Wi-Fi

The fate of Philadephia's citywide Wi-Fi deployment is still in limbo as EarthLink threatens to pull the plug.

EarthLink, which fronted $20 million to build the network and has completed 80 percent of the build-out, stopped accepting new customers last week, according to a report by Metro Philadelphia. The company has also supposedly given the city a deadline of this week to come up with a plan to take over the network or sell it to a third party.

EarthLink, which won the contract in 2006 to build what was at the time to be the largest citywide Wi-Fi … Read more

Cablevision is building a Wi-Fi broadband network in the New York area, the company said Thursday.

The company said it will use wireless mesh technology to build a high-speed Wi-Fi network that will cover parts of its cable footprint in New York, Connecticut, and New Jersey. The new network will take two years to complete. And the company thinks it can build it relatively cheaply spending roughly $100 per subscriber, Chief Operating Officer Thomas Rutledge said during the company's quarterly earnings call Thursday.

Cablevision's approach is very different from other citywide or regional Wi-Fi projects that cities and … Read more

Given the apparent glut in digital picture frames, it behooves manufacturers to try something different when entering this packed market. So Sony Japan deserves at least a bit of credit for offering a multi-functional version.

The VGF-CP1 can play MP3s, has 512MB of memory, and is capable of receiving news feeds and downloading photos from online albums through a Wi-Fi connection, according to Newlaunches. And unlike those lame analog "Photo Frame Speakers," it has a pair built into the frame around its 7-inch screen.

The downside is its price: Sony is releasing it on the Japanese market for … Read more

As predicted, Tivoli Audio relaunched its NetWorks Internet radio today at a media event in Manhattan. The updated NetWorks tabletop has a completely new look and feel--and a whopper of a price tag.… Read more

At the beginning of the each year, I get out my crystal ball and prognosticate on what to expect in the networking and security industries. On the networking side, I predicted that 2008 would be a banner year for the latest Wi-Fi standard, 802.11n. To geek out a bit, the current standard is 802.11g with maximum throughput of 54 megabits per second. In comparison, 802.11n bolsters performance all the way to 248 megabits per second.

So how accurate was my prediction? Judging by the Interop meetings I attended last week with Enterprise Strategy Group networking stud Bob Laliberte, spot on. Aruba Networks, Cisco, Meru, and Trapeze are shipping products and closing big deals. Large universities are installing thousands of new wireless access points providing network access to students and faculty across large geographic campuses. Hospitals are embracing wireless networking for user authentication, network access, and asset tracking. In fact, one of the most intriguing things about this market is that it seems to be driven by business applications rather than technology refresh. Manufacturing companies, insurance agencies, government bureaus, and defense agencies are all using wireless for brand new business processes. Pretty cool stuff. … Read more

In June 2007, Tivoli Audio unveiled two Wi-Fi radios at a Manhattan event: the Tivoli Audio NetWorks tabletop radio and the portable NetWorks Go (pictured above). Both models were said to offer identical functionality: the capability to tune in any MP3, WMA, or RealAudio Internet radio station, network audio sources (PC-based digital music collections), and standard over-the-air FM radio. And it wasn't just vaporware, either: company founder and CEO Tom DeVesto used the prototype to quickly pull up two distant stations based on requests from the audience. Unfortunately, neither product was released. The fall 2007 release window came and went, and it wasn't until February that a brief notice on Tivoli's Web site officially rescheduled the release date to June 2008.

However, it looks as if later this week we'll be getting updates on these products.… Read more

Not every social networking concept strikes gold, even when the coalescing factor is the common interest of finding a good Internet cafe. In the case of WeFi, a hot-spot-finding application with a social community tacked on, various CNET editors have raised a collective eyebrow at some of the more intense methods of attaining human connection, but largely agree that being able to chat with verified friends or nearby Internet surfers adds a useful dimension to the search for reliable Wi-Fi access in comfortable coffee shops.

This First Look at WeFi for Windows laptops and WeFi for Pocket PC tours WeFi'… Read more

As I've mentioned in the past, wireless printers rock. No, they rawk. For the last couple months I've been beaming documents through the Wi-Fi ether to a Brother HL-2170W, and let me tell you: I'm through with USB. It's just so liberating to stick a printer wherever the heck you want instead of having it tethered to your desk.

The HL-2170W lists for $150 and sells on the e-street for around $130, but you can snag one from Newegg for $99.99 shipped. CNET rated the printer 7.3 out of 10, but three users gave … Read more

If you're one of those Wi-Fi moochers who's always looking for a discreet way to score a free connection, this gadget may be a perfect solution. Rather than having to boorishly whip out a obvious detector, you can pretend to be checking the time while surreptitiously looking for the nearest hot spot on a "Wi-Fi Detecting Watch."

This handy gadget promises to detect signals within a radius of more than 100 yards--an American-style football field--while featuring a full complement of wristwatch features such as a chronograph, alarm, calendar, and water resistance up to 328 feet. The … Read more