wi-fi

Koubachi's $99 Wi-Fi plant monitor outsmarts the garden gnome

BERLIN -- If you're the kind of person who worries about Frank the Fern and Gertrude the Geranium while you're on vacation, a $99 cloud-connected plant monitor could be just the thing for you.

That's what start-up Koubachi started selling in May and was showing off here at the IFA consumer-electronics show here. The white, waterproof devices monitor soil moisture, light, and temperature, said David Kurmann, head of marketing and sales.

The white, waterproof device has an ellipsoidal bulb perched atop a spike to poke into the plant's soil. A built-in Wi-Fi module uploads the data, … Read more

Donkeys schlep Wi-Fi into Bible theme park

At the Village of Yore in Northern Israel, visitors can "ride the rolling hills as Abraham rode them" and "take in the scents that Jacob smelled tending Laban's flocks." Thanks to the newly-Wi-Fi-enabled donkeys roaming the grounds of the Bible theme park, they can also partake in that popular second-century activity of uploading photos to Facebook and Twitter.

The park, called Kfar Kedem in Hebrew and located in the Galilee region of Northern Israel, offers a reenactment of ancient Judean life. Visitors can don traditional Rebecca-style robes and headdresses, recline in rustic shepherds' tents, shear sheep, spin wool, and ride donkeys that now double as wireless hot spots. … Read more

'Talking' smart cars embark on pilot test on city streets

The U.S. government is launching a project in Michigan where 3,000 "smart cars" will be able to "talk" to their drivers.

No, it's not some Knight Rider-esque KITT scenario, it's actually specialized technology that's equipping cars with Wi-Fi to see if such communication can make the roads safer.

"Vehicle-to-vehicle communication has the potential to be the ultimate game-changer in roadway safety," administrator David Strickland from the Department of Transportation's National Highway Traffic Safety Administration said in a statement, "but we need to understand how to apply the … Read more

Google and Boingo to furnish malls with free Wi-Fi

From urban to suburban, Google and Boingo continue to work on their nationwide free Wi-Fi project. The two companies announced today that free hotspots are coming to eight malls in the U.S, according to GigaOm.

It's not yet clear which malls will get the service, but Google and Boingo did say that at least four will be in San Francisco, Los Angeles, Tampa, and Seattle.

This news comes on the heels of the Google and Boingo partnering to bring free Wi-Fi to several of New York City's subway stations as well as to 200 other above-ground hotspots … Read more

Transfer files between Android devices over Wi-Fi with TapPouch

When it comes to file sharing between Android devices, Bluetooth can be slow, e-mail can be ridiculous, and transferring files using a computer feels like giving up. Wi-Fi is practically everywhere, and newer Android devices (4.0 and later) have built-in Wi-Fi file sharing capability. For older devices, TapPouch makes it simple to transfer files on the same Wi-Fi network. Here's how to use it:

Install the app here. Note that you need to install it on every device you want to transfer files to or from. Run the app on every device you want to connect.&… Read more

AT&T's FaceTime limits might conflict with FCC rules

Some people have raised red flags regarding AT&T's limits on the use of FaceTime on the upcoming iOS, alleging the restrictions could go against Federal Communications Commission rules.

"Over-the-top communications services like FaceTime are a threat to carriers' revenue, but they should respond by competing with these services and not by engaging in discriminatory behavior," senior staff attorney at Public Knowledge John Bergmayer said in a statement. Public Knowledge is a nonprofit organization that works on Internet law.

The "discriminatory behavior" that Bergmayer is alluding to is AT&T's newly announced … Read more

Surveillance device uses Wi-Fi to see through walls

Researchers in England have created a prototype surveillance device that can be used to spy on people inside buildings and behind walls by tracking the frequency changes as Wi-Fi signals generated by wireless routers and access points bounce off people as they move around.

The device, which is about the size of a suitcase and has two antennae and a signal processing unit, works as a "passive radar system" that can "see" through walls, according to PopSci.com. It was able to successfully determine the location, speed, and direction of a person behind a one-foot-thick brick wall, but can not detect people standing or sitting still, the article said.

The U.K. Ministry of Defence is looking into whether the device -- designed by Karl Woodbridge and Kevin Chetty of the University of College London -- can be used in "urban warfare" for scanning buildings, PopSci reported.

Home networking explained, Part 2: Optimizing your Wi-Fi network

Editors' note: This post is part of an ongoing series. For the other parts, check out the related stories.

Since my last post on the basics of home networking, which is Part 1 of this series, I've been flooded with even more e-mails than I had been before (which explains why some of you haven't heard back from me). The good news is that nobody is asking about what a router is anymore. I guess I did an OK job explaining that in my previous post.

Most of the e-mails this time asked about how to have the … Read more

Does HTC's sales shortfall spell trouble for customers?

Apple and Samsung are running away with the smartphone market, but does that mean that consumers should steer clear of all the other handset makers?

In this edition of Ask Maggie, I help one reader decide if he should take a gamble and ditch Apple for an HTC One X. Will he still get the same level of service he has had with Apple?

I also explain to another reader that the Wi-Fi hotspot feature is included in the price of the new family share plans.

Steer Clear of HTC because of its sales troubles?

Dear Maggie, I've been … Read more

Home networking explained, Part 1: Here's the URL for you

Editors' note: This post is part of an ongoing series and was updated on February 13, 2013, to add information about hubs, switches, and the new 802.11ad Wi-Fi standard. For the other parts, check out the related stories.

As the guy who reviews networking products, I generally receive a couple of e-mails from readers a day, and most of them, in one way or another, are asking about the basics of networking (as in computer to computer, I am not talking about social networks here.)

Don't get me wrong, I appreciate e-mails because, at the very least, it gives me the impression that there are real people out there amid the sea of spam. But I'd rather not keep repeating myself. So instead of saying the same thing over and over again in individual e-mails, I'll talk all about home networking basics, in layman's terms, in this post.… Read more