Logan International Airport officials’ ongoing quest to ban airline lounges from offering passengers free WiFi Internet services is angering a growing array of powerful Capitol Hill lobbying groups, who say Logan could set a dangerous nationwide precedent for squelching wireless services. Via [boston.com]… Continue Reading
Proposed Standard Aims To Manage Wi-Fi Clients
Until recently, when companies talked of managing Wi-Fi networks, discussion centered on controlling the infrastructure – the access points and switches at the heart of an enterprise WLAN. A relatively new industry proposal — 802.11v — aims to broaden Wi-Fi management to include the growing number of laptops, PDAs and IP phones connecting to your… Continue Reading
Wi-Fi Reaches The Speed Of Ethernet
Wireless networks may be convenient to set up, but wired ethernet has always been faster. Now a new generation of Wi-Fi products is challenging ethernet’s superiority for high-bandwidth apps. We sampled some of the first of these Wi-Fi products–Netgear’s $180 RangeMax 240 Wireless Router and $100 Notebook Adapter–and found that at close range, even with… Continue Reading
Alcatel To Ready WiMax Beta By `06
French telecom solutions major Alcatel will be ready with the beta version of WiMax technology for mobile communications by the second half of 2006, while it will be commercially available by the end of next year. Via [business-standard.com]… Continue Reading
San Francisco Issues RFP For Its Free Wi-Fi Network
San Francisco’s city government has issued an RFP (request for proposals) to build a Wi-Fi network that will provide free wireless Internet access to its citizens. Via [informationweek.com]… Continue Reading
The Case For (And Against) Muni Wi-Fi
Despite significant challenges, an increasing number of cities are planning to deploy Wi-Fi networks across large areas. High-profile cities currently include San Francisco, Philadelphia and Houston, but as described in a new report titled “2006 Muni Broadband Outlook” from Light Reading Insider, other cities include Anaheim, Calif.; Atlanta; Austin, Texas; Boston; Buffalo, N.Y.; Chicago; Denver;… Continue Reading
Taipei’s Wireless Web Coverage Reaches 50 Percent
Starting from yesterday, around 50 percent of Taipei City’s population was covered by wireless Internet connections, and the figure will go up to 90 percent by June next year, the city government said. Via [taipeitimes.com]… Continue Reading
Will Mobile Broadband Kill Wi-Fi?
With technologies like mobile WiMAX starting to emerge, some people are starting to ask whether there’s a long-term future for public Wi-Fi. Via [informationweek.com]… Continue Reading
Skyhook Wireless Lands Funds
Skyhook Wireless secured $6.5 million in venture and corporate funding. The Wi-Fi location provider attracted support from Intel Capital and Bain Capital Ventures, as well as existing investors, including Nokia. Via [wirelessweek.com]… Continue Reading
Vivato Wi-Fi Shuts Down
What happens when your Wi-Fi products and services supplier suddenly shutters its business? Via [redherring.com]… Continue Reading
SF Leaders Voice Concerns About Wi-Fi Project
San Francisco’s plan for citywide Wi-Fi ran into some friction Friday from a local regulatory agency. Via [infoworld.nl]… Continue Reading
Freeware Detects Insecure Wireless Networks
Wireless networking has become a convenient way to connect computers without the hassle of running cable between machines. But if it’s not properly secured, it can be a loophole through which crackers can hijack free network access. Via [searchsecurity.techtarget.com]… Continue Reading
If We’re Tech City, Where’s Our Wi-Fi?
Wireless data networks are being installed free of charge in cities across the nation. But Boston, a city with a reputation for innovation and more than twice the population of some cities already luring big WiFi investments, isn’t among them. Via [boston.com]… Continue Reading
Using Wi-Fi/Cellular In P2P Positioning
When Cyril Houri and a group of friends he refers to as “GPS alpha geeks†were frustrated by poor satellite reception in the big cities where they lived, they decided to do something about it. The result is Navizon, a wireless positioning system that works on Pocket PC PDAs by triangulating signals from Wi-Fi access… Continue Reading
Finally, Some Fruit
We’ve heard the promises for years now. As they go, soon there will be two new wireless technologies, one for local area networks and one for personal area networks, that will ensure speeds fast enough to truly network a home. 802.11n and ultra wideband, while more than a glimmer in an engineer’s eye, have been… Continue Reading