Deciding where to place a Wi-Fi router at home to minimise signal blackspots is a fine art. 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… Continue Reading
Category Archives: Research
Wi-Fi Health Study Gets Go Ahead
The BBC has announced that the Health Protection Agency is going to begin a systematic research program on how WiFi is used. The goal of this study is to determine how WiFi is being used and the possible radiation exposure that results from such use. Spokesmen from the HPA believe that the study will confirm… Continue Reading
Research Boosts Wireless Data Transfer
Could computer wires become extinct soon? Scientists at the Georgia Electronic Design Center (GEDC) at Georgia Tech are looking at that possibility, with the use of extremely high radio frequencies. Prof. Joy Laskar, GEDC director and one of the lead researchers on the project, said the study aims to “maximize data throughput to make possible… Continue Reading
New Wi-Fi Distance Record: 382 Kilometers
Imagine a Wi-Fi link between two computers that are 238 miles apart. That is just what Ermanno Pietrosemoli, President of Escuela Latinoamerica de Redes, did in Venezuela. 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.… Continue Reading
WiMax In Your Pocket
A new study by In-Stat shows that more Americans prefer WiMax over 3G and Wi-Fi. Of the 1,200 surveyed, 50 percent affirmed they are willing to leave their current broadband provider for another if the latter can offer a wireless broadband package. In addition, many lose their interest in 3G/cellular due to the price of… Continue Reading
New Attack Cracks WEP In Record Time
Researchers at the Technische Universitat Darmstadt have found a way to crack 104-bit WEP, a typical security tool for 802.11b/g/n networks. The team used a 1.7GHz Pentium-M machine to compute the success rate of grabbing the key. The attack needs sufficient traffic, so the researchers made the protected network generate packets. At 40,000 packets, the… Continue Reading
Seven Business Reasons For Wireless VoIP
King’s Toyota reported a 48 percent growth in sales since July 2006, a development that Gerry Carmichael, its general manager, mainly ascribed to the showroom’s new wireless VoIP system from Spectralink. According to Carmichael, because the system operates with the existing switchboard and voicemail, it allows him to reach a sales or service person anytime… Continue Reading
People With WiFi Spend More Time Online
A new study by the Pew Internet & American Life Project showed that people with home wireless networks go online more often than those with a wired broadband connection. In a survey of 798 Internet users, 72 percent of WiFi users check their email at least once daily while only 63 percent of wired broadband… Continue Reading
Residential VoIP Users To Hit 267m By 2012
A new study shows that users of residential VoIP service will reach 267 million by 2012. ABI Research principal broadband analyst Michael Arden said major regions will see differing trends in this area. Competition between cable operators and telcos, according to Arden, will spur the growth in the U.S., while European carriers are expected to… Continue Reading
Global Mobile Connections To Pass Three Billion In 2007, Says Wireless Intelligence
Research firm Wireless Intelligence predicted that cellular connections will grow to 3 billion by the end of 2007, up by half a billion from September 2006. Asia-Pacific would account for most of the increase, with India, Pakistan and Bangladesh seeing the fastest growth rate. About 75 percent of Western Europe, according to the firm, will… Continue Reading
Wireless Telemetry To Reach $25.3bn By 2009
Juniper Research expects wireless telemetry (or AMR – Automated Meter Reading) to become the leading sector in the M2M markets in three years. It said that revenues would go from $11.6 billion in 2006 to $25.3 billion by 2009 as companies would realize the operational benefits and efficiency savings from real-time data monitoring. The figure… Continue Reading
Testing Faster Wi-Fi
VeriWave is mounting a new blade in its WaveTest 90 chassis for testing 802.11n devices. According to VeriWave vice president of marketing Eran Karoly, the company has received requests for 802.11n device tests from infrastructure equipment makers like Cisco. The new WaveBlade houses a channel emulator for multipath signal simulation. It can perform tests on… 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
Wi-Fi Chip Shipments Expected To Top 200M In 2006
According to a new study by the Wi-Fi Alliance and research firm In-Stat, global shipments of WiFi chips will surge to 200.9 million this year from 160.9 million in 2005. 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… Continue Reading
Your Wi-Fi Can Tell People A Lot About You
According to David Maynor, chief technology officer at Errata Security, computers are “leaking all kinds of information that an attacker can use” once they connect to a Wi-Fi network, particularly in public areas such as airports. Existing tools can obtain important details like usernames and passwords for e-mail accounts and instant messengers. To address this… Continue Reading