The Wi-Fi Alliance has repealed its earlier decision not to perform interoperability testing of 100+Mbit/s wireless LAN gear through final ratification of the 802.11n standard. Instead, according to WFA Managing Director Frank Hanzlik, the group will undertake a two-phase certification for 802.11n — the first leg will involve certification of products based on the standard’s… Continue Reading
Category Archives: Standards
Wi-Fi Guidance Becomes Law In California
California lawmakers endorsed a bill that will require manufacturers of wireless internet equipment to provide guidance on data security for wireless connections. The legislation, which still needs Governor Arnold Schwarzenegger’s signature, is expected to take effect on October 1, 2007. Under the law, companies must ensure WiFi-capable products have warning labels — box stickers, special… Continue Reading
Samsung Breaks 4G Barrier
Samsung unveiled its 4G WiBro (Wireless Broadband) technology at a forum it sponsored in Jeju Island, Korea. The company claims that WiMax’s cousin, which is based on the IEEE 802.16.e-2005 standard, generates a nomadic speed of 1 Gbps or 50 times speedier than 3G. This means that transferring 100 MP3 files (300Mb) will only take… Continue Reading
Wi-Fi HDTV Startup Gets $14M
Israeli startup Amimon got 14 Million in second round funding for thier wireless HDTV chipset. The company claims the ability to stream HDTV signal wirelessly to TV’s potentially avoiding costly cable installation. Other companies are in the same market, but are basing thier technology on pre-802.11n specs that might not be around by the time… Continue Reading
Wireless HDTV Company Raises $14 Million
A second round of private venture funding yielded $14 million for Amimon Inc., thus bringing the total investment to $21 million to include the sum raised in a previous round that took place in January 2005. Amimon plans to come out with a wireless video modem chipset for high-definition video streaming, which it expects to… Continue Reading
Ofcom Loses The 4G Signal
Ofcom is exploring the possibility of auctioning off radio spectrum that could be utilized for 4G mobile services. At the moment, no one can define 4G and the adoption of 3G in the U.K. remains minimal. Since the £22.5 billion auction in 2000, 3G has only attracted 4.5 million users or equivalent to £5,000 per… Continue Reading
Study: More Wireless Protocols To Integrate
A study from WTRS forecasts that manufacturers are going to start integrating several wireless protocols into single chips in the near future. With devices like PDA’s using 3G, WiFi and Bluetooth, this is not a bad idea. They forcast high short term sales, but standbys like RFID will provide longer term profits. Via [eetimes.com]… Continue Reading
Experts Warn Of ‘Bumpy’ Transition To 802.11n
In-Stat sees a “bumpy” transition from IEEE 802.11b/g Wi-Fi to the next-gen 802.11n standard. The analyst firm believes the move to 802.11n will be more difficult than that to 802.11g from 802.11b. Though formal ratification of the IEEE 802.11n wireless Lan standard may not happen until next year, wireless networking firms have already developed products… Continue Reading
IEEE Struggles With Video Wi-Fi Standard
The second draft of the proposed IEEE standard for 100+Mbps wireless LANs will have to wait until January 2007, months later than many had hoped. The task group responsible for the development of the 802.11n standard is sifting through 12,000 comments to draft 1.0, half of which have already been addressed. Bill McFarland, CTO for… Continue Reading
Safe Wi-Fi Could Be On Your Doorstep Soon
The Wi-Fi Alliance has unveiled Wi-Fi Protected Setup to allow for easier installation of safe Wi-Fi. According to the alliance, the program formerly known as “Wi-Fi Simple Config” will be available by the fourth quarter of 2006. WPS, it said, “is planned as an optional certification based on a standardised method for security setup in… Continue Reading
Ofcom Proposes Turning Up WiFi Power
Ofcom is studying a proposal to increase power limits for the 2.4GHz band and for fixed wireless links in the 5.8GHz lightly licensed band. The U.K. regulator is leaning towards raising the limit to 10W from 100mW in both spectra. Its sentiment ensued from an Ofcom-commissioned study, which found no issue against moving forward with… Continue Reading
IEEE Suspends Wireless Group
The IEEE has suspended the 802.20 working group that was working on alternatives to WiMax. The group was suspended after infighting over which companies technology would be adopted. This delay means that WiMax should be the clear front runner for high speed wireless for the forseeable future. Via [news.zdnet.co.uk]… Continue Reading
China Abandons Encryption Talks
The delegation from China walked out from the opening session of the two-day meeting on wireless computing standard in the Czech Republic. The Asian nation is currently struggling to get global accreditation for its locally produced encryption technology called WAPI. The country accused the U.S. of employing unfair tactics to prevent WAPI from getting accredited.… Continue Reading
China: U.S. Is In Wireless ‘Conspiracy’
China is crying foul over the IEEE’s rejection of the Chinese backed WAPI system back in March. The IEEE chose the widely used and favored 802.11i standard instead. The Chinese are claiming a conspiracy by the US to have thier own proposed standards accepted. Via [seattlepi.nwsource.com]… Continue Reading
Intel Hopes New WiMax Will Reverse Drop In Sales
Intel is banking on WiMax to boost its declining sales. The company will provide the technology to Sprint Nextel Corp., which announced that it will spend $3 billion to create a new network based on the standard. Intel saw a 13 percent annual increase in sales due to its Centrino chips between 2003 and 2005.… Continue Reading