Radiospire: Raising the Antenna for Wireless HD

Tangles of cords behind entertainment centers have been a fact of life for consumers since the day the TV was invented. A new company in Hudson, Mass., aims to change that. Radiospire has developed technology that sends high-definition TV across a room, which could eliminate the need to run cables between set-top boxes, high-def DVD players and televisions. Will consumers

Consumers are enamored with HD entertainment devices. What consumers abhor, however, is the quagmire of cabling that tethers their HDTVs, high-def DVD players, gaming consoles and surround sound systems together.

Hudson, Mass.-based Radiospire Networks is banking on consumers clamoring to its breakthrough technology to replace that cabling nightmare with simple-to-use transceivers to carry audio and video within a room.

Radiospire has been working in the background since 2005 to pave the way for its product debut, expected in the first half of 2008.

"The idea came from watching people in Best Buy (NYSE: BBY) when they were dealing with sticker price over the cabling costs. That got me thinking about a wireless replacement. Nothing in this technology will be higher in setup expenses than cabling cost," Tan Rao, founder and vice president of product strategy for Radiospire, told the E-Commerce Times.

The Product

Radiospire Networks announced in the last week of November that its AirHook technology was approved for use with digital content protected by the High-bandwidth Digital Content Protection (HDCP) specification. AirHook technology, the industry's highest bandwidth wireless HD connectivity solution, was certified as an approved retransmission technology by Digital Content Protection (DCP), the administrator of the HDCP specification.

Intel (Nasdaq: INTC) developed the HDCP specification to protect digital entertainment content across the DVI/HDMI (digital visual interface / high definition multimedia interface). It provides a robust, cost-effective and transparent method for transmitting and receiving digital entertainment content to DVI/HDMI-compliant digital displays.

The AirHook chipset provides high-bandwidth wireless HD connectivity and allows display manufacturers to achieve uncompressed wireless HD at a low cost.

The AirHook chipset utilizes a bandwidth of 1.7 GHz (gigahertz) of unlicensed spectrum and delivers a throughput at 1.6 Gbps (gigabits per second). This provides a platform for the transmission of pure, uncompressed audio and video, Rao explained.

The new technology is targeted to meet consumer demands for 1080p HDTV resolution and can scale to meet future industry requirements. AirHook technology is designed for use in any wideband, unlicensed spectrum, including 3.1 to 4.8 GHz and 57 to 66 GHz. It supports all major worldwide video formats.

The Challenge

The chip's development charts new ground, according to Radiospire. In order to make this technology happen, Radiospire had to leverage the 1.7 GHz spectrum. To reach that goal, the company's founder drew heavily from his experience in the semiconductor industry and assembled a team of industry experts.

"We looked at the existing technology and found bandwidth lacking for HD audio and video in pure form. We needed to develop a radio and baseband device that was packed with total horsepower," Rao said. "We had to solve the problem with throughput. No one ever did this before. Nobody else has this."

Radiospire's engineers had to design something that far exceeded the 10 Mbps (megabit per second) to 50 Mpbs that WiFi achieves, he said.

The company faced two more challenges. The picture quality had to be pristine. It could not be affected by the surrounding environment. Not having any degradation of the picture quality was a big obstacle, said Rao.

Getting consumers to overcome the concept of cables itself posed a third challenge. Cables are simple to use -- you just plug them in. The company needed an equally reliable and simple way to connect wirelessly.

Necessary Solution?

Though Radiospire may provide a sleek way to connect high-bandwidth entertainment devices around the house, consumers will ultimately determine whether eliminating cable clutter is really necessary.

"The question is whether the problem Radiospire is solving is a problem consumers really have. It's a problem we wish they were aware they have, but it will take time for them to see it," James L. McQuivey, Forrester Research Principal Analyst, told the E-Commerce Times.

Even so, as more devices go into more homes, the tangle of cabling becomes a real sore spot, he agreed. Cleansing cable clutter may not be the real selling point of this new product, though.

"As people express a greater and greater desire to port video content from their PCs to their TVs, Radiospire's opportunity will arise. In that scenario, it hopes to convince manufacturers to integrate its technology into source and display devices so that Airhook becomes a standard," said McQuivey.

Unseen Competition?

Should that scenario come to pass, it would likely be very rewarding for Radiospire. However, it requires overcoming the chicken-and-egg dilemma of who standardizes on it first -- the display makers or the source makers. That could pose a risk to Radiospire's success, McQuivey suggested.

"That's why you would bet on a deal with a company that makes both, likely not Sony (NYSE: SNE) since it wasn't invented by Sony, but someone eager to catch up, like an LG. I would start with the TV if I had to choose, because once the display becomes a general receiver, any device in the home that can speak to it becomes more valuable to the consumer," he explained

WiFi Service Ready for Takeoff on JetBlue

JetBlue's free WiFi offering "might make passengers who are frustrated and angry about delays less angry than they would be otherwise," Donald Schenk, president of Airline Capital Associates, told TechNewsWorld. Assuming the service remains free, "I think people will love it. I just hope that it doesn't lead to the ability to use cell phones on airplanes -- if it does, I might never fly again."

Passengers on JetBlue will soon be able to use e-mail and instant messaging, thanks to a new onboard wireless network the airline will begin testing next week.

Details won't be officially announced until Tuesday, but JetBlue has outfitted one of its Airbus A320 planes -- now dubbed "BetaBlue" -- with an air-to-ground system featuring wireless hotspots throughout the craft, Sebastian White, a spokesperson for the Forest Hills, N.Y.-based airline, told TechNewsWorld.

BetaBlue will make its first flight on Tuesday from San Francisco to New York and back, White said. If successful, the technology could ultimately be rolled out to JetBlue's entire fleet, he added.

"Customers keep asking us to expand on our product offerings with a service like this," White explained. "We wanted to connect people and take advantage of this new technology."

RIM and Yahoo

The free service will complement JetBlue's current DirecTV and XM Satellite Radio offerings already onboard.

Through partnerships with both Research In Motion (Nasdaq: RIMM) (RIM) and Yahoo (Nasdaq: YHOO) , it will enable users of WiFi-enabled BlackBerry devices to access e-mail and instant messaging while also allowing laptop users to do the same through a lightweight version of Yahoo services customized for the limited bandwidth available up in the air, White explained.

BlackBerry models that use cellular rather than WiFi won't be able to gain access due to the Federal Communications Commission's (FCC's) continuing ban on in-flight cellular service.

LiveTV, JetBlue's wholly owned subsidiary that installs TVs on its planes, has been working on the technology with Yahoo and RIM, he added.

Random Access

Following the inaugural flight on Tuesday -- which is already sold out, White says -- BetaBlue will be scheduled randomly throughout JetBlue's transcontinental flights, he said. Because of the difficulties of scheduling, passengers won't be able to request seats on BetaBlue, he added.

"You won't know if you're on a BetaBlue flight until you're on it," he said.

JetBlue has not slated any particular time line or duration for the tests, but they will extend at least over the next few months, White said. During that time, the airline will be gauging customer reactions and tweaking the service accordingly, with an eye toward expanding it down the road.

Widespread Plans

JetBlue appears to be the first U.S. airline to offer in-flight Internet access, but some international carriers have already experimented with such services. German airline Lufthansa, for example, offered Internet from Connexion by Boeing (NYSE: BA) beginning in 2004 but ending at the end of 2006, when Boeing shut Connexion down.

American Airlines recently announced a fee-based Internet access plan for 2008, and Qantas has said it would begin offering connectivity starting August of next year as well. Virgin America, which just launched in August, is partnering with AirCell in an effort aimed at offering air-to-ground broadband Internet service on Virgin America flights sometime in 2008.

Such announcements come at a time when the airline industry as a whole sorely needs to appease travelers frustrated by on-time performance rates, which have been lagging this year. Only 73.69 percent of U.S. flights between January and October 2007 arrived on time -- defined as less than 15 minutes late -- as opposed to the 75.81 percent that were on time over the same period last year, according to the Bureau of Transportation Statistics.

Porting To VoIP

When you decide to make the leap from Traditional Land Line Telephone service to a VoIP provider, most people want to take their existing telephone number with them to the new VoIP provider. By doing this, the customer doesn’t have to send a note to all of the friends and family to let them know that they are going to be changing their number. The only problem is that in most cases, it may take a VoIP provider anywhere from 3 to 8 weeks to port your number from the existing telephone company to the VoIP provider. Conversely, for a wireless-to-wireless transfer, the porting process should take approximately two and a half hours from the time the porting request is made of the old carrier.

The FCC has not mandated a specific time frame for the wireless-to-wireless porting process. Two and a half hours is the time frame agreed upon by the wireless industry, and the FCC encourages carriers to use that time frame. In time, I would imagine that the FCC put that pressure on Land Line Telephone service and the VoIP industry as well to increase the speed in which a Land Line gets provisioned to a VoIP line.

There are many reasons it takes so long, but the biggest reason is that there are so many hands involved with getting the number ported. First of all, most of the VoIP providers lease the phone numbers from larger phone companies. So, they must get the port request for you, then request the number be ported from their leasing company, then the leasing company must in turn request that the number be ported by the existing telephone company. Then to get confirmation of the port back to the customer, the same steps are taken in the reverse. Generally these companies will batch the port requests by waiting to get a significant number of requests before actually placing a request.

You do not need to wait for your number to be ported before your VoIP service will work. The VoIP provider will provide you with a temporary assigned telephone number to use while your existing number is being ported. Generally, it is necessary that you maintain your local telephone service until the porting of your number has taken place. Also, be sure to fill out the “Porting” information correctly. Make sure you have put the same exact name, address, and telephone number as is printed on your local phone bill. If this is not done, it could delay the process for weeks.

Are you looking to expand your business into the next town, city, state, etc.? Well, with the advent of VoIP, you can now create a local presence in almost any market by getting a VoIP Virtual Telephone number in any market of your choosing. By acquiring multiple VoIP Virtual Telephone numbers, it is possible for your business to appear as a local business in many different markets. Your business could pass out business cards with Houston, Atlanta, and New York satellite office numbers (Virtual numbers) for less than $5.00 per month each. Local clients can dial you without dialing long distance. And the best part of all is you get the local presence without all the expensive overhead.

How does a VoIP Virtual Telephone number work? When you order VoIP service, generally you will get 1 telephone number along with unlimited local and long distance (Calls to any U.S. and Canadian telephone number are free) calling for around $20-$25 dollars a month. You can choose to add on as many VoIP Virtual Telephone numbers in different markets as you wish for less than $5 each. All of these Virtual Telephone numbers will ring your VoIP telephone Let's say that your office is in Los Angeles where your primary VoIP telephone number has a 310 area code. You have a few clients in Chicago in the 732 area code. You can get a virtual phone number in area code 732 that rings to your 310 line. Now your clients don't have to pay long distance charges when they call you.

Sample Business Application

Suppose you're a Kite manufacturer based in San Francisco, California while your biggest customers are located in Miami FL; San Diego, Ca; and Chicago, IL. All you pay is the small monthly fee for the three different virtual phone numbers, each with an area code of the three different hubs of your business activity. Now, your customers never have to dial long distance to place an order and they feel you are right next door.

In addition to making it cheaper and easier for your callers to phone a virtual number in their same area code, even if you or your business reside thousands of miles away, virtual numbers can also enhance a small organization's ability to manage incoming calls.

The above are only a couple examples of how Virtual telephone numbers can help VoIP business customers. The possibilities are endless. You just need to get creative.

Personal and family uses of VOIP

Today, VOIP is not an unknown word for the people. People around the globe are looking towards this option of communication.

Today, VOIP is not an unknown word for the people. People around the globe are looking towards this option of communication. No, doubt, today it’s being used broad only for the business purpose, but the time is not farther when it will become first choice of the people, all over the globe. Actually, VOIP is the short form of Voice over Internet Protocol, which allows people to communicate on phone through internet.

VOIP technology has totally changed the communication world. Some of the people think it is good for the large businesses, which need several long distance calls regularly, but the fact, probably they don’t know that, not only small businesses are getting the advantage of VOIP, but it has also much benefit for those, who want to use it personally and for family; and those, who know, are not having information enough about what they have to do. Here it is in brief, what and how VOIP provides:

o No matter, where you are in whole world; if you have VOIP technology, you are always close to your family. VOIP will never let you feel that you are living apart. Whenever, you wish you can have a chat as long as you want, because VOIP is an internet service, which requires no extra charge. Once you have brought just you need to pay your monthly internet fees. With other old phone services, you are not free; the huge bills will accost you to do so.

o If your children or friends are out of country because of any reason, either it is study or business purpose, you don’t need to miss them, when and how long you wish, they will be in your touch.

o It may be much helpful in distance learning. Whether it is meeting, or any other situation, which needs you to be gathered, now can handle without being together. VOIP has a great facility, which lets you talk with many people together.

o Except these, what facilities usually people expect to have with old phone service at additional charges, are given as common with VOIP.

These are some points which indicate the importance of VOIP and tell you how and how much you can save. Now here is what you are required to do to get the best VOIP service:

o First step is to buy a high speed internet in order to get fast and fine service. Normal connection is unable to run this.

o Second expense, you have to make to purchase a gateway or, if you want to use your current phone, adaptor; which makes link between internet and your phone.

o Last and common step, you know very well, is only to shop around. This will give you best VOIP service at reasonable price.

VOIP is a very modern telecommunication tool, which is brought the people very close to each other. You can talk to the person face to face (through video phones), who is thousands of miles far from you. So, it’s not bad idea to buy VOIP for using personally.

Wireless Security Threats

What are the threats that we face today with regards to wireless networks? An informative list has been compiled by the National Institute of Standards and Technology as part of their documentation on Wireless Security. Hereunder is an extract from that document.

To date, the list below includes some of the more salient threats and vulnerabilities of wireless systems:

• All the vulnerabilities that exist in a conventional wired network apply to wireless technologies.
• Malicious entities may gain unauthorized access to an agency’s computer or voice (IP telephony) network through wireless connections, potentially bypassing any firewall protections.
• Sensitive information that is not encrypted (or that is encrypted with poor cryptographic techniques) and that is transmitted between two wireless devices may be intercepted and disclosed.
• Denial of service (DoS) attacks may be directed at wireless connections or devices.
• Malicious entities may steal the identity of legitimate users and masquerade them on internal or external corporate networks.
• Sensitive data may be corrupted during improper synchronization.
• Malicious entities may be able to violate the privacy of legitimate users and be able to track their physical movements.
• Malicious entities may deploy unauthorized equipment (e.g., client devices and access points) to surreptitiously gain access to sensitive information.
• Handheld devices are easily stolen and can reveal sensitive information.
• Data may be extracted without detection from improperly configured devices.
• Viruses or other malicious code may corrupt data on a wireless device and be subsequently introduced to a wired network connection.
• Malicious entities may, through wireless connections, connect to other agencies for the purposes of launching attacks and concealing their activity.
• Interlopers, from inside or out, may be able to gain connectivity to network management controls and thereby disable or disrupt operations.
• Malicious entities may use a third party, un-trusted wireless network services to gain access to an agency’s network resources.
• Internal attacks may be possible via ad hoc transmissions.

As with wired networks, agency officials need to be aware of liability issues for the loss of sensitive information or for any attacks launched from a compromised network.

As you can see, there are vulnerabilities on all levels, some of which wouldn’t normally come to mind, so we must be prepared for the worst and not take anything for granted. One prime example would be, with reference to the above point about how handheld devices are easy stolen - we can take the simple preventative measures to combat such a threat. Don’t carry round highly sensitive information on your portable device; only take what is absolutely necessary. Leave other data on the corporate or home network, or on a removable storage media. Also, if available, enable the auto lock feature (with a password) and add a PIN number to the device; so that when you switch it on, you will have to enter a Personal Identification Number before it starts up.

RFID - Radio Frequency Identification

Definition: RFID is a system for tagging and identifying mobile objects such as store merchandise, postal packages and sometimes living organisms (like pets). Using a special device called an RFID reader, RFID allows objects to be labeled and tracked as they move from place to place.

RFID works using small (sometimes smaller than a fingernail) pieces of hardware called RFID chips. These chips feature an antenna to transmit and receive radio signals. So-called passive RFID chips do not have a power source, but active RFID chips do. RFID chips may be attached to objects, or in the case of some passive RFID systems, injected into objects.

Whenever a reader within range sends appropriate signals to an object, the associated RFID chip responds with the requested information, such as an identification number or product date.

(Passive RFID systems derive their energy to send responses from the incoming signal.) The reader, in turn, displays the response data to an operator. Readers may also forward data to a networked central computer system. RFID systems generally support storing information on the chips as well as simply reading data.

RFID systems were created as an alternative to barcodes. Relative to barcodes, RFID allows objects to be scanned from a greater distance, supports storing of data, and allows more information to be tracked per object.

RFID has raised some privacy concerns due to the invisible nature of the system and its capability to transmit fairly sophisticated messages.

What is the Actual Speed of an 802.11b Wi-Fi Network?

The theoretical peak bandwidth of an 802.11b wireless connection is 11 Mbps. This is the performance number advertised on 802.11b Wi-Fi equipment, that many people equate with the expected "speed" of a network. However, this level of performance is never realized in practice due to network overhead and other factors. What then is the actual network speed of 802.11b?

The typical peak throughput (sustained data rate) of an 802.11b wireless connection under ideal conditions for end user data is actually 4-5 Mbps. This level of performance assumes a wireless client in very close promixity (within a few meters) of the base station or other communication endpoint. Due to the distance-sensitive nature of Wi-Fi signaling, 802.11b throughput numbers will decrease the client moves further away from the base station.

The large difference between theoretical and actual data rates for 802.11b is due primarily to protocol overhead. Wi-Fi generates a relatively large amount of traffic to maintain connections, coordinate the sending and acknowledgement of messages, and maintain other private state information. Throughput also decreases when interference in the 802.11b signal range (2.4 Ghz) is present.

Interference often causes re-transmissions due to data corruption or packet loss.

Some proprietary Wi-Fi products based offer "22 Mbps" bandwidth by extending the standard 802.11b signaling technology. Unfortunately, the actual throughput of these networks is not double that of ordinary 802.11b network, although typical peak throughput may increase up to a 6-7 Mbps level.

While peak data rates may be acheivable at times, many 802.11b home network links typically run at 2-3 Mbps. This is still faster than broadband Internet connections, that normally operate at 0.5-2 Mbps peak for downloads. Because the Internet connection is often a bottleneck, 802.11b LAN throughput is effectively reduced to that of the broadband access.

Finally, the perceived "speed" of a network is determined not only by available bandwidth but also by network latency

Network Bandwidth and Latency

What Is Network Latency?

Bandwidth is just one element of what a person perceives as the speed of a network. Latency is another element that contributes to network speed. The term latency refers to any of several kinds of delays typically incurred in processing of network data. A so-called low latency network connection is one that generally experiences small delay times, while a high latency connection generally suffers from long delays.

Latency vs. Bandwidth

Although the theoretical peak bandwidth of a network connection is fixed according to the technology used, the actual bandwidth you will obtain varies over time and is affected by high latencies. Excessive latency creates bottlenecks that prevent data from filling the network pipe, thus decreasing effective bandwidth.
The impact of latency on network bandwidth can be temporary (lasting a few seconds) or persistent (constant) depending on the source of the delays.

Latency of Satellite Internet Service

Satellite Internet service illustrates the difference between latency and bandwidth on computer networks. Satellite Internet connections possess both high bandwidth and high latency. When loading a Web page, for example, most satellite users can observe a noticeable delay from the time they enter a Web address to the time the page begins loading. This high latency is due primarily to propagation delay as the request message travels at the speed of light to the distant satellite station and back to the home network. Once the messages arrive on Earth, however, the page loads quickly like on other high-bandwidth Internet connections (DSL or cable).

Besides propagation delays, latency also may also involve transmission delays (properties of the physical medium) and processing delays (such as passing through proxy servers or making network hops on the Internet).

Measuring Network Latency

Network tools like ping tests and traceroute measure latency by determining the time it takes a given network packet to travel from source to destination and back, the so-called round-trip time. Round-trip time is not the only way to specify latency, but it is the most common.

On DSL or cable Internet connections, latencies of less than 100 milliseconds (ms) are typical and less than 25 ms desired. Satellite Internet connections, on the other hand, average 500 ms or higher latency.

Two key elements of network performance are bandwidth and latency. The average person is more familiar with the concept of bandwidth as that is the one advertised by manufacturers of network equipment. However, latency matters equally to the end user experience as the behavior of satellite Internet connections illustrates. Businesses use the term Quality of Service (QoS) to refer to measuring and maintaining consistent performance on a network by managing both bandwidth and latency in a coordinated fashion.

WiMAX Forum® Endorses Industry's First WiMAX Application Lab in Taiwan

WiMAX Forum Taipei Showcase Demonstrates Widespread Industry Support and Progress, Including Highlights from WiMAX Forum PlugFest

TAIPEI October 22, 2007 More than 3,000 visitors and 50 WiMAX Forum® member companies converged to participate in the WiMAX Forum Taipei Showcase and WiMAX Forum conference this week to experience the demonstration of live Mobile WiMAX products and services. During a press conference to kick off the two day exposition, the WiMAX Forum announced the opening of the industry's first WiMAX Forum-endorsed application lab and the results of its fourth public, Mobile WiMAX PlugFest.

The M-Taiwan WiMAX Application Lab located in Hsinchu, is designed to be an open environment where innovators from around the globe can come to develop and test new WiMAX applications covering categories such as Voice over Internet Protocol and entertainment. The lab will open its doors to equipment and application developers beginning this week, offering a chance to test their products and services for performance on a live WiMAX system and conduct and measure consumer acceptance before bringing them to market.

"This new application lab, supported by local industry and Taiwan administration, is a stellar example of the global readiness by region for the innovations that anytime, anywhere broadband Internet access of WiMAX technology will spawn," said Ron Resnick, president of the WiMAX Forum, at the press conference here today. "As our members come together this week in Taipei to showcase products and announce plans to deliver Mobile WiMAX services in 2008, we are reminded that the WiMAX industry is addressing a new standard in a way no other industry or association has in the past. We are approaching WiMAX technology much the same way that the innovators of the Internet built the World Wide Web, offering a truly open infrastructure where no single operator or service provider dominates the technology."

Future innovators will play an important role in the development of WiMAX applications. University students will use the new lab to develop applications and services in collaboration with their professors, industry leaders, the WiMAX Forum and our members.

"WiMAX and the need for broadband Internet access anytime, anywhere, even in the palm of our hands, will be adopted as a result of the unique applications and services made available to consumers," said Johnsee Lee, President of ITRI. "Applications and services will continue to move to the forefront of the WiMAX technology discussion and our hope is that the first application lab here in Taiwan will help infuse new innovations never before realized."

At the 2007 WiMAX Forum Taipei Showcase, the WiMAX Forum anticipates that thousands of attendees will experience a live demonstration of how commercial WiMAX services will work. The showcase includes the latest demonstrations from worldwide system and chipset vendors with products and complete end-to-end solutions.

"More than 50 member companies are here today to showcase the progress of the innovation and the overwhelming collaboration within the WiMAX ecosystem," added Resnick. "With five certification labs to open worldwide by the end of the year to certify a broad mix of WiMAX products, I am pleased to announce an application lab in place and another successful mobile PlugFest under our belt. It is clearly a pivotal point for the WiMAX market to gain momentum toward WiMAX Forum mobile certification and commercial availability of products in early 2008."

WiMAX Forum's 4th Public, Mobile PlugFest Results

The WiMAX Forum® has brought together 42 companies from the Mobile WiMAX equipment and test equipment communities for the fourth public, Mobile WiMAX PlugFest, an interoperability venue hosted in Taipei. The PlugFest began on Sunday, October 14, 2007 and concluded on Saturday, October 20, 2007.

"This latest PlugFest, with a record number of participants and more than 200 engineers in attendance, shows commitment by the WiMAX ecosystem to deliver valuable products that will provide end-users a quality experience and offer affordable, content-filled services across the planet," said Ed Agis, chairman of the WiMAX Forum Certification Working Group. "We had a number of milestones this PlugFest, including testing the leading advanced antenna technologies delivering the fastest speeds and broadest coverage. Due to member demand, we also extended the event an extra day and have two test benches per vendor to increase the amount of testing allowed during the event."

"Historically, MIMO setups are not achieved until mid-week," said Agis. "For the first time, several vendors had MIMO setups running during the first day of testing. In addition, 20 different set ups demonstrating successful data flow across MIMO Matrix A and Matrix B were achieved, as well as several beamforming IOT set ups."

Chipset suppliers, equipment and test equipment vendor companies were among those companies participating in the WiMAX Forum-sponsored event, including: Accton Technology Corporation, Aeroflex, Agilent Technologies, Airspan Networks, Alcatel-Lucent, Alpha Networks, Inc., Alvarion, Amicus Wireless Technology, Inc., Anite Telecoms Ltd., ApaceWave Technologies, ASUSTek Computer Inc., AT4 wireless, Azimuth Systems, Beceem Communications, Fujitsu Microelectronics America Inc., GCT Semiconductor, Inc., Gemtek Technology Co.,Ltd, Huawei Technologies, Institute for Information Industry, Intel Corporation, Japan Radio Co. Ltd., M/A COM Inc., Marvell Semiconductor, Motorola, Navini Networks, NEC, Nokia, Nortel Networks, PicoChip, Posdata Co. Ltd., Quanta Computer, Inc., Redline Communications Inc., Rohde & Schwarz, Runcom Technologies Ltd, Samsung Electronics Co. Ltd, Sanjole, Sanyo Electric Co. Ltd., Sequans Communications, Spirent Communications, Telsima Inc., Wavesat Inc, and ZTE Corporation. (To view member news releases, please go to http://www.wimaxforum.org/news/membernews)

"The WiMAX Forum PlugFest provides Mobile WiMAX equipment suppliers an open environment in which to test compatibility and interoperability of equipment in preparation for certification," said Agis. "The result is quicker time to market with products that work."

EDITOR'S NOTE:

The two-day WiMAX Forum Taipei Showcase will be held Monday, October 22 and Tuesday, October 23 at the Taipei International Convention Center. To see demonstrations of WiMAX technology, visit the showcase during these days. To schedule a one-on-one interview with a WiMAX Forum spokesperson at the event, please contact Becca Harpham at +1-972-341-2527 or bharpham@golinharris.com.


About WiMAX Forum®

The WiMAX Forum® is an industry-led, not-for-profit organization formed to certify and promote the compatibility and interoperability of broadband wireless products based upon the harmonized IEEE 802.16/ETSI HiperMAN standard. A WiMAX Forum goal is to accelerate the introduction of these systems into the marketplace. WiMAX Forum Certified products are interoperable and support broadband fixed, nomadic, portable and mobile services. Along these lines, the WiMAX Forum works closely with service providers and regulators to ensure that WiMAX Forum Certified systems meet customer and government requirements. Through the WiMAX Forum Congress Events Series of global trade shows and events, the WiMAX Forum is committed to furthering education, training and collaboration to expand the reach of the WiMAX ecosystem. For more information, visit the trade show link at www.wimaxforum.org.

"WiMAX Forum" is a registered trademark of the WiMAX Forum. "WiMAX," the WiMAX Forum logo, "WiMAX Forum Certified," and the WiMAX Forum Certified logo are trademarks of the WiMAX Forum. All other trademarks are the properties of their respective owners.

Definitions of Wimax

The terms "fixed WiMAX", "mobile WiMAX", "802.16d" and "802.16e" are frequently used incorrectly.^[1] Correct definitions are:

802.16d

Strictly speaking, 802.16d has never existed as a standard. The standard is correctly called 802.16-2004 and was developed by the IEEE 802.16 Task Group d. Therefore the project was called 802.16d, but the standard never was. However, since this standard is frequently called 802.16d, that term is also used in this article to assist readability.

802.16e

Just as 802.16d has never existed, neither has 802.16e. 802.16e is an amendment to 802.16-2004, and the amendment is properly referred to as 802.16e-2005. 802.16e-2005 is not a standard in its own right - since it is only an amendment, the original document (802.16-2004) has to be read and then the amendments added to it.

Fixed WiMAX

This is a phrase frequently used to refer to systems built using 802.16-2004 ('802.16d') and the OFDM PHY as the air interface technology.

Fixed WiMAX deployments do not cater for handoff between Base Stations, therefore the service provider cannot offer mobility.

Mobile WiMAX

A phrase frequently used to refer to systems built using 802.16e-2005 and the OFDMA PHY as the air interface technology. "Mobile WiMAX" implementations can be used to deliver both fixed and mobile services.

What is Ad-Hoc Mode in Wireless Networking?

On wireless computer networks, ad-hoc mode is a method for wireless devices to directly communicate with each other. Operating in ad-hoc mode allows all wireless devices within range of each other to discover and communicate in peer-to-peer fashion without involving central access points (including those built in to broadband wireless routers).

To set up an ad-hoc wireless network, each wireless adapter must be configured for ad-hoc mode versus the alternative infrastructure mode. In addition, all wireless adapters on the ad-hoc network must use the same SSID and the same channel number.

An ad-hoc network tends to feature a small group of devices all in very close proximity to each other.

Performance suffers as the number of devices grows, and a large ad-hoc network quickly becomes difficult to manage. Ad-hoc networks cannot bridge to wired LANs or to the Internet without installing a special-purpose gateway.

Ad hoc networks make sense when needing to build a small, all-wireless LAN quickly and spend the minimum amount of money on equipment. Ad hoc networks also work well as a temporary fallback mechanism if normally-available infrastructure mode gear (access points or routers) stop functioning.

What is Bridging Mode in Wi-Fi Networking?

In Wi-Fi networking, bridging mode allows two or more wireless access points (APs) to communicate with each for the purpose of joining multiple LANs.

Many Wi-Fi bridging mode products exist with varying levels of functionality.

Some wireless bridges support only a single point-to-point connection to another AP. Others support point-to-multipoint connections to several other APs.

Each AP in bridging mode connects to a wired LAN. Some AP models simultaneously support wireless clients while operating in bridging mode, but others work as "bridge-only" and disallow any clients from connecting. Some APs only support bridging with other APs from the same manufacturer or product family.

AP bridging capability (when it is available) can be enabled or disabled through a configuration option.

Normally, APs in bridging mode discover each other via Media Access Control (MAC) addresses that must be set as configuration parameters.

While operating in bridging mode, wireless APs utilize a substantial amount of bandwidth. Wireless clients on bridged Wi-Fi networks generally share the same bandwidth as the bridge devices. Therefore, clients tend to perform slower in bridging mode than otherwise.

In Wi-Fi, repeater mode is a variation on bridging. Rather than join multiple LANs, repeater mode is intended mainly to increase the range of a single wireless LAN by extending the same wireless signal.

Top 5 802.11g Wireless Broadband Routers for Home

The second generation of wireless routers for broadband home networks employs 802.11g technology. 802.11g wireless routers supply more network bandwidth than their older 802.11b counterparts. That lets you add more computers to a network without bogging it down. You'll also notice faster file sharing and printing.

Consider cost, features, and brand when choosing your wireless broadband router. Individual preferences ultimately make this a personal decision.

1. D-Link DI-624 AirPlus Xtreme G

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The D-Link DI-624 combines the features of a four-port network switch, DHCP server, and advanced firewall. Owners of this wireless router have commented on both the ease of installation and reliability. The DI-624 supports WEP and WPA security and signal range up to 328 feet (100 m). D-Link boasts that their five hardware compression technologies give the DI-624 router a noticeable performance advantage over competitors' products. The DI-624 comes with a three-year limited warranty in the USA.

2. Netgear WGR614

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The WGR614 router continues Netgear's tradition of attractive, powerful home networking products. Owners have remarked on the WGR614's great signal range, a key feature in homes with brick walls or similar obstructions. No device is perfect, though, and some have reported intermittent problems (presumably firmware related) that may require resetting the WGR614 router occasionally. Netgear offers a three-year warranty for the WGR614, and their customer support receives positive comments.

3. Linksys WRT54G Wireless-G

Some owners of this Linksys router have reported a clean installation, good performance and signal range, and helpful customer support. By contrast, some other WRT54G owners report serious problems or instabilities in these same areas. Because Linksys updates their router firmware often, it's important to keep the WRT54G firmware revision current to ensure maximum stability. Linksys sometimes holds a price advantage; strive to buy the WRT54G for less than competing models.

4. Apple M8799LL/A Airport Extreme Base Station

This 802.11g wireless router from Apple is called the "Extreme Base Station." Apple's wireless router / access point products are priced higher than the competition for comparable features. However, they do work with both Macintosh and Windows computers and are a logical purchase for those wanting to demonstrate Apple brand loyalty. Presumably Airport base stations also work best with Apple's 802.11g wireless network adapters. Apple provides a limited one-year warranty for their Base Stations.

5. SMC SMC2804WBR Barricade

This SMC 802.11g wireless router competes well on features and overall quality. The SMC2804WBR supports Macintosh, Linux and Windows clients. It features two detachable antennas, a strong firewall, and good signal strength. SMC offers a lifetime warranty for this product. SMC may not be one of the more well-recognized brand names in this space, yet their products compete with others technically. For the right price, the SMC2804WBR is a worthwhile purchase.

Wireless security

Wireless networks are very common, both for organizations and individuals. Many laptop computers have wireless cards pre-installed. The ability to enter a network while mobile has great benefits. However, wireless networking has many security issues. Crackers have found wireless networks relatively easy to break into, and even use wireless technology to crack into wired networks.

The risks to users of wireless technology have increased as the service has become more popular. There were relatively few dangers when wireless technology was first introduced. Crackers had not yet had time to latch on to the new technology and wireless was not commonly found in the work place. However, there are a great number of security risks associated with the current wireless protocols and encryption methods, and in the carelessness and ignorance that exists at the user and corporate IT level. Cracking methods have become much more sophisticated and innovative with wireless. Cracking has also become much easier and more accessible with easy-to-use Windows-based and Linux-based tools being made available on the web at no charge.

Types of unauthorized access to company networks

Accidental association

Unauthorized access to company wireless and wired networks can come from a number of different methods and intents. One of these methods is referred to as “accidental association”. When a user turns on a computer and it latches on to a wireless access point from a neighboring company’s overlapping network, the user may not even know that this has occurred. However, it is a security breach in that proprietary company information is exposed and now there could exist a link from one company to the other. This is especially true if the laptop is also hooked to a wired network.

Malicious association

“Malicious associations” are when wireless devices can be actively made by crackers to connect to a company network through their cracking laptop instead of a company access point (AP). These types of laptops are known as “soft APs” and are created when a cracker runs some software that makes his/her wireless network card look like a legitimate access point. Once the cracker has gained access, he/she can steal passwords, launch attacks on the wired network, or plant trojans. Since wireless networks operate at the Layer-2 level, Layer-3 protections such as network authentication and virtual private networks (VPNs) offer no barrier. Wireless 802.1x authentications do help with protection but are still vulnerable to cracking. The idea behind this type of attack may not be to break into a VPN or other security measures. Most likely the cracker is just trying to take over the client at the Layer-2 level.

Ad-hoc networks

Ad-hoc networks can pose a security threat. Ad-hoc networks are defined as peer-to-peer networks between wireless computers that do not have an access point in between them. While these types of networks usually have little protection, encryption methods can be used to provide security.

Non-traditional networks

Non-traditional networks such as personal network Bluetooth devices are not safe from cracking and should be regarded as a security risk. Even barcode readers, handheld PDAs, and wireless printers and copiers should be secured. These non-traditional networks can be easily overlooked by IT personnel who have narrowly focused on laptops and access points.

Identity theft (MAC spoofing)

Identity theft (or MAC spoofing) occurs when a cracker is able to listen in on network traffic and identify the MAC address of a computer with network privileges. Most wireless systems allow some kind of MAC filtering to only allow authorized computers with specific MAC IDs to gain access and utilize the network. However, a number of programs exist that have network “sniffing” capabilities. Combine these programs with other software that allow a computer to pretend it has any MAC address that the cracker desires, and the cracker can easily get around that hurdle.

Man-in-the-middle attacks

A man-in-the-middle attacker entices computers to log into a computer which is set up as a soft AP (Access Point). Once this is done, the hacker connects to a real access point through another wireless card offering a steady flow of traffic through the transparent hacking computer to the real network. The hacker can then sniff the traffic. One type of man-in-the-middle attack relies on security faults in challenge and handshake protocols to execute a “de-authentication attack”. This attack forces AP-connected computers to drop their connections and reconnect with the cracker’s soft AP. Man-in-the-middle attacks are enhanced by software such as LANjack and AirJack, which automate multiple steps of the process. What once required some skill can now be done by script kiddies. Hotspots are particularly vulnerable to any attack since there is little to no security on these networks.

Denial of service

A Denial-of-Service attack (DoS) occurs when an attacker continually bombards a targeted AP (Access Point) or network with bogus requests, premature successful connection messages, failure messages, and/or other commands. These cause legitimate users to not be able to get on the network and may even cause the network to crash. These attacks rely on the abuse of protocols such as the Extensible Authentication Protocol (EAP).

Network injection

In a network injection attack, a cracker can make use of access points that are exposed to non-filtered network traffic, specifically broadcast network traffic such as “Spanning Tree” (802.1D), OSPF, RIP, and HSRP. The cracker injects bogus networking re-configuration commands that affect routers, switches, and intelligent hubs. A whole network can be brought down in this manner and require rebooting or even reprogramming of all intelligent networking devices.

Caffe Latte attack

The Caffe Latte attack debunks the age old myth that to crack WEP, the attacker needs to be in the RF vicinity of the authorized network, with at least one functional Access Point up and running. Using the Caffe Latte attack trick, it is possible to retrieve the WEP key from an isolated Client using a new technique called "AP-less WEP Cracking". The attack uses various behavioral characteristics of the Windows Wireless stack along with already known flaws in WEP. The attacker exploits the shared key authentication flaw and the message modification flaw in 802.11 WEP, to send a flood of encrypted ARP requests to the isolated Client. The Client replies to these requests with a barrage of encrypted ARP responses. The attacker uses these ARP responses and plug them into the PTW cryptographic attack and recover the WEP key in less than 6 minutes.

Counteracting risks

Risks from crackers are sure to remain with us for any foreseeable future. The challenge for IT personnel will be to keep one step ahead of crackers. Members of the IT field need to keep learning about the types of attacks and what counter measures are available.

Wifi

Wi-Fi (pronounced wye-fye, IPA: /ˈwaɪfaɪ/), colloquially known as an abbreviation of wireless fidelity, is a wireless technology brand owned by the Wi-Fi Alliance intended to improve the interoperability of wireless local area network products based on the IEEE 802.11 standards. Common applications for Wi-Fi include Internet and VoIP phone access, gaming, and network connectivity for consumer electronics such as televisions, DVD players, and digital cameras.

A Wi-Fi enabled device such as a PC, game console, cell phone, MP3 player or PDA can connect to the Internet when within range of a wireless network connected to the Internet. The area covered by one or more interconnected access points is called a hotspot. Hotspots can cover as little as a single room with wireless-opaque walls or as much as many square miles covered by overlapping access points. Wi-Fi has been used to create a mesh networks, for example, in the City of London.^[3] Both architectures are used in community networks.^{[citation needed]}

Wi-Fi also allows connectivity in peer-to-peer (wireless ad-hoc network) mode, which enables devices to connect directly with each other. This connectivity mode is useful in consumer electronics and gaming applications.

When the technology was first commercialized there were many problems because consumers could not be sure that products from different vendors would work together. The Wi-Fi Alliance began as a community to solve this issue so as to address the needs of the end user and allow the technology to mature. The Alliance created the branding Wi-Fi CERTIFIED to show consumers that products are interoperable with other products displaying the same branding.

Many consumer devices use Wi-Fi. Amongst others, personal computers can network to each other and connect to the Internet, mobile computers can connect to the Internet from any Wi-Fi hotspot, and digital cameras can transfer images wirelessly.

Routers which incorporate a DSL or cable modem and a Wi-Fi access point are often used in homes and other premises, and provide Internet access and internetworking to all devices connected wirelessly or by cable into them. Devices supporting Wi-Fi can also be connected in ad-hoc mode for client-to-client connections without a router.

Business and industrial Wi-Fi is widespread as of 2007. In business environments, increasing the number of Wi-Fi access points provides redundancy, support for fast roaming and increased overall network capacity by using more channels or creating smaller cells. Wi-Fi enables wireless voice applications (VoWLAN or WVOIP). Over the years, Wi-Fi implementations have moved toward 'thin' access points, with more of the network intelligence housed in a centralized network appliance, relegating individual Access Points to be simply 'dumb' radios. Outdoor applications may utilize true mesh topologies. As of 2007 Wi-Fi installations can provide a secure computer networking gateway, firewall, DHCP server, intrusion detection system, and other functions.

In addition to restricted use in homes and offices, Wi-Fi is publicly available at Wi-Fi hotspots provided either free of charge or to subscribers to various providers. Free hotspots are often provided by businesses such as hotels, restaurants, and airports who offer the service to attract or assist clients. Sometimes free Wi-Fi is provided by enthusiasts, or by organizations or authorities who wish to promote business in their area. Metropolitan-wide WiFi (Mu-Fi) already has more than 300 projects in process