Vint Cerf, VP and Internet evangelist at Google, asserts that broadband service providers could use some competition. Cerf, who helped create the foundations for today’s Internet, says cable modems from cable companies, along with DSL lines from wireline phone companies, are the two most common Internet access technologies, yet both are mostly inadequate for the… Continue Reading
Category Archives: Commentary
Schools Could Be The First In U.S. To Use WiMax
The FCC allocated parts of the 2.5 Ghz spectrum for schools to use for educational broadcasts. Unfortunatly it has’nt really been used and the FCC is threatening to take away the valuable spectrum in 2008 unless they start using it. The solution for some seems to be a mobile WiMax installation the provide low-income students… Continue Reading
Wi-Fi Consumers Cautioned To Wait On New Gear
Being first-on-the-block-to-own-them might backfire with the newly-released 802.11n WiFi products. Early testing suggests the products, based on draft versions of the 802.11n standard, aren’t meeting expectations raised by marketing hype. The new technology promises increased speed (over current 802.11g technology) and interoperability between 802.11n products when connecting to wireless access points. MIMO technology (multiple-in, multiple-out)… Continue Reading
Speed Limit On WiFi About To Get A Boost
WiFi-N devices, which perform up to 5 times faster than their standard version cousins WiFi-A, -B, and -G, boast speeds as high as 270 million bits per second. While real-world speeds will be lower by as much as half that, they’re still faster than current speeds of about 54 million bits per second. Consumers, however,… Continue Reading
The Problems With Citywide Wireless
Municiple WiFi seems to have a problem. Millions are spent to set it up, but no one wants to pay to use it. This is the problem faced by some municipal and city-wide network installations. The solution seems to be with third party partnerships that allow for advertising and pay-for-higher-speeds plans, as is the case… Continue Reading
Wireless History Repeats Itself
Manufacturers are rushing pre 802.11n gear out the door without knowing if the gear will work in 18 months. WiMax is rolling into areas already loaded with wired competition. How are these guys going to make money? Any responsible consumer, unless they have a urgent need for the higher bandwidth of 802.11n and can afford… Continue Reading
High Hopes Grow For Big, New Wireless Networks
In the good old days of 5 years ago, WiFi was touted as the ‘it’ product that would provide internet service to thousands and start a revolution. Well, it did’nt really happen that way. Alot of early municipal wireless installations never got the market penetration that was expected. However not all was lost as many… Continue Reading
People Don’t Want To Pay For Public Wi-Fi
People like free stuff, and that goes for WiFi services too. A survey of users show that 58% of users only use public hotspots when they are free. The rest presumably are willing to pay. Another interesting fact is that lack of necessity to go online and lack of equipment are bigger reason than price… Continue Reading
WiMax d vs. e: The Difference A Letter Makes
Even WiMax has it’s alphabet soup. 802.16d and 802.16e are both WiMax standards, .16d is fixed, .16e is mobile, and they don’t play nicely together. There are advantages to both, but anyone investing in WiMax should look at 802.16e for a whole host of reasons. Via [computerworld.com]… Continue Reading
Is Wi-Fi Roaming Really Seamless?
The goal of mobile Wi-Fi is, of course, mobility, but seamless connectivity for users who wander about isn’t always completely seamless. In a world where roaming delays exceeding 100 milliseconds aren’t tolerated (wireless voice), and where giving up on one access point before finally finding another can take up to 5 seconds, users should take… Continue Reading
11n Links ‘Will Hog WiFi Airspace’
Airspace, by its very definition, seems boundless, but apparently it’s not. Next-generation 802.11n WiFi links, in order to achieve top data rates, would be forced to hog already congested bandwidth channels or to “bond” two channels into one, a practice that is already illegal in Japan. Systems using the new standard would be faster even… Continue Reading
Know Your Wireless Enemy
Security needs for a wireless LAN lie somewhere between business needs and business risks, and the challenge is in knowing how far to go and which methods to use. Hackers, freeloaders, and virus spreaders have a multitude of tools at their disposal, and weak WEP encryption doesn’t offer much protection. Newer security technologies can be… Continue Reading
Wireless Cafes Are Soft Target For Thieves
Most people tend to be very cautious with high ticket items, however when it comes to laptops, people don’t seem to be very cautious. People have no problem setting a highly portable $2500 laptop down on a table in a public setting. San Francisco seems to be experiencing a rash of laptop thefts from free… Continue Reading
Wi-Fi Cell Phone Battle Looms
While Wireless VoIP seems like a great thing for consumers, a war is heating up with the telco’s to try and keep the technology from cutting into thier revenue stream. Telco’s are pushing UMA, short for Unlicensed Mobile Access, a technology that allows phones to seamlessly go from the GSM network to Wifi and back,… Continue Reading
Lack Of Common Spectrum Will Hinder WiMAX
A lack of harmony between different countried available spectrum could hinder or even hurt WiMAx. The nearly universal availability of the 2.4Ghz spectrum is likely one of it’s strong points. WiMax does’nt have that availability. If countries don’t have a common spectrum allocation, manufacturers will have to make many different radios. This means more cost… Continue Reading