April 16, 2008

Russia wants all WiFi devices to be registered

The folks at the Rossvyazokhrankultura (Russian Mass Media, Communications and Cultural Protection Service) have decided that every device with Wi-Fi inside requires registration for use by an individual user without a transferrable license, according to The Other Russia, which picked the story up from Russian-language site Fontanka.ru.

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April 10, 2008

10 Tips for Preparing Wireless Requests for Proposal (RFPs)

10 questions to ask before your next wireless deployment. Wireless networks have come of age. With the advent of the latest 802.11n class of products, wireless devices now boast the same throughput and performance as their wired counterparts. But before you consider any wireless deployment, you need to take stock of your goals, decide what applications you’ll be running and determine where on campus your users will need to roam.

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March 27, 2008

New Open Wireless Network May Not Be So Open

With its winning $4.7 billion bid last week, Verizon Wireless didn't just stake claim to beachfront wireless property, it also grabbed control of the guest list to the open-access party.

The government, in opening up the coveted swath of the spectrum, essentially said the winner must allow consumers to use any compatible device or software on it as long as it doesn't harm the network.

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January 24, 2008

Ad-supported Free Wi-Fi Access for iPhone & iPod Users

JiWire announced that members of the JiWire Wi-Fi Advertising Network are offering iPhone and iPod touch users the option to connect to Wi-Fi networks for free in exchange for viewing a JiWire-supplied advertisement. The option will be available at select Wi-Fi hotspots located in airports, hotels, cafes, and other desirable locations around the world.

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January 09, 2008

Wi-Fi service starting up on Seattle/Bremerton Ferry Run

Parsons, in conjunction with Washington State Ferries, is pleased to announce that Wi-Fi service commenced on the Seattle/Bremerton route on December 24, 2007. The service spans the entire ferry route through Rich Passage and across Puget Sound.

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January 02, 2008

Apple Patent Signals Wireless Order System

After reading through PC Mag, I came across this story about Apple patenting a "wireless order system" for in-store retail.  My first knee-jerk reaction was "not another Amazon cough* 1-Click *cough Patent".  After that passed, I remembered when I got my Macbook it was actually done via wireless while I was in line at the Apple store and actually worked pretty well. 

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December 17, 2007

The Philadelphia Story: Learning from a Municipal Wireless Pioneer

The Ethos Group's report, The Philadelphia Story: Learning from a Municipal Wireless Pioneer, has been posted on the New America Foundation's web site. The report is stirring debate and will continue to as the discussion of life-after-EarthLink moves forward. Before its public release late Wednesday, it generated a pointed response from Greg Goldman, the CEO of Wireless Philadelphia, who characterized it as a demand for public ownership of the network infrastructure.

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November 19, 2007

Google Eyeballing Clearwire in Wireless Strategy?

Note:  Do It Google.  Trust me, the force is strong with Craig.  Then you can deploy Clearwire in Las Vegas :)  How can you serve Nevada and only hit Reno?  I don't get it?  Anyways, WiMax is a good technology and I think is has the potential of solving the wireless "last mile" solution.  I am ordering CW today to increase my bandwidth.    
 
A Google investment in Clearwire could fortify the search company's quest to reach more users through their mobile devices. If Google can help Clearwire build out its wireless network, Google could sell consumers mobile applications and services rich with targeted, contextual and localized ads, analysts agreed.

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August 30, 2007

Can Ads Save Free Wi-Fi?

The frenzy to build free city-wide Wi-Fi has begun to fizzle, but perhaps advertisers can still save the day. San Francisco has just bailed on its Wi-Fi plan as a result of EarthLink's implosion, and similar projects in Chicago and Springfield, Illinois have also died.

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July 02, 2007

Free Wireless Broadband Access for AT&T Customers

Ma Bell announced that millions of its customers with higher speed broadband plans can now receive free access to AT&T’s nationwide Wi-Fi network.  With the proliferation of Wi-Fi-enabled devices including, most recently, the iPhone.

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May 23, 2007

Google Proposes Ad-like Auction for Wireless Spectrum

Note:  I think this sounds like a good idea but I am not sure if it will get any traction.   
 
The U.S. Federal Communications Commission has tried and failed to develop spectrum auctions that allow startup companies to get into the mobile service provider industry but now Google thinks it has a better idea. In a filing made to the FCC on Monday, Google proposes a spectrum policy that allows would-be service providers to bid real time in an auction for the right to use a piece of spectrum for a given period of time in order to deliver services to phones or other devices.

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May 22, 2007

Avis Outfits San Francisco Car Rentals With WiFi

Avis finally came through on the promise we'd heard back at CES. Starting yesterday all of their rental cars in San Francisco now have the option of offering a new service--WiFi broadcasting via AutoNet Mobile. Avis described this feature specifically as offering "portable wireless Internet access which can be carried anywhere, from the hotel room to the conference room and beyond, to help travelers stay connected wherever they go."

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April 30, 2007

FDNY Drill Tests New Wireless Technology

New York Fire Department and Port Authority officials tested a new wireless system yesterday at the World Trade center. The system is designed to give first responders fast access to video and other data during an emergency.

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April 25, 2007

City of Boston Censoring Municipal WiFi

Note: Very well put together points.  I am not sure what side of this issue I am on.  I can see from the cities point of view that filtering pr0n and other material could be needed.  The question is where the line is drawn and who gets too input on that line itself.
 
Various people (including David Sheets, a student of mine at MIT, and Seth Finkelstein) have pointed out over the last few days that the ‘free’ municipal WiFi service offered by the City of Boston comes with mandatory content filtering that blocks all kinds of sites which are not even close to illegal nor are they sources of pornography that might be considered harmful to children. One the one hand it’s not hard to see why city officials want to avoid the headline: “Boston’s free network a conduit to porn for city’s children, foiling parents’ filtering software.” But does that mean that it’s either wise public policy or constitutionally-permissible for the city to offer wifi to the public with such sweeping and arbitrary constraints?

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April 20, 2007

Helio Discontinues EV-DO / Wifi Access

Helio will shut down its Hybrid EV-DO / Wi-Fi service starting May 8th. Users of the service will still be able to access the Boingo Hotspots and 3G data service through May 7th, but afterwards, the cards will no longer work

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April 16, 2007

iPod Rumored to Gain Wifi Capabilites

It is rumored that Apple will be releasing a WiFi enabled iPod before the end of the year. While WiFi iPods have been rumored in the past it may be that there is some truth to it this time. This rumor is fueled by component manufacturers claims of Apple orders for WiFi modules for the iPod.

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April 12, 2007

Extending a WiFi Network with Two Macs and a FireWire Cable

Note:  Good read and classic solution.

Last night’s Oxford Geek Night went really well, despite more than the usual flurry of problems. It’s definitely true that the more geeks there are in a room the less likely it is that the projector will work! Thankfully we got everything up and running in time for the talks to start, although it was a pretty close call.

A few of the talks needed internet access from the stage—always risky at conferences, which is why I’ve taken to recording screencasts of anything I want to demonstrate just in case there’s a problem. For the last event we hooked up a mobile phone to a laptop running an ad-hoc WiFi network, which was slow but worked fine.

 

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March 16, 2007

Is Wireless VoIP Practical?

Note:  I tend to agree that VoIP via cellphones is not very practical without the major carriers doing some major upgrades to support the huge amount of additional traffics that will be generated via VoIP.  Before that happens I believe we will see "Flat Rate" affordable cell plans so you will just be able to pay a monthly fee and make unlimited calls period. 

VoIP is clearly a hit on conventional data services, but what about wireless services? Can it compete with cellular?

Wireless communications companies like Verizon Wireless, Sprint, and AT&T have been moving as fast as they can to roll out data services. As useful as they can be and as slick as they clearly are, they're much more expensive to operate than conventional wired data services.

Therefore, it's tempting to ask whether they are a practical vehicle for VoIP (Voice over IP). There is good reason to believe that VoIP is not a practical application for these networks for the foreseeable future, and not just for cost reasons.

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February 26, 2007

CERN Uses WiFi Meshing Networking to Solve Universal Problems

Note:  It's nice to see technologies giving each other a helping hand :]

 

The Large Hadron Collider (LHC), part of the massive particle physics lab at CERN, the European Organization for Nuclear Research (and the birthplace of the Internet), will later this year host some of the most audacious scientific experiments ever conceived. And Wi-Fi will play a vital role.

In fact, Wi-Fi already has played a vital role.

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Stealing Starbucks' WiFi Customers

Note:  I actually just got my free FON wifi router via GigaOm's giveaway. 

Just because you pay a premium for Starbucks coffee doesn't mean you have to pay a premium to surf the Web at Starbucks cafes. FON, a community WiFi provider headquartered in Madrid, Spain, is offering wireless Internet access to Starbucks' latte-sipping surfers for just $2 a day--versus the $10 users pay to sign onto the 5,100 T-Mobile hotspots at U.S. Starbucks.

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February 12, 2007

Wireless Sensors Extend Internet's Reach (Oh Joy)

Note:  Well I can see some really great uses for this technology.  I love the pollutant monitoring solutions that could test for toxics an then send an alert when some foreign substance was found.

"To the untrained eye, the sleek, airy building constructed atop a decommissioned nuclear reactor at the University of California, Los Angeles could pass for high-tech office space.  A closer inspection of the glass-and-steel facade reveals dozens of miniature, low-resolution cameras and sensors. They're wirelessly linked to computers throughout the 6,000-square-foot space, keeping tabs on traffic flow in public areas and monitoring temperature, humidity and acoustics." 

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January 26, 2007

IEEE Committee Members Unanimously Approved draft standard version 1.10 for 802.11n

Things may be smoothing out for the much-embattled 802.11n wireless standard. IEEE committee members unanimously approved draft standard version 1.10 and laid the groundwork for draft 2.0 at a meeting in London last week, paving the way for WiFi Alliance compatibility specifications, and a wave of product announcements.

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January 21, 2007

City-wide WiFi Deployment Going Well in Portland, Oregon

Note:  Time for me too jump on a train and go test out the speed and wireless coverage area. 
 
In early December 2005, Metro-Fi launched the first phase of its plan to bring free wireless broadband service to Portland, Oregon. Despite concerns that the free system would not be up to par, the first phase went well, and the company has now announced the launch of the second phase of the service. 

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January 12, 2007

Wireless Myths & Misconceptions

Wireless technology is changing the world. At least, that seems to be the prevailing viewpoint at some companies. Mobile access from a laptop, smartphone, or PDA is certainly more prevalent, and there are many more hotspots available for access from anywhere. The “world-changing” aspect for business is that more and more employees at small and midsized enterprises are getting mobile, working fewer hours onsite, and becoming more productive because they can remotely access the Internet, corporate LANs, and email like never before.

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January 11, 2007

Rapid Growth Of Municipal Wireless Networks Could Open Back Doors To Corporate Data

Note:  This article was pretty interesting read if you have not read into basic wireless security.  Air Defense covers a handful of basic tips about how to protect your data and some policies that can help reduce risk on your network.

"Corporate network administrators face a variety of challenges. Not only do they have to enforce their own wireless network policy to keep hackers off their corporate network, but they also have to deal with employees who intentionally or unknowingly log onto municipal access points in violation of a company’s wired/wireless access policy." 

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