Wi-Fi: The Next Killer Application Of The Internet

by Lenny Charnoff <lenny@learningtips4u.com>

INDEX:

.01 Overview
.02 Productivity
.03 Popularity
.04 Wi-Fi In Plain Words
.05 Paradigm Shift
.06 Grassroots Movement
.07 Hot Spots
.08 Connecting Concerns
.09 Summary
.10 Other Important Wi-Fi Resources
.11 Footnotes

.01 Overview (return to index)

I am writing this article while sipping my morning Double Tall Latte at a Starbucks in Hillsboro, Oregon. My car is next door in the shop having some work done which will take 3 hours. This usual idle time now becomes more productive and profitable time because my notebook computer has a Wi-Fi card and I am connected via the Starbucks T-mobile Network [1] to the Internet. Starbucks' database shows where to find the nearest WI-FI enabled café in my area or any future travel area.

.02 Productivity (return to index)

Writers, teachers, salespeople and just about anybody who uses the Internet will find the ability to connect via WI-FI to the Internet a superb manager of time. Ordinarily, I could start to write this article on a word processor without a Net connection. The real time saver is to be able to simultaneously research, write, and transfer the writing to be edited.

.03 Popularity (return to index)

Simply use a Google news search to see the popularity of Wi-FI. [2] To demonstrate this, I searched WI-FI, finding 7 articles written in the last nine hours and 1,310 news articles for the previous 30 days. "In the years ahead, Wi-Fi will become a universal standard, found everywhere in the electronics world. It will show up in consumer electronics devices, from videogame consoles to music players. Cell phones will have it, as will PDAs and digital cameras. Any PC bought in a year or so will instantly become the hub of a wireless network, simply by turning it on. The numbers will quickly reach true mass-market levels: an estimated 99 million people with Wi-Fi by 2006, according to Gartner." [3]

.04 WI-FI In Plain Words (return to index)

WI-FI comes in several varieties; for the sake of this article we will limit the description to 802.11b. These numbers refer to the protocol that transfers information up to 11Mbps in the 2.4 unlicensed bandwidth with a range up to 300 feet. This technobable can be translated to the following personal scenario. I have a cable modem connection coming into my home office which is on the lower level of my home. I purchased a wireless router, WI-FI notebook card and USB WI-FI connection. Total cost (prices have come down in the past 3 months) for connecting 3 computers was $229. I can now take my notebook, find my favorite work spot, conduct research, answer my e-mail and listen to any radio station that broadcasts via the Internet, if I choose.

.05 Paradigm Shift (return to index)

The previous academic and business paradigm was to commute to a workplace or school setting and use the sophisticated equipment that was too expensive to purchase for the average consumer or student.

Most of the subscribers of this journal have a home office with all the equipment for the next paradigm shift. Broadband connection to the Internet is now ubiquitous in most major metropolitan areas. Forest Grove (Pop. 18,382), the home of the Berglund Journal has both DSL and Cable connections to the Internet. In most settings, work and education will no longer be dictated by being tethered to an expensive machine and an exclusive network.

.06 Grassroots Movement (return to index)

Portland, Oregon [4] was just ranked the most wireless city by Intel's most unwired city survey . [5] It is no surprise to this author that Intel funded this survey. Intel with slower Pentium chip sales has just introduced their new Centrino mobile processor chip [6] for notebook computers. Essentially any Centrino enabled notebook computer will just have to turn on the machine to see if they are connected to a local hot spot.

.07 Hot Spots (return to index)

A hot spot is a collective term for a public access network location. Hot Spots are usually located in public locations (i.e. Airports, Coffee Shops etc.) Your conneceted WI-FI card will automatically find a Hot Spot and your computer screen will have an icon to report the strength of that Hot Spot.

Your favorite hot spot directory [7] will be your best friend when you travel with your WI-FI enabled device. Choose your directory carefully because hot spots appear literally by the hour. Personal Telco [8] in Portland, Oregon publishes a directory containing maps and is updated frequently . [9] Personal Telco works because there is community support and there is a strong volunteer team to keep the network robust.

.08 Connecting Concerns (return to index)

One of the principal shortcomings of WI-FI is the inability for users to be able to log in with their WI-FI in different locations. The popularity and ubiquitous nature of cell phone usage is due in large part to the world-wide pervasive network of major carriers who share or lease their network to other vendors. Ergo, someone using a Sprint Network can roam in the T-mobile network and still have coverage. This is not true with WI-FI connectivity at this point. Yes, you can use the T-mobile network to connect in most every Starbucks and Borders book store but if you're staying in Hays, Kansas, a Hot Spot in a local coffee shop will not accept your T-mobile account. There are some new arrivals in the WI-FI world that promise greater connectivity. Boingo [10] is a company that ties commercial hot spot providers by providing them with a back office set of security, authentication and billing tools. In this manner an Espresso Bar in Yamhill, Oregon could be tied into a network of hot spots in a greater geographical area. To the user the Yamhill Espresso Bar is just another hot spot in the Boingo Network. AT&T Intel and IBM have joined forces to provide wireless internet access nationwide. Cometa [11] is the name of their new venture.

.09 Summary (return to index)

WI-FI communication will change the workplace forever. Think how radio and TV changed the way the world received their news. The IRAQ WAR was delivered in full color to our living room. WI-FI now brings high speed Internet access to you anywhere that you have access to a local Hot Spot. I can now use my DV camera in the field, upload the digital media to my notebook, edit the production and ship it anywhere in the world that has access to the Internet without being anchored to a cable. WI-Fi still has to overcome the network availability issues but once that is solved WI-FI will be ubiquitous.

.10 Other Important WI-FI Resources (return to index)

WI-FI Networking News http://wifinetnews.com
Daily Wireless http://www.dailywireless.org/index.php
Wireless Developer Network http://www.wirelessdevnet.com/
802.11 Planet http://www.80211-planet.com/
Air Share http://airshare.org/

.11 Footnotes (return to index)

[1] Starbucks
http://www.starbucks.com/retail/wireless.asp

[2] Google News Search
http://news.google.com/news?hl=en&q="Wi-Fi"+OR+"802.11a"+OR+"802.11b"

[3] Wired News
http://www.wired.com/wired/archive/11.05/unwired/wifirevolution.html

[4] Oregonian
http://www.oregonlive.com/business/oregonian/index.ssf?/
base/business/1046782677268070.xml

[5] Intel Survey
http://www.pressi.com/int/release/61702.html

[6] Centrino Press Release
http://www.intel.com/products/centrino/more_info/

[7] Hot Spot Directory
http://www.80211hotspots.com/

[8] Personal Telco
http://www.personaltelco.net/index.cgi/PersonalTelco

[9] Personal Telco Directory
http://www.nodedb.org/unitedstates/or/portland/

[10] Boingo Network
http://www.boingo.com

[11] Cometa Networks
http://www.cometanetworks.com/