WirelessInternet
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LiFiMax's invisible light internet works with up to 16 users
If you need to connect multiple folks in a room but are concerned about security or radio frequency pollution, French company Oledcomm has a new LiFi tech solution. LiFiMax mounts on a ceiling like a smoke detector or light and provides up to 16 dongle-equipped users with an internet connection. It transmits data via invisible light over a 28 square meter (270 square feet) area and allows for up to 100 Mbps connection speeds.
Researchers achieve 100 Gbps over sub-terahertz wireless, set world record
100 Gbps over fiber is old news, but those same speeds achieved wirelessly? That's a first. Researchers at the Karlsruhe Institute for Technology have managed to use sub-terahertz waves (237.5 GHz, in this case) to transmit data over 20 meters at 100 gigabits per second. Since the experiment used only a single-input and single-output setup, TG Daily notes multiple data streams could boost the bandwidth. This isn't the first time the group's dabbled in incredibly-fast wireless either, it recently managed to hit 40 Gbps over a distance of one kilometer. The tech is expected to get high-speed Internet to rural areas without having to install pricey fiber. There's no word on when this might find its way outside the lab, but the scientists note that it was predicted these speeds would be hit by 2015. Hey, at least we're early.
TV white spaces forum paves the way for wireless broadband across Africa
I've traveled to remote islands in the South Pacific where wireless internet is proving to be the go-to technology for broadband, and increasingly, it's looking as if tether-less connections will be what brings millions upon millions of Africans online. Google's own Eric Schmidt has confessed as recently as March that the most exciting part of the web's future isn't any one technology or product, but the "next five billion people looking to get connected." So, it figures that Google was a major constituent at the recent TV White Spaces & Dynamic Spectrum Africa Forum in Dakar, Senegal. It -- along with 15 African nations, Microsoft, the Association for Progressive Communications, Afrinic and others -- recently convened in order to discuss the opportunities that are currently facing the continent. Indeed, the fact that there is over 90MHz available in Dakar alone to be used for wireless broadband deployment puts Africa in a unique spot -- one of the most disconnected regions of our planet could become a pioneer in bringing the next wave of humans online. ICASA, the South African regulator, will reportedly use various trial outcomes to evaluate possible rules for use of the TV white spaces. And, as Steve Song of Village Telco points out, it's pretty astounding to have Microsoft and Google working in some fashion towards a similar goal. As it stands, a lot has to happen -- final standards have to be agreed upon, equipment makers have to decide that it's a profitable enterprise, and individual nations have to place a high priority on getting their populations connected. That said, the amount of momentum that's already happening is supremely compelling, and I'm hoping to report back in the coming months on how a smattering of these very trials are impacting communities across Africa right now. Stay tuned!
Broadband internet arrives in California's Gold Country through white spaces deployment
While select outfits race to make satellite broadband an acceptable solution for those who need ping times south of three digits, there's another game in town looking to quietly revolutionize rural access. As LTE slowly rolls out to major metropolitan areas in the United States, vacated spectrum is allowing companies like Carlson Wireless to offer up another option. TV white spaces -- unused TV channels freed up after the analog-to-digital transition of 2009 -- have long since been eyed as the answer for distributing high-speed internet to areas that aren't economical to reach via wireline, or are otherwise shunned by conventional wireless operators. Armed with an FCC-granted Special Temporary Authority to validate the efficacy of the product in real-world scenarios, Carlson has partnered with Cal.net in order to bring internet to sections of California's Gold Country; the project comprises multiple transmission sites delivering broadband to several hundred heretofore un-serviceable subscribers in El Dorado County. There's no word on pricing, but we're sure hoping it's a runaway hit -- we can think of plenty of gorgeous locales in this country that could stand a pinch of internet. (Yellowstone National Park, we're looking at you.)
North Korea reportedly cuts 3G for tourists, restricts access to long term visitors
It was just a month ago that North Korea started allowing mobile internet access to visitors (while still restricting it from citizens), but now a tour group says that program has ended. First reported by North Korea Tech, a post on the Koryo Group site indicates that tourists can still purchase SIM cards for international calling, but internet access is not available, a return to its policy from January. A recent blog post from the 22nd goes into more detail, explaining that 3G Koryolink access for foreigners "has been restricted to long term visitors/residents of Pyongyang only." With no word from the government on the policy change you'll have to insert your own reasoning, although we imagine Eric Schmidt is not pleased. [Image credit: Jean Lee, Instagram]
Google pays $400 million for wireless internet provider ICOA (correction: no it didn't)
Google made another grab for its internet infrastructure, this time picking up wireless hotspot company ICOA for the sum of $400 million. From the deal, the internet giant will control around 1,500 wired and wireless broadband locales in "high-traffic" public spaces, including airports, restaurants and universities, spread across 45 US states. Google will presumably be running these public WiFi spots in addition to its current deal with Boingo -- and in addition to those 180 fiberhoods. Correction: Looks like reports of the acquisition were false, as AllThingsD is now reporting, and we've been able to independently confirm that Google has not bought ICOA.
Akamai: peak internet speeds jumped 25 percent year-to-year in Q1, Germany tops the mobile world
If you thought world internet access speeds were facing a large-scale slowdown, you can stop fretting for now. Data from Akamai suggests that average speeds were just 2.6Mbps, but that was a healthy 14 percent improvement over the fall and a noticeable 25 percent better than early 2011. Average peak internet connection speeds surged just as much in the first quarter of this year: at 13.5Mbps, the average maximum was a 10 percent season-to-season boost and that same 25 percent versus a year before. The leaders remain Asian territories with that ideal mix of dense populations and high technology, culminating in Hong Kong's blazing 49.3Mbps typical downlink. Akamai attributes much of the growth in peak speeds to an explosion in "high broadband" connections, where 10Mbps is the minimum -- countries like Denmark, Finland, South Korea, Switzerland and the US roughly doubled their adoption of extra-fast access in the past year. Before cheering too loudly, we'd point out that mobile speeds are still trudging along despite HSPA+ and LTE making their presences felt. The most consistent speed came from an unnamed German carrier, which neared 6Mbps; the best regular American rate was 2.5Mbps, which underscores how far even some of the most developed countries have to go. There's also a clear gap in regular landline broadband quality if we go by the US' own National Broadband Plan standards. Just 60 percent of US broadband is over the 4Mbps mark, putting the US at 14th in the global ranks. We're hoping that projects like Google Fiber can raise expectations for everyone, but you can hit the source shortly to get Akamai's full study.
Lenovo Mobile Access bringing contract free broadband to ThinkPads in US and Europe
Tired of fussing with touchy phone tethers, expensive MiFi devices and spotty hotspots? Lenovo feels your pain, and wants to take the guesswork out of getting an internet connection when you need it. Say hello to Lenovo Mobile Access, your dongle-free destination for on-the-go broadband -- assuming you're rocking a Lenovo rig with the right hardware, of course. In partnership with Macheen, Lenovo is serving up no-contract broadband access to owners of select ThinkPad laptops. Just need a few minutes to check your email? That'll be $2 -- as long as you keep it under 30 minutes and 30MB. Full day passes (capped at 200MB of usage) are available for $9, and monthly plans (at both 2GB and 6GB) are on the way. 3G equipped ThinkPads will be able to access the service in the United States, UK, France, Germany, Ireland, Italy, Austria, Belgium, Denmark and the Netherlands on a single SIM, though pricing may vary by location. Looking for the official skinny? Skip on past the break for a pair of official press releases.
Xcom Global opens international MiFi rental / service center in New York City
Serving jetsetters at LAX just wasn't enough for Xcom Global. Engadget's personal favorite when it comes to snagging international data before leaving the States is now opening up shop in the Big Apple -- a wise move for increasing its presence in a market where loads of humans are doing business in nations other than the United States. Xcom's calling its new venue a "satellite customer service center," enabling flyers to swing by before they depart JFK (or LGA, we guess) and pick up a global MiFi. Rather than being positioned within an airport, this one's located near Grand Central Station at the offices of Amnet New York on Madison Avenue, and in case you've forgotten, $12.95 per day (and up) can snag you a wireless data device capable of connecting in some 195 countries. Oh, and you can return the device to the same store or via your carrier of choice. Still trying to wrap your head around it? Have a look at our review.
Clearwire's TDD-LTE rolling out in 'early 2013,' coming to NYC, SF, LA, Chicago, Seattle and more
Clearwire's hardly throwing in the towel after that whole "WiMAX" thing; instead, the outfit has its sights firmly set on bringing TDD-LTE to the masses here in America, starting with an initial rollout in early 2013. A release put out today confirms that New York City, San Francisco, Los Angeles, Chicago and Seattle will be among the 31 cities where the company will launch the aforesaid network, though there's no breakdown on which of those metro markets will be forced to wait until "mid-2013" to get served. Speaking of, Clearwire's making no bones about the fact that "high demand hot zones" will be the ones targeted initially, and in a bid to outshine those LTE networks already live, President and CEO Erik Prusch is suggesting that his firm's 4G network "will show that not all LTE networks are created equal." Bold words, sir.
Amped Wireless High Power R10000G Router and Smart Repeater hands-on
Until now, Amped Wireless has been best known for its industrial networking gear, capable of maintaining a signal up to 1.5 miles away from the base station. Now, though, the outfit's also selling some equipment for folks with a more modest setup: the R10000G Home Router and SR10000 Smart Repeater, which promise to coat 10,000 square feet of your abode / office in robust, high-quality WiFi. Of course, we just had to test these claims out for ourselves, and see if these units really were formidable enough to leave our own router crying in the corner. We devised three simple experiments to see how they hold up in the real world -- head on past the break to find out how they fared.
ViaSat Exede review
Broadband in the boonies has long been an unreasonable ask. As slack-jawed farmers are fond of telling lost tourists "Ya can't get there from here," broadband-starved country bumpkins have heard from cable companies, "We don't offer service in that location." Options have been few, like paying said cable company thousands to run some copper a few miles down the road, or making a second mortgage payment for a dedicated T3 line.Over the years satellite internet has been offered as an alternative for broadband in places where bears do their business, but as we've seen it's never really worked. Bandwidth has been low, latency high and pricing on the tall side of average have made services like WildBlue and HughesNet untenable to all but the most dedicated wilderness lovers.Now a new player approaches, and the offerings certainly sound compelling. It's called Exede from ViaSat and it promises speeds of up to 12Mbps down and 3Mbps up -- comparable to your average household "broadband" connection. However, with monthly fees ranging from $50 to $130 depending on how much data you need, this has the potential to be considerably more costly. Worth it? Put on your best pair of overalls then click on through to find out.
Ubiquiti Networks beefs up outdoor wireless broadband networks with AirFiber
We won't be satisfied until we live on a planet where wireless internet waves travel at all points where oxygen is readily available, and it sounds as if Ubiquiti Networks is right there with us. The outfit has just rolled out a new outdoor wireless backhaul radio platform dubbed AirFiber, which represents its first proprietary in-house radio design effort that was purpose-built for the Wireless ISP Industry. It hums along in the license-free 24GHz band, and provides optical fiber network performance without the significant capital costs associated with fiber cable network deployment. At $2,995 per link, it's hardly meant for consumer consumption, but but we're hoping it'll bring the world wide web to more of the world when enterprise outfits start deploying 'em later this year.[Thanks, Shawn]
Bringing wireless to the disconnected: internet tales from the South Pacific
"We only have dial-up here. You'd be shocked at the speeds. [Laughs.] But it's okay -- as long as I can send and reply to email, I'm fine with it."Those were the words spoken to me just weeks ago by the absolutely precious owner of Litia Sini Beach Resort on the extreme southeastern tip of Upolu. For those unaware, that's Samoa's most populous island (~135,000 people) -- a sliver of lush, mountainous land dropped almost perfectly in the center of the Pacific Ocean. I chuckled a bit upon hearing it, immediately realizing that I had a connection in the palm of my hand that was 20, 30, perhaps even 40 times quicker than what this business owner was relying on. She paused, as if to collect her thoughts before going into a familiar spiel about the resort's amenities, and then drew my attention to the display of her laptop. "It's still a draft for now, but this is the new tsunami evacuation plan that we're working on. Soon, we'll have this in each fale. It's taking a bit of time to get right, as the drawings are actually done in New Zealand."I nodded my head in understanding, immediately thinking that this must be in reaction to the catastrophic tsunami of September 2009, caused by a magnitude 8.1 submarine earthquake that hit barely 100 miles from the very spot I was sitting. It was the largest quake of 2009. The entire resort was leveled. Dozens upon dozens were killed. And here we were, over two full years later, and the evacuation schematics are still in "draft."
Verizon launches 'faster than wired' broadband for the home
Verizon Wireless is making good on that name, aiming to rid your home of those ugly, ugly wires. The carrier wants to substitute them with the not-exactly-subtle, bucket-sized antenna you can see on the left. Its HomeFusion service aims to replace DSL-connected domiciles, with Verizon reckoning its own wireless broadband can offer up better upload and download speeds. According to the Washington Post, the hardware will set potential customers back around $200, but installation costs will be included in the service. The entry-level $60 per month package will net you just 10GB of data, with HomeFusion currently readied for launch in Dallas and Birmingham later this month. Users will be able to connect up to 50 different devices and Verizon intends to roll out the wireless internet package as far as its LTE network tendrils can reach. Plans go up to the dizzying heights of 30GB for $120 per month, with additional gigabytes charged at $10 a pop. For anyone in broadband-unfriendly homes looking for a step up in internet speed, you may want to start looking for somewhere to hide hang that antenna...
Belkin reveals Advance N900 DB router, keeps your MW3 marathon top priority with IntelliStream
Belkin has added another wireless networking kit to it's N-series lineup here at CES. The company has announced its Advance N900 DB, a dual band WiFi router capable of 450Mbps speeds per band. Featuring six MultiBeam antennas, the tech makes watching Hulu Plus from your basement much easier and looks to cut down on those pesky dead spots. Also outfitted with IntelliStream, the device automatically prioritizes video and gaming streams and houses a 600MHz multi-thread processor that multitasks across all networked devices. For connected storage or wireless printers, the N900 packs two USB 2.0 ports enabling access to those peripherals from workstations other than your desk. If you're looking to take the leap, the router will be available for pre-order this month and at retailers in April, setting you back two Benjamins. See the PR after the break for all the details. Update: We snagged a quick hands-on with the device here at CES. Check out the gallery below and the video after the break.
Mango teaches Windows Phone to share, probably still needs carrier permission
Microsoft's budding mobile OS is finally learning to share, just like the big kids. Windows Phone's graduation to Mango comes not only with Twitter integration, SkyDrive music streaming, and multitasking, but with internet connection sharing as well. The new feature showed its toggle switch at WPCentral this week, riding in on a Microsoft flashed Focus running Mango build 7720.68. According to the tell-all image, Windows Phones running Mango will be able to share their cellular internet connection with up to 5 devices -- reportedly draining its battery with unprecedented efficiency. ChevronWP7 collaborator Rafael Rivera confirmed over Twitter that the feature is baked into Mango, guessing that it would require a "carrier 'update' to enable." Yeah, we wouldn't be surprised. [Thanks to everyone who sent this in]
Virgin Media to roll out free WiFi in London, bums with iPads rejoice
Fancy some free municipal WiFi, London? Yeah, we know, the service has been promised several times before, but that's not stopping Virgin Media from giving it the ol' college try. In his address to investors, CEO Neil Berkett announced plans to piggyback the gratis service on its existing cable backhaul "in the not too distant future," shoring up the gap left by operators' unreliable 3G coverage. Seems the media conglomerate's cable network runs mostly idle during the day -- a fact revealed during last week's earnings call -- and with only four percent market share, Virgin could certainly handle the extra traffic. The move is a straight shot at BT's similar, albeit partially free offering, and would provide download speeds of 0.5Mbps to the general public, with the truly blazing 10Mbps reserved for the company's own internet subscribers. But don't expect this business extension to break Virgin's bank, costing only a "few million pounds," this free-of-charge WiFi network's just a drop in its two tonne bucket. All that's left is a few permissive nods from the city's councils and you Londoners can keep up with the latest TOWIE drama wherever you go.
Americans rule in-flight internet adoption -- for now
It doesn't get more American than gnawing on a doughnut sandwich while watching Toddlers in Tiaras, right? Well, apparently, the only thing more American is engaging in these two acts while connected to in-flight internet. In a recent BBC article, Gogo's Jon Cobin said at least 1,200 commercial aircraft flying over these here amber waves of grain offer up WiFi, while there are only 100 [commercial] flying machines serving on-board connectivity in the rest of the world. Delta's just announced full, fleet-wide WiFi connections on domestic flights, while most other major US carriers offer internet access on all or some of their planes. As the BBC points out, that could have something to do with the slow roll out of satellite-based systems -- many American airlines depend on Gogo's land-based services. Unfortunately for you die-hard patriots, however, acceptance of satellite broadband seems poised to take flight in the near future. At least we'll always have Eden Wood.
NTT showcases next-gen 802.11ac wireless LAN solution, hopes for near-term commercialization
NTT DoCoMo's never been one to back down from the future, and some might say this carrier is actually already living in 2012. You know -- Land of the Rising Sun and all. At any rate, its latest foray into what's next came at the Wireless Technology Park in Yokohama, where it demonstrated a fully-functional 802.11ac prototype wireless system. For those unaware, that's what is scheduled to make 802.11n look like the 101 at lunchtime, with an effective throughput of 1Gbps per system. If all goes well, NTT will be commercializing the system "within a few years," and based on a demonstrated throughout of 120Mbps (as in, real-world results), we're hoping "few" becomes "one."
