scheduled to start certification of wireless routers, networking cards, microchips and other products supporting draft 802.11n standard. The final version of the specification, which is due to be released next year, boasts speed that is five times higher than the current “g” version. The technology uses multiple antennas and promises better… Continue Reading
Best WiFi Hotels 2007
And now for the information that travelers absolutely must have. Which hotels provide the best Wi-Fi services as reported by HotelChatter.com. First the bad news, rather than more hotels providing free internet its gone the other way. More hotels are limiting or restricting the availability of their Wi-Fi services and trying to make an extra… Continue Reading
EarthLink Scales Back, Focuses Muni Wi-Fi Effort
EarthLink’s latest move is sending minor shockwaves through the Wi-Fi community. The company has decided to turn its attention away from municipalities and focus on existing deals and big cities. The company cites its first quarter earnings, or losses rather, as the reason for its shift in focus. With a loss of $30 million the… Continue Reading
Vodafone To Be Sued For VoIP Blocking?
Vodafone is looking at some legal troubles for trying to stop VoIP. James Tagg, Chief Executive of Truphone claims that Vodafone is failing to meet interconnection obligations, blocking competitor websites and disabling internet telephony. He also claims that Vodafone blocks calls coming to their customers from people using Truphone services. Vodafone’s official stance is that… Continue Reading
Skype Gets A Tongue Lashing
Skype made a bold move in February and filed a petition with the FCC requesting they apply their consumer broadband principals to the wireless industry. The response? Verizon Wireless, AT&T and CTIA are fighting back. These carriers claim spectrum limitations and unique network management issues. Also, because VoIP is not optimized for wireless it consumes… Continue Reading
The Other Public-Access Wi-Fi
Public Access WiFi appears to be undergoing an evolution of sorts. The current standard deployment method consists of mesh technology and many people supply this equipment. The key question is who should own this infrastructure and what fees should apply. Some experts are in favor of a tiered approach with the lowest level of service… Continue Reading
WiMAX Comes Of Age In Asia
With plans by over 200 operators worldwide to deploy WiMAX this year, it is no wonder TeleGeography Research touted 2007 as “the year WiMAX finally comes of age.” This is particularly true in Asia. Nortel is collaborating with Toshiba and a unit at the Japanese Ministry of Internal Affairs and Communications to provide WiMAX service… Continue Reading
Meru Unveils Enterprise 802.11n WLAN Gear
Meru Networks has unveiled its new enterprise-class wireless LAN products that comply with the IEEE 802.11n draft standard. These include a two-radio access point, a five-blade controller and new software for handling wireless data traffic, which Meru will bring to the Interop Las Vegas show later this month. These products, according to company, allow for… Continue Reading
Skype Your Way To Learning Chinese
Learning Chinese is now made easy by Skype. Stephanie Xu from Beijing has been teaching Chinese for over a month now and lauded the high sound quality of the VoIP application. Xu charges 80 renminbi for her online tutorial sessions or 20 renminbi less than what her offline students pay. The reason: it saves her… Continue Reading