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SPOTLIGHT: DoD's vote of confidence in VoIP
The Defense Department has decided to use VoIP, a major boost for a technology which, although increasingly popular, is still battling the preception that its reliability and security are not yet as good as they could, and should, be. Gartner's Bob Hafner says, "When you have a big-name public adoption, there is a strong message sent about security and reliability." Story
ALSO NOTED: WiMax applauded Supercomm; Netgear's MIMO wirleless router; and much more...
> WiMax gets nod of approval from execs at Supercomm. Story
> British Airways to promote use of RFIDs in baggage handling. Story
> Reva Systems shows RFID network architecture. Report
> Symbol shows Windows CE RFID …
FierceWiFi June 1, 2005
- New body to promote WiMax standardization, interoperability
- World's first on-press RFID transponder labels shown
- Alcatel shows 2nd-gen WLAN switch
- New solution extends WiFi range to 4 km
- Samsung offers first MIMO-equipped laptops
- SPOTLIGHT: What's in the box?
- ALSO NOTED: Qualcomm dismisses threat from WiFi, WiMax; Philly's muni-WiFi project finally underway; and much more...
New body to promote WiMax standardization, interoperability
RemotePipes has launched the WiMax Global Roaming Alliance (WGRA). The body will serve commercial entities, state and city governments, WISPs, equipment manufacturers, and other organizations. The group will work to pormote simplified distribution of competitive, ubiquitous wireless broadband services in major metropolitan areas and rural areas. It will also work on streamlining production, authentication, and accounting functions between network operators in the production environment, …
World's first on-press RFID transponder labels shown
Ottawa-based XINK Laboratories showed what it claims to be the world's first successful, fully functional UHF on-press RFID transponder labels. The solution was demonstrated in late April at the Mark Andy RFID Focus Seminar. Mark Andy, a prominent narrow-web printing equipment manufacturer, printed the antenna using XINK Silver UHF Antenna inks on a Mark Andy 2200 press and then attached prototype Texas Instruments EPC Gen 2 straps with a Tamarack P500 RFID inline strap attachment …
Alcatel shows 2nd-gen WLAN switch
Alcatel is showing the first result of its collaboration with its new partner, Aruba, by releasing the second generation of its OmniAccess WLAN switch (the partnership with Aruba was forged after Cisco acquired Airespace). The new product also gives evidence for Alcatel's recongition that convergence is the name of the game. Alcatel's Brian Witt told wi-fiplanet that in today's enterprise there is no longer a distinction between wired and unwired gear. "The user view is about mobility," …
New solution extends WiFi range to 4 km
Marina Del Rey, California-based 5G Wireless said it was testing a new array antenna which, when mounted in elevated spots, could extend WiFi coverage for up to four kilometers. The technology uses a concept similar to that used by cellular networks to extend the network's range. The new type of antenna array is attached to cell towers or other points of high elevation; it divides the coverage area into sectors of 120 degrees each, optimizing the range of each sector.
The company …
Samsung offers first MIMO-equipped laptops
Samsung appears to be the first laptop manufacturer to embed MIMO technology in its laptops. The laptops, available as of today, will use chips from Airgo Networks. These chips could, theoretically, increase data rates to 100 Mbps and extend signal range to up to 900 ft. (Airgo says its chips will more likely offer rates of about 45 Mbps.) 802.11g chips transmit data at about 25 Mbps, and offer range of between 150 and 300 ft. Because Samsung does not sell directly to consumers in the US, …
SPOTLIGHT: What's in the box?
Container shipments account for 90 percent of world trade and are growing at a 5 percent compound annual rate. Every minute of every day, 14 containers enter US ports. Even now, three-and-a-half years after 9/11, only about 5 percent of these containers are inspected for weapons or other types of security threats. A new study by A.T. Kearney, in conjunction with the International Cargo Security Council, says that properly deployed RFIDs may play a big role in increasing the level of container security. White Paper (PDF)
ALSO NOTED: Qualcomm dismisses threat from WiFi, WiMax; Philly's muni-WiFi project finally underway; and much more...
> Qualcomm dismisses threat from WiFi, WiMax. Story
> Linux powers 108 Mbps MIMO OFDM WiFi demo. Story
> New Itronix tablet PC supports WiFi, Bluetooth, 3G. Report
> Pocket PC PDAs with built-in WiFi, GPS are on their …
Reconciliation of 802.11n proposals may be near
The IEEE 802.11n task group has failed yet again to bridge the differences between the two rival proposals for the standard -- one advanced by the WWISE group, the other by the TGn Sync coalition. This time, however, a subtle change in the pattern of the voting may encourage the two camps to search for a compromise, something they will try to do as they meet next week to dicuss the future of the effort to reach an agreed-upon 802.11n proposal. TGn Sync uses 40 MHz channels instead of the …
UMA disbands
The Unlicensed Mobile Access (UMA) trade group is shutting down its operations after merging into the 3rd Generation Partnership Project (3GPP) cellular specifications. The impetus behind the creation of UMA was the idea that mobile network operators could extend both the coverage and capacity of their networks if they used unlicensed local-area access networks, such as WLAN and Bluetooth. Customers with dual-mode cellular/WLAN handsets would make calls on WLAN and IP networks with calls …
Metric: WiFi equipment sales reach record
The first quarter of 2005 saw 12.2 million WLAN units shipped, the highest ever per quarter. Revenue for WiFi in the first quarter rose 20 percent from the foruth quarter of 2004 to $767.6 million, according to Infonetics Research. This is especially impressive against the backdrop of shraply falling APs prices, the result of an intense vendor price war. The research group predits that this figure should rise another 2 percent to $779.6 million by the first quarter of next year. Revenues …
Nokia shows (non-phone) WiFi device
Nokia has unveiled a new device which relies on WiFi rather than cellular networks to connect to the Web and send email. The Nokia 770 Internet Tablet is aiming for those connecting to Internet in their homes. This is Nokia's second response to the twin criticisms it faced a year ago: That it did not offer clam-shell phones, and that it was a bit thin in the smartphone/PDA dematement. The new device demonstrates Nokia's determination to reach beyond the cellphone market and position …
Hop-On unveils inexpensive WiFi phone
Irvine, California-based Hop-On earlier this week showed its HOP1502 Wi-Fi IP phone and software solution. The HOP1502 handset offers all the features and functionality of a VoIP terminal adapter with the advantage of allowing users to talk from any available public or private WiFi AP. The handset is similar in size to other mobile phones, and it supports many VoIP features and functions based on SIP. Service providers may offer three-way calling, call waiting, call forwarding, and more …
SPOTLIGHT: In the palm of your hand
New and more powerful PDAs are placing increasing demands on existing network infrastructures, causing organizations to rethink their current wireless strategies. There are two problems here: WLANs provide shared bandwidth, forcing each individual PDA to divide the bandwidth available from its access point AP. In addition, some applications, such as VoIP, also place additional requirements on the AP and limit the number of devices which can function within a cell. As the number of …
ALSO NOTED: Caspian raises$55M; Meru teams with OptiCall on VoWLAN system; and much more...
> Caspian has secured $55 million in funding. Caspian's flow-state routing solutions identify different traffic flows and dynamically assign the bandwidth and service levels to meet users' needs. Release
> Meru Networks has teamed with OptiCall, its new Scandinavian distribution partner, to demonstrate a VoWLAN system at the Kista Mobile Showcase in Kista, Sweden. …
FierceWiFi May 18, 2005
- Editor's Corner
- Government warns about WiFi security
- UWB may be smothered to death by red tape
- Enterprise WLAN sales down 6% in Q1
- Vonage to offer Wireless VoIP
- LA jail tags inmates with RFID
- SPOTLIGHT: ZigBee's Time
- ALSO NOTED: WiMax to revolutionize basic tech in developing world; Aruba upgrades WiFi switches; and much more...
Editor's Corner
Our sister publication, FierceWireless, yesterday named its third annual Fierce 15, a special issue detailing the top emerging companies in wireless. If you missed the special issue, you can read it by clicking here.
Also, my colleague, Stephen Wellman of FierceWireless, will host the inngural …
Government warns about WiFi security
Any half-way capable hacker could easily penetrate dozens of US government computer networks becasue of lax security standards at many agencies, a congressional report concludes. The report was issues by the Government Accountability Office. It found that only a handful of government agencies had secure wireless networks so as to be protected from unauthorized access. The report urges government agencies not to set up WiFi networks until and unless these agencies could be sure to secure …
UWB may be smothered to death by red tape
The chair of the IEEE task group entrusted with establishing the standard for the technology warned that too many regulations may choke UWB to death. Indeed, he said that these contemplated restrictions pose more risk to the future of the technology than the impasse between the UWB camps promoting different standards for it. Bob Heile, chair of the IEEE 802.15.3a working group, said that if Europe and Asia applied more restrictions to the technology than the US FCC, the technology may be …
Enterprise WLAN sales down 6% in Q1
Enterprise WLAN equipment sales declined for the second quarter in a row, according to the Dell'Oro market research group. Sales were down 6 percent in the first-quarter of 2005. A major reason for the decline has to do with changes among WLAN vendors as buyers wait for the dust to settle over mergers and acquisitions which may bring changes in product lines. The study cites Cisco's acquisition of Airespace in January, which in turn forced Airespace partners such as Nortel and Alcatel to …
Vonage to offer Wireless VoIP
Vonage is jumping on the bandwagon of wireless VoIP -- a bandwagon filling up rapidly. Skype is working on a wireless handset, and companies let it be known that they would soon be offering products for this market. There is every reason to believe that Vonage, a pioneer among independent providers of VoIP, would be offering a good product at a reasonable price. Reports in the press say that Vonage's customers are testing both wireless handsets for VoIP and wireless routers from Cisco's …
LA jail tags inmates with RFID
California's jails, the country's largest prison system, plan to tag their inmates with RFIDs so prison authorities can better monitor and track inmates around prison grounds. In the first phase, the 1,800 inmates of the Pitchess Detention Center in Castaic, California, will be tagged by fall 2005. The system will then be spread to other prison facilities.
The system works by planting RFID readers throughout a jail so that bracelet-wearing inmates can be continually tracked. When …