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The article offers tips on how to protect the wireless network of the business. Changing the default password is recommended. The author states that business should only use Wireless Fidelity (Wi-Fi) Protected Access 2 (WPA2) encryption. The author also recommends disabling Wi-Fi Protected Setup (WPS).

The article offers information on how to enhance wireless network. The warning signs that show that the network needs to be upgraded include the slow performance of the network speeds, having dead spots that will not allow get wireless coverage and choppy streaming video. In order for these problems to be solved, it suggests the need to augment the Airport network with wired Ethernet, more Wi-Fi hardware, and powerline adapters. The Gigabit Ethernet is the fastest way to network compatible devices, while the Wi-Fi router is the best connection and support simultaneous dual-band.

Compares the competing standards of home wireless computer networking systems, HomeRF and 802.11b, which is also known as Wi-Fi. Pros and cons of each; Key features; Costs; Recommendations; Advice regarding the use of public Wi-Fi networks. INSET: Wired Alternatives: HomePNA, HomePlug.

Examines network options for connecting home computers and peripherals. Comparison of traditional wired network, home phone-line networks, and wireless local area networks; Description of Intel's AnyPoint, a networking kit; Speed of Netgear's wired ethernet, the fastest of the networks being compared; Explanation of wireless local area networks and the importance of encryption codes; Options for home server-based networks. INSETS: More Options Are Coming for Wireless Home Networks;Home Servers Serve Up Files for Connect Users.

Provides information on the mobile Internet Protocol (IP) standard for wireless communications. Details on the Mobile IP standard; How mobile IP works; Deployment of Mobile IP.

Discusses Bluetooth, a short-range wireless technology that uses a low-power radio frequency to connect a range of devices for file sharing and networking. Evaluation of products with the Bluetooth protocol, an Ericsson celluar telephone with wireless headset and a pair of Toshiba personal computer (PC) networking cards; Benefits and problems with Bluetooth technology.

The article presents information on the plans of launching Bluetooth 4.1 by the end of 2014. The new 4.1 protocol will directly connect devices to cloud services. The protocol is aimed at breaking the dependence of wearables on smartphones for applications and data transfers. The protocol works in association with LTE to avoid interference on near-band transmissions.

The article reports that chip makers are ramping up in-car entertainment with faster processors and networks for wireless high definition (HD) movies and navigation. Broadcom Corp.'s line of wireless chipsets for in-car connectivity uses the fast 802.11ac Wi-Fi wireless standard. Broadcom has also implemented Wi-Fi Direct and Miracast.

The article evaluates the 802.11ac wireless networking standard.

Telstra yesterday launched the BigPond Elite Network Gateway, which is claimed to be the fastest device of its type in Australia. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

The article offers information on three tools that make finding and using public and private Wi-Fi networks easier and more productive. Fon is an interesting variation of the Hotspot networks that enable free or inexpensive roaming. Loki is a Firefox plug-in that uses Wi-Fi networks data to make one's browser location-aware. Whisher Technologies' Whisher includes chat and file-transfer tools like those found in iChat, but it's designed to work well over a local network. Whisher's software constantly updates an encrypted password cache for one's networks, their buddies' networks, and shared public network.

The article reports on the third-generation (3G) cellular data networks considered as a new option for getting online wirelessly. In 2007, it is being expected that more hardware options and better network coverage would be available. Also, there may be some confusion as new 3G network standards come on line. One no longer has to hunt around for an open Wi-Fi network as 3G cellular networks help in getting online from pretty much anywhere one can get a cell signal and provide pretty respectable speeds. The big three cellular operators in the United States, Cingular Wireless LLC, Sprint Nextel Corp. and Verizon Wireless are offering 3G service now and fourth-place T-Mobile is just beginning to deploy its 3G service.

This article offers tips for enabling e-mail service on an Internet-ready cellular telephone. First, the user must ensure that the wireless carrier supports the protocol used by the e-mail account from the Internet service provider. Most major wireless carriers support Post Office Protocol 3 (POP3), though Verizon supports only Internet Message Access Protocol (IMAP). Even the e-mail system of the business supports the same protocol as the wireless carrier, the Information System department should be consulted. Though both Microsoft Exchange and IBM Lotus Domino servers support POP3 and IMAP, the company's virtual private network requirements or firewall settings could stymie access.

This article provides information on two computer-related products as of October 2004. A new wireless networking standard, 802.11n, will be at least twice as fast as 802.11g, with throughput speeds of at least 100 megabits per second. It is also expected to cover twice as much area as 8O2.11g, be backward compatible with 8O2.11b and 11g, and maintain its speed in a mixed network. Meanwhile, two hard-drive-based digital music players promise 20 hours or more of battery life. Creative's S270 Zen Touch lets you navigate your 20 gigabytes of music by moving your thumb along its new touchpad. Rio's slim $249 carbon holds 5 gigabytes of music and includes a microphone for recording memos.

Evaluates the Wireless Base Station MN-700 wireless fidelity networking device from Microsoft Corp. Features of the device; Price; Advantages and disadvantages.

Focuses on some of the problems users may face when using wireless network technology. Rarity of public places that use the 802.11b (Wi-Fi) network standard; The few access points that were sold worldwide in 2001; The consortium, the Wireless Ethernet Compatibility Alliance, which is working to establish a standard to help wireless customers; Test of how wireless-ready ultraportables would fare in a typical office.

Focuses on a faster version of Proxim's Symphony HomeRF wireless network, which conforms to the wireless HomeRF protocol, and whether it can challenge the dominance of 802.11b (Wi-Fi). Idea that HomeRF has better security than Wi-Fi, and that it more easily integrates with existing cordless telephone products; Competition between HomeRF and Wi-Fi, which has offered superior bandwidth for some time.

This article discusses WiMax, an informal term that covers two emerging broadband wireless standards for metropolitan-area networking. WiMax promises alternate routes to land lines for disaster discovery and relief from the price and service tyranny of the incumbent local-exchange carriers. It has a compelling high-speed mobile component and describes by some as a high-quality broadband that mirrors connectivity experience in the office. There are two corresponding WiMax standards: (1) IEEE 802.16-2004 for fixed point-to-point and point-to-multipoint wireless access, and (2) IEEE 802.16e, for mobile wireless access from laptops and handheld. INSET: QoS Advantage.

This article points out that while the 802.11i wireless LAN security standard is a step forward, Wi-Fi LANs still are not impervious to attacks. It will take time for vendors to migrate their products to 802.lli, approved in June, and for IT organizations to adopt them. And the Wi-Fi Alliance would not even start interoperability testing of 802.lli products until next month. More important, 802.lli represents just the finishing touch to a series of steps in wireless security standards development. Much of it has already been available for about 18 months in an 802.11i subset called Wi-Fi Protected Access (WPA). And while standards-based security technology plays a big part in protecting enterprises, the issues reach beyond a signed set of technical specs. And some administrators lack confidence in their ability to properly implement the various pieces of WLAN security, particularly since new attacks regularly make headlines.

Reports on the potential application of Wi-Fi hot spot technology as an essential amenity for companies in attracting business. Issues on the charges to customers using the service; Wi-Fi pilot project of McDonald's Corp.; Predicted growth of public wireless local area network hot spots worldwide.

Comments on the proliferation of wireless computer networks using the 802.11 standards. Security threat to wireless networks; Importance of strict policies for securing wireless access points; Application of the Media Access Control layer filtering software.

Reports that information technology executives from different organizations are forging ahead with Wi-Fi technology or 802.11b despite widespread concerns over the security of wireless local area networks (LAN). Their reasons for forging ahead with Wi-Fi technology; Examples of organizations that have considered Wi-Fi technology; Uses of wireless LAN.

Focuses on the weaknesses in the Wi-Fi, or 802.1x, a security protocol for wireless networks. Three parts of 802.1x authentication; Vendors that have already begun adding 802.1x support to their products; Options to ensure a secure wireless network. INSET: THE BOTTOM LINE.

Reports on the limitations of wireless carrier networks due to lack of speed and reliability required by corporate applications. Potential of wireless local area networks; Capabilities of the 802.11b standard; Features of the 802.11a standard; Categories of cellular carrier services; Data rates supported by third-generation wireless communication technology.

Discusses the pros and cons of the two mobile technologies, wireless application protocol (WAP) and Java 2 Micro Edition (J2ME). Purpose of the release of WAP; Wireless networks where WAP can be applied to; Reason for the development of J2ME; Shortcomings of WAP; Insights on what to expect from the two technologies in 2000 and beyond.

Reports on the Internet Protocol (IP)-based and wireless services offered by Concert. Offering of the Concert IP service of the company; Portfolio of services.

Focuses on the interoperability agreements signed by wireless communication service providers in the United States. Importance of the agreement to the implementation of Cellular Digital Packet Data (CDPD); Comments of officials of service providers who signed the agreement.

The article reports that Moonee Valley Racing Club (MVRC) was not able to scale up its Internet connectivity during peak times at racing events. Working with wireless network provider Vertel, Skorsis said a 200 megabit microwave service was deployed and distributed to about 40 access points throughout the racing club's venue.

The article focuses on the importance of Wi-Fi. 3G and LTE subscribers are responsible for huge increases in data traffic. But both end users and cellular operators are increasingly relying on Wi-Fi for data, video calls and even voice communications. Chipmaker Broadcom announced a development platform that manufacturers can use to build small cells with simultaneous 3G, 4G and Wi-Fi capability.

Telstra has flicked the switch on a new $1.5 billion IP network that the telco says not only homogenises its disparate networking core, but is also the largest of its kind in the world. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

The article reports that Spectralink Corp. has announced a pair of wireless telephones that support all three Wi-Fi radia standards and have double the battery life of previous models offering end users as much as eight hours of talk time in the U.S. The author offers information about the company history of Spectralink. The first new models of the company are the NetLink8000s which was released since mid-2003. The company is he first vendor to support all three Wi-Fi standards in a single phone. It also offers information about the capabilities of the models.

The article reports on the problems associated with using bluetooth profiles. Advanced audio distribution profile which send stereo sound to handset are still being worked and problematic. Some bluetooth universal serial bus dongles do not support various profiles but headset does with the same dongle. Cellular phones and multiple devices rely on personal computers for the implementation of bluetooth protocol support. Computers get confused when several different dongles are installed because different bluetooth support services step on one another. Built-in stack from Microsoft Windows does little and supports few bluetooth products.

The article reports that Siemens Communications Inc. has introduced a software designed to allow corporate users to manage wireless local area network access points in the U.S. In this context, the author explained that this activity will ease the integration of third-party mobile services with business applications. According to Michael Dye, director of information systems at Midwestern State University, there are several students have had access to a Wi-Fi network on Siemens access points in Wichita Falls, Texas.

The article discusses the evolution of information technology (IT) in relation to connectivity in the U.S. During the earliest days of mobile computing, connectivity required carrying a set of acoustic couplers and attaching a handset at 300 baud. The technology was followed by the integration of modems into the laptop, later on boost productivity on the road by providing support for Wi-Fi from IT departments. However, the author recommends the use of 3G services, a collective term for all the next-generation wireless technologies that deliver broadband speeds to specific computer-generated devices.

The United States-based Krystal Co. hamburger chain has expanded free wireless Internet service to customers across the country. The free Wi-Fi service is bringing in new customers and has improved internal communications for Krystal's own mobile workers. Records of Internet protocol and media access control addresses that have accessed the network show that about 1,000 wireless computers have used the free Wi-Fi network. Krystal HotSpots use a broadband Internet connection that allows up to 32 users to simultaneously access the 802.11b network.

The article reports that one of the largest rural wireless networks in Australia was officially launched at the University of Queensland's (UQ) Gatton campus. The UQ connect wireless network is designed to provide round-the-clock Internet access to make it possible for teachers and students to move beyond the traditional classroom and do outside research. The university, located 100 kilometers from Brisbane, has invested more than 50,000 Australian dollars to develop the Wi-Fi network, which has 20 access points, said Nick Tate, the school's director of IT services.

The article focuses on CTIA Wireless 2005 conference, in which a panel of government officials and vendor executives said that the wireless technologies available to police, fire and other emergency workers have improved since the 9/11 terrorist attacks. But they said during the panel discussion and in later interviews that much work remains to be done to improve the interoperability of wireless devices for emergency responders and to set up effective warning systems in the event of another terrorist attack or a natural disaster. Some police and fire personnel are forced to carry several wireless radios or have to yell through bullhorns at emergency scenes, said Jim Dailey, director of the office of homeland security at the Federal Communications Commission. Metropolitan regions might be able to increase cooperation among cities and towns by developing Wi-Fi mesh networks for transmitting information, said Ron Sege, president of Tropos Networks Inc., which has installed outdoor Wi-Fi routers in more than 125 cities nationwide.

This article offers a look at Nokia's Preminet service, which extends a vendor's wireless application platform. Even with shareware, the secure delivery of software to buyers is the developer's problem, and not just for small shops. Large independent software vendors that target new markets face the same problem. There is little difference between the distribution and payment process for Garden Weasels and commercial software. Using the service is easy. The vendor develops the application, get it validated by Nokia, and they will take care of cataloging, distributing and receiving of payment. This is not a Yahoo storefront approach, which would be useless for selling software. Preminet takes the considerable complexity of the wireless distribution and payment network into consideration. Upon uploading the application, it is then added to the Preminet master catalog. Wireless operators choose applications from the larger catalog to offer to their subscribers. The subscriber searches for applications directly from his or her phone. When a purchase is made, the operator creates a secure link to the device, sends the software along with a signature guaranteeing its origin, and posts the amount of the purchase to the subscriber's wireless services bill.

The article discusses on SanRamon, California based SmartLine Inc. is roiling out Version 5.7 of DeviceLock, a tool that lets systems administrators control end-user access to PC devices and ports, including USB and FireWire ports and Wi-Fi and Bluetooth adapters. The new version adds an audit function that provides a record of port and device activity, such as uploads and downloads, by user and file name or URL, in the standard Windows Event log. It integrates into Windows Active Directory and includes a snapin for the Microsoft Management Console.

Access points are proliferating but despite this growth in wireless use there are still no formal policies or standards in place. This article focuses on the deployment of Protected Extensible Authentication Protocol (PEAP) for wireless communications. The deployment of PEAP is considered to be the only way to the only way to make use of existing deployment of RSA SecureID tokens while getting two-factor authentication. With PEAP, the authentication data is transmitted after the encrypted tunnel is created.

This article reports that public-access Wi-Fi hot spots have become a key alternative for business and personal communications in the wake of Hurricane Charley's devastating rampage across Florida.

Reports on the plan of United Parcel Service Inc. (UPS) to launch a test of the public-access Wi-Fi wireless computer network protocol technology at its retail packaging and shipping stores in Chicago, Illinois. Reason for the planned used of the technology; Remarks from UPS retail technology group manager Nick Costides regarding the plan; Details of the Wi-Fi setups.

Comments on the move of SBC Communications, a major U.S. telecommunication company, to enter into the Wi-Fi market. Contention that the move of SBC Communications is bound to fail; Explanation on why Wi-Fi market has no potential for success; Place where Wi-Fi connectivity is suitable; Technical problem of Wi-Fi technology; Discussion on the Wi-Fi market in the U.S.

Reports on the Internet Protocol network infrastructure deployed by Hotel Commonwealth in Boston, Massachusetts that supports voice and text messaging to in-hotel wireless phones and other interactive applications for guests. Application of Session Initiation Protocol; Significance of the move of Hotel Commonwealth; IP switches provided by Alcatel SA for the network; Estimated investment for the infrastructure.

Focuses on the challenges faced by wide-area wireless network carriers. Limitation of the Wi-Fi standard for local wireless Ethernet; Problem with General Packet Radio Service networks; Lack of preparedness for the volumes resulting from corporate deals.

Presents information on the development of wireless switches for wireless fidelity (Wi-Fi) technology. List of companies developing switches designed to improve the position of Wi-Fi at the enterprise market; Areas that prevent the widespread adoption of Wi-Fi technologies; Advantage of using a Wi-Fi switch over multiple access points.

Focuses on the shipment of technology products based on 802.11a specification or Wi-Fi standard. Transmission rate of data using the products; Adoption of companies on 802.11a specification.

Reports on the plan of BJ's Wholesale Club Inc. to install a wireless local area network (LAN) used by retailers to help manage inventory and price verification, including support for wireless voice-over Internet Protocol (VOIP) phones and wireless scales. Improvement of customer service through integration of wireless IP phones; Requirements for the installation of wireless LAN; Configuration of data networks that support VOIP.

Comments on the 802.11 wireless technology standard. 802.11 feature of the Windows XP operating system; Benefits offered by the technology to business enterprise; Advantages of the technology.

Comments on the application of 802.11 wireless technology to business enterprises. Skepticism on the importance of the technology; Practicality of using the 802.11b standard.