Industry Standard for Wireless Notebooks Emerging, Universal Marketing Campaign Surfaces
30 September 2008 08:07 EST
Chris Barylick
If you wanted to be online all the time with your notebook, there's a slew of firms ready to help you out.
According to Macworld UK, a consortium of companies including 3, Asus, Dell, Ericsson, Lenovo, LG, Microsoft, Orange, Qualcomm, Telefonica Europe, Telecom Italia, TeliaSonera, T-Mobile, Toshiba and Vodafone are pushing for built-in support for mobile broadband.
The companies, which are working together, are currently pushing towards creating a new mark that will identify a notebook as ready to offer mobile Internet access. Such a mark will be backed by a US$1 billion marketing budget to be spent in the next year and be present on notebooks in time for the holiday shopping season.
"Together we are announcing the initiative to drive the adoption of mobile broadband notebooks," said Michael O'Hara, chief marketing officer at GSM Association (GSMA), which handles the initiative.
Click the jump for the full story...
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American Airlines Launches In-Flight Wi-Fi Service for Three Routes
21 August 2008 07:44 EST
Chris Barylick
On Wednesday, carrier American Airlines announced the launch of its in-flight Wi-Fi service for three of its long-haul routes in the United States with plans to expand the service in three to six months depending on the result of the initial launch.
According to Computerworld, the service, which follows similar rollouts by carriers Southwest Airlines, Alaska Airlines, Virgin America and Jet Blue, provides a Wi-Fi network aboard 15 Boeing 767-200 aircraft serving three nonstop routes between New York and San Francisco, New York and Los Angeles and New York and Miami.
While Wednesday's launch aboard the 15 Boeing aircraft was originally intended for July, "tweaks" had to be made to the system, especially to simplify the set up process for users, a spokeswoman said Wednesday.
The service, known as "GoGo", is provided by Aircell LLC and connects each plane's Wi-Fi hot spot to the ground over a 3 MHz signal via 92 cell towers scattered throughout the continental United States.
Click the jump for the full story...
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Mobile Broadband Network Devices Abound
26 July 2008 04:14 EST
David Klein
By David Klein
Are you ever caught in a situation where multiple people (or devices) need Internet access but there's no available WiFi network? Maybe one of you has a 3G card for a laptop, but that only helps one person. Fortunately, I was recently pressed to solve this problem.
What you need:
Several laptops/devices connected to the internet
What you have:
Power
Ethernet cables for devices that do not have WiFi
A company named Cradlepoint makes a particularly hardcore router called the MBR1000. It is an 802.11N router with four ethernet ports, an ExpressCard slot (similar to what Macbook Pros have for mobile broadband connectivity) and two USB ports. The router is designed to automatically detect certain cards and connect to their cellular networks. The best part is you do not have to configure anything. If you are using a fast 3G network like AT&T's, then you can expect high speeds shared amongst everyone connected to the router. This solution is ideal for traveling salespeople, a team of developers who have to work in random locations, etc. Lastly, the router is black and shiny, a personal favorite in gadget design standards.
Note: if you purchase the MBR1000 make sure you immediately upgrade the firmware. I bought mine from Amazon and it must have sat on a shelf for some time. Outdated firmware limits compatibility with devices.
Cradlepoint MBR1000: Available for US$250.
AT&T USB Connect 881: Available for US$100 after rebate, US$60 per month.
If you've had a chance to get your hands on and try out any of these devices, let us know in the comments or forums
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AT&T 3G: Fact or Fiction?
10 July 2008 01:25 EST
Kenn Marks
It's nice that AT&T provides coverage maps as to where you could expect to find good 3G coverage. Well think again, I've driven around my community seeking where my best 3G connectivity can be found. According to AT&T customer support the coverage maps are accurate, but according to my findings in my 5 mile circle - They lie.
Maybe not an intentional fib, but maybe the maps just project where to expect coverage within a certain time period, not a current active location indicator.
Not only will we have to wait in line to activate our new 3G iPhone but it appears that we will have to search around for actual 3G coverage that we will be paying $10/mo more than current iPhone data users. I did this investigation a month ago with the same results.
That is reason why I tried again a day before the release of the new iPhone, in hopes that these areas would be active by the time the iPhone 3G was released. Any of the cells on the above map are 2G only even though they are marked Dark Blue to indicate 3G service availability. It appears that I'm not the only person experiencing the Missing AT&T 3G, Eric Zeman reports in the July 9th InformationWeek article that he is not seeing 3G within a 5 Mile Radius either.
So, the customers in Canada are getting their better data plans and we here in the US will be paying $10/mo additional for the same service we had with our Gen One iPhone. Personally I'm going to try to negotiate the old rate plan until 3G is available in my work area or I'll look for a 16GB Gen One at the Apple Refurb Store to take advantage of the larger storage for apps from the App Store.
Let us know what you think over in the comments and forums.
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AT&T Begins Free Wi-Fi Access for 3G Data Card Users
22 May 2008 08:30 EST
Chris Barylick
AT&T won't be offering complimentary Wi-Fi access to iPhone users in the near future and the company seems to be moving in the other direction, though still offering a freebie in the process.
On Tuesday, the wireless provider began to offer free access to several thousand Wi-Fi hotspots around the United States to customers subscribed to their data service through their 3G data card.
According to Boy Genius Report, the offer may include smartphones, as the following internal memo was intercepted:
Effective tomorrow, May 20th, the long-awaited FREE WiFi Access to over 17,000 WiFi locations throughout the U.S. launches for Laptop Connect Customers with plans $60 or higher. This exciting new feature will allow customers unlimited access to over 17,000 WiFi locations at no extra charge including locations in Starbucks and McDonalds. Customers will need three things for this free access:
-A laptop card. FREE WiFi for Smartphones is not available yet, but will be later in 2008.
-The latest version of Communication Manager (version 6.8). Once loaded this version will automatically log onto AT&T hotspots.
-A Laptop Connect plan of $60 or greater.
Not the best news in the world, but still a far cry from the free Wi-Fi access for iPhones that was briefly offered in assorted Starbucks locations a few weeks back.
Let us know what you think over in the comments or forums.
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Users Report Continued AirPort Connection Wonkiness Under Mac OS X 10.5.2
11 March 2008 09:05 EST
Chris Barylick
Per MacFixIt, a number of users have continued to report serious issues with AirPort connectivity under Mac OS X 10.5.2.
Stories such as the following from Mac user Mike Stimpson describe the issue:
"The primary symptoms of this are Airport continuously scanning for networks (you'll see this if you click on the Airpot MenuBar icon), and dropping connections while doing so. The drops will appear as long delays/stalls in connectivity, despite the Airport signal strength being at full bars w/no visible drops. I can confirm that this is attributed to the 10.5.2 update.
"Beforehand, the Airport would scan a lot as well, but I did not experience any loss of connectivity or drop in speed. My wife still has 10.5.1 on her MacBook, and has NO problems on our home Airport b/g compatible Extreme Base Station (white "flying saucer" variety). That base station does have the latest firmware installed, by the way. Meanwhile, on my 10.5.2 upgraded MacBook Pro, on the same home network, I experience these horrible problems, whereas I was fine prior to 10.5.2 Interestingly enough, while Airport continues to scan for networks while I am at work, I do not experience the same slowdown/dropout problems on my Airport Express wireless network there."
One fix which seems to be especially effective for the problem is upgrading your cable or DSL mode's router firmware. Be sure to check your manual and reference online for instructions as to how to do this, but various reports have emerged that this seems to be the most effective fix for the problem.
If you've seen this issue on your end or discovered a good fix or workaround, let us know in the comments or forums.
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AirPort Problems Continue in Leopard; Revised Fixes Emerge
12 December 2007 08:00 EST
Chris Barylick
Although Mac OS X 10.5 "Leopard" is generally considered a solid operating system upgrade, a number of users are still reporting issues with their AirPort wireless networking. According to MacFixIt and an extensive thread on Apple's discussion boards, the problems continue as users look for solutions to their problems:
-"After upgrading to Leopard, I can no longer connect with my Airport Express Base Station. I have confirmed this on my original MacBook Pro (1st month of production), and my new 17" model I've tried every reasonable step to fix things but no go."-"My AL G4 12" Powerbook with a clean 10.5 install works much better closer to my wireless router. In the same room as the router I get very good throughput. Move into the next room (where I normally use it) and am unable to get a connection."
So far, users have arrived at the following solutions and workarounds:
-Turn off IPv6 for Macs and AirPort Base Stations: This can help alleviate frequent dropouts, especially with AirPort Express audio streaming. In order to do this, open System Preferences then the Network pane and click on your currently used interface (Ethernet, AirPort, etc.). Click on "Advanced," then TCP/IP settings for the interface. From here, click "Configure IPv6" and set this to "Off." Click the "Apply Now" button to create the change.
-Change the IPv6 settings for the AirPort Extreme router (for the AirPort Extreme 802.11n Base Station): Open the AirPort Utility program, then click "Manual Setup", "Advanced" and the "IPv6 Mode" menu. Now click "Link-local only" and apply the change with the "Update" button.
-Downgrade firmware on Base station (For AirPort Extreme 802.11n Base Stations): Open AirPort Utility, select your Base Station, then select "Base Station" from the menu bar, click "Upload Firmware" and from the "Upload Firmware" menu, select "7.2" then click "OK" to downgrade the firmware.
If you have any ideas or workarounds that you've found worked on your end, let us know in the comments or forums.
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Sierra Introduces Wireless USB Modem Lineup
29 August 2007 10:19 EST
Chris Barylick
On Wednesday, Sierra Wireless introduced its new AirCard 880U and 881U model USB modems.
According the Macworld News, the new modems are designed around the High Speed Uplink Packet Access (HSUPA) protocol and can function at a theoretical upload speed of two megabits per second and can download at 7.2 megabits per second. The units are also compatible with the HSPDA, UMTS, EDGE, GPRS and GSM networks.
Where regional access is concerned, the 880U is optimized for use in Europe and Asia while the 881U is optimized for use in North America. Both models feature their own internal batteries to ensure sufficient power in peak or fringe area transmission requirements. The units also feature power control, a patent-pending antenna that Sierra Wireless claims boosts data performance and an architecture geared towards data traffic management.
Final pricing for the USB modems has yet to be announced and may be set by the cell service carries that resell the units to their customers.
If you have any thoughts on this or a favorite USB modem of your own, let us know in the comments or forums.
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Sierra Introduces Wireless USB Modem Lineup
29 August 2007 10:19 EST
Chris Barylick
On Wednesday, Sierra Wireless introduced its new AirCard 880U and 881U model USB modems.
According the Macworld News, the new modems are designed around the High Speed Uplink Packet Access (HSUPA) protocol and can function at a theoretical upload speed of two megabits per second and can download at 7.2 megabits per second. The units are also compatible with the HSPDA, UMTS, EDGE, GPRS and GSM networks.
Where regional access is concerned, the 880U is optimized for use in Europe and Asia while the 881U is optimized for use in North America. Both models feature their own internal batteries to ensure sufficient power in peak or fringe area transmission requirements. The units also feature power control, a patent-pending antenna that Sierra Wireless claims boosts data performance and an architecture geared towards data traffic management.
Final pricing for the USB modems has yet to be announced and may be set by the cell service carries that resell the units to their customers.
If you have any thoughts on this or a favorite USB modem of your own, let us know in the comments or forums.
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Waav Introduces AirBox Units as iPhone Compliment
17 August 2007 07:53 EST
Chris Barylick
On Thursday, Waav, a mobile technology provider, announced that it's been selling its AirBox units to iPhone owners as a means of providing in-car Wi-Fi access to the Internet while on the road.
The AirBox, which retails for US$499.99 and US$1,099.99, provides a bounce point for wireless Internet access as well as faster data speeds than AT&T's EDGE network as well as other services for when a call is in place on an iPhone.
A bit on the pricey side, but if in-car wireless access is proving crucial, this might be the best thing out there.
If you have thoughts or feedback, let us know in the forums.
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Apple Stealth-Releases Gigabit-Equipped AirPort Extreme Base Station
08 August 2007 01:24 EST
Chris Barylick
Between the quiet Mac Mini updates and this, Apple qualified for its stealth ninja merit badge yesterday. Amid the updates, the company also released a new AirPort Extreme Base Station now featuring gigabit Ethernet ports onboard.
According to Macworld News, the revised wireless router still functions on the 802.11b, g and n protocols and features a USB port as well as three switched gigabit Ethernet ports. The unit remains priced at US$179.99 and is available immediately.
As always, let us know what you think via the comments of forums.
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Apple Releases AirPort Base Station Update
29 March 2007 05:12 EST
Chris Barylick
On Thursday, Apple released AirPort Base Station Update - 2007-001, the first software update to its AirPort wireless router stations of 2007. The update, a 12.7 megabyte download, provides general fixes and compatibility updates for the AirPort Utility, AirPort Admin Utility (for graphite and snow base stations), AirPort Disk Utility and AirPort Disk Agent programs.
The update requires Mac OS X 10.4 or later and AirPort Utility 5.0 to run.
If you've tried the update and had a positive or negative experience with it, let us know.
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iFixit Benchmarks, Disassembles 802.11n Airport Extreme
05 February 2007 08:56 EST
Jason D. O'Grady
;void('');)
iFixIt.com got a new Airport Extreme 802.11n and has posted takeapart pictures and benchmarks of the new Apple access point.
We decided to deviate from our standard modus operandi and run some benchmarks before we took it apart. (I know, I know-- our screwdrivers were lonely for a while.)
The new base station is amazing. We achieved a 10x performance boost, and a 3x usable range increase! We achieved over 9 MB/s in short range lab testing with a MacBook Pro. Long range testing was equally impressive. At 300 feet (with a building in the way), we reached transfer rates of 500 KB/s.
Airport Extreme 802.11n Disassembly >> iFixIt.com
technorati tags:airport, extreme, 802.11n, wireless, takeapart, benchmark
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Apple to call 802.11n WiFi Airport Extreme X2 and X4
08 January 2007 04:41 EST
Jason D. O'Grady
It's surprising that no one has found this yet. This is taken directly from the course description for Apple's WiFi session at Macworld this year: "Wireless networking is about to undergo major changes, with 802.11n, or Airport Extreme X2 and X4. Starting with the basics of wireless networks, we will show how to design, deploy and test wireless..."
digg - Apple to call 802.11n WiFi Airport Extreme X2 and X4
technorati tags:Wifi, 802.11n, airport, extreme, x2, x4
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Fixing Your Airport Woes
18 October 2006 08:01 EST
Jason D. O'Grady
Ben at MacFixIt sent along these WiFi tips after I complained about poor WiFi performance after installing Mac OS 10.4.8 and AirPort Update 2006-001 (version 1.0). So far, removing Coconut WiFi seems to have fixed the problem.
- Try changing the wireless specification mode used by your router (or base station). Try switching from 802.11g to 802.11b, for instance.
- Disabling coconutWiFi -- an application displays you a small aqua-bubble at the top of your screen which indicates whether you're in range of a wireless network or not -- may resolve an issue where AirPort connections toggle between normal speed and dismal speed.
- Delete all stored wireless networks from the Preferred networks list, then add back any used networks via the following process:
Open System Preferences
Go to the "Network' pane
Select "AirPort" from the "Show:" menu
Click on the "AirPort" tab
Select "Preferred networks" from the "By default, join:" menu
Delete any networks from the list (using the "-" button) that you do not regularly use
Click the "Apply Now" button
- Turn off the Mac OS X Firewall (in the Sharing pane of System Preferences) resolved the issues in his case.
- In some cases, deleting the AirPort preferences can resolve the issue:
/Library/Preferences/SystemConfiguration/com.apple.airport.preferences.plist
If any of these solutions work for you, post your results in the comments below.
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AirPort Deafness After 10.4.8 and AirPort Update
11 October 2006 09:23 EST
Jason D. O'Grady
The weirdest thing happened to my MacBook Pro (2.0GHz, week 7) recently. Some time after installing Mac OS 10.4.8 and AirPort Update 2006-001 (version 1.0) my AirPort performance got completely hosed. I can download Web pages for a few minutes but then my WiFi connection goes almost dead. The bits trickle in so slowly that I can't even load a full Web page. Sometimes turning AirPort on and off will get it working again but only briefly.
My AirPort throughput is abysmal when it actually works - sub 1k/sec downloads according to MenuMeters. I've tried rebooting my Verizon DSL modem and my AirPort Extreme to no avail and last night isolated the problem to my MacBook Pro's WiFi drivers because my iMac 20-inch works fine on the same WiFi network and my MacBook Pro flies when connected via Ethernet.
So I'm appealing to you, fair reader. Have you experienced any WiFi voodoo on a MacBook or MBP since installing 10.4.8 or the Airport Update? I could really use a tip here as I'm not really eager to tinker with the AirPort libraries or to 'nuke and pave.' Not to mention that the 50-foot Ethernet cable looks really lame running through my house.
Please post your suggestions in the comments below.
UPDATE: I've tried repairing disk permissions in Disk Utility (no errors reported), cleaning my system and user prefernces Preferential Treatment and Tiger Cache Cleaner to no avail. I also haven't found anything related at MacFixIt or Apple's Discussion boards. Should I just re-run the 10.4.8 installer?
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REVIEW: Verizon Wireless ExpressCard/34
29 September 2006 12:02 EST
Jason D. O'Grady
Bare Feats gave the Verizon Wireless ExpressCard/34 (Novatal V640) wireless PC card a two week try (spoiler: they returned it.)
As many of you know, we've been using CardBus versions of the wirelessbroadband in our PowerBooks since early 2005. But when we bought theMacBook Pro for the lab back in March 2006, it had an ExpressCard/34slot but no cellular company had an ExpressCard broadband wireless PCcard available. That's changed. As of August 2006, the Novatel V640ExpressCard/34 became available through Verizon Wireless. (Neither Sprint nor Cingular have an ExpressCard wireless broadband solution as of this posting.)
I first activated the V640, the download speed was peaking at 144K.That was unacceptably slow -- but sounded awfully familiar. Sureenough, when I called to complain, they admitted the tech designated"National Access" (max download 144K) instead of "Broadband Access" (upto 2Mbit/s bursts) when the account was set up.
Read More...
After that was addressed, I did more speed testing. Now the downloadspeed (according to DSLreports.com) was running between 850K and 1000K.That's as good as it gets for an "air card" from Verizon Wireless.
Bare Feats >> Wireless Broadband ExpressCard/34 from Verizon Wireless
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The Apple Core: More drama with Apple's AirPort security
25 September 2006 09:07 EST
Jason D. O'Grady
Apple released updates to their wireless networking drivers last week and they appear to have created more questions than they answered with it.
AirPort Update 2006-001 (version 1.0) was released to "improves AirPort reliability on Macintosh computers" and is only for Apple's AirPort Extreme cards. An AirPort security update was also included in Security Update 2006-005.
Some have questioned whether Apple's wireless update was released specifically as a result of the MacBook WiFi hack that was shown by David Maynor and Jon "Johnny Cache" Ellch at the Black Hat conference in Las Vegas last month.
Read the rest of the story on my ZDNet Blog: The Apple Core.
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Introducing Wireless Philadelphia
21 September 2006 08:02 EST
Wireless Philadelphia is the non-profit organization that - along with its Internet partner Earthlink - is helping Philadelphia to become the nation's first completely wireless major city.
Wireless Philadelphia was created to make high-speed Internet access more available and affordable through Digital Inclusion. WP will help all citizens, businesses, schools, and community organizations embrace this broadband technology to achieve their goals. WP will also work to strengthen the City's economy, enhance the visitor experience and streamline City services.
What is Digital Inclusion?
Digital Inclusion is the name given to programs that seek to help people who are not online gain access with affordable hardware, software, tech support, and wireless high-speed internet service, so they can begin to use this technology to improve their lives.
Installation Has Begun
With the installation of devices called routers, Philadelphia has officially begun the process for making affordable wireless high-speed internet service available to every neighborhood in the City. Over the next two months, these routers - which use about the same amount of electricity as a 60 watt light bulb - will be installed on light poles and other high structures about 1,000 feet apart throughout a test area known as the Proof of Concept area.
The Proof of Concept area includes more than a dozen neighborhoods stretching 15 square miles (see map above). In this area from October through December, Earthlink and Wireless Philadelphia will test the technology and the processes by which citizens subscribe for this service. By fall of next year, wireless high-speed Internet access is scheduled to be available throughout all 135 square miles of Philadelphia.
This service will be priced beginning at $21.95/month for retail customers, and a Digital Inclusion rate of $9.95/month will be available to those who qualify. In order to be eligible for the Digital Inclusion rate, customers can have income up to 130% of the federal poverty level, or already be participants in certain supportive programs, such as Medicaid, Section 8, SSI, Food Stamps, LIHEAP, TANF, and/or the Free Lunch program.
Free access will be available in certain public spaces such as parks and public areas. These include Love Park, the Historic Square Mile, Penn's Landing, Cobbs Creek Environmental Center, Hunting Park, Wissahickon Environmental Center, Pennypack Environmental Center, FDR Park and Penn Treaty Park. In addition, each district councilperson will name a public space within his/her district where citizens can go for free access.
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