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Cuba approves its first free public WiFi
Public internet access in Cuba usually comes at a steep price -- a local may have to use a week's wages just to spend an hour emailing their family overseas. However, they now have a much, much more reasonable option. The country's state-run telecom, ETECSA, recently approved the country's first free public WiFi. Cubans who can reach a cultural center in Havana can now use the shared DSL line of a well-known artist (Kcho) as much as they want. The 2Mbps connection is pokey by most standards, but the no-cost approach means that locals don't have to give up what spending power they have just to get online.
Android Wear will reportedly let you navigate with a flick of the wrist
Right now, the only ways to get around Android Wear are to use your voice or swipe your fingers. What if you'd rather not talk to your smartwatch, and don't have a hand free? You may have another option soon. A source for The Verge claims that a future Android Wear update will add gesture control -- you'll just have to flick your wrist to switch through cards, so you can check the weather even if your hands are full. There's also talk of WiFi support in the next release, so you won't have to stay close to your phone to get alerts if you have a suitably equipped wearable. It's not certain just when these upgrades would hit (assuming they're real, of course), but they could be worth the wait if you're a Google watch devotee.
Canon's Rebel T6s and T6i DSLRs tout WiFi and advanced controls
Despite the rise of mirrorless cameras, Canon has been relatively cautious updating its Rebel DSLR line. The last big upgrade was the T5i from two years ago, and even that was considered more of a refresh than a revamp. Well, the series is finally getting an overhaul -- and in some cases, it might be enough to make you skip more expensive shooters. Both the new Rebel T6i and T6s (above) carry sharper 24.2-megapixel sensors and DIGIC 6 processors that let them pull off feats that are both welcome and, frankly, a little overdue. They now have EOS-70D-like fast autofocusing embedded in the pixels themselves and (new to Canon) color tone detection. You'll also be glad to know that the Rebel range is finally getting built-in WiFi for photo transfers, and you can pair with Android phones or accessories over NFC.
GE wants to link your existing fridge to your smart home
There's no shortage of smart appliances now, but that won't help you much if you bought your gear a few years ago. What if you want to get your existing refrigerator talking to the rest of your automated home? GE may soon have a solution... if you're one of its previous customers, anyway. The company tells GigaOM that it's developing a WiFi-based Connect box that will link some fridges from 2009 and newer (all of them equipped with Ethernet jacks) to the Wink smart home system. While it's not clear just what this will do for your not-quite-cutting-edge food box, it wouldn't be surprising if the add-on at least gives you a heads-up when something goes awry.
Cuba rolls out public WiFi internet access, at a steep cost
It's not too hard for Cubans to get WiFi connections if they swing by hotels and offices with less-than-secure hotspots, but they're technically breaking the law -- unless you're in a privileged job, you're supposed to plug in or use a terminal. However, the country is loosening its grip on the airwaves. The island's state-owned telecom, ETECSA, is launching its own public WiFi internet access in Santiago de Cuba (the nation's second-largest city) this month. People who visit the lone facility can browse the web from their own wireless devices rather than settling for the desktops at their usual internet center.
Gogo's in-flight WiFi uses fake web security to keep you off YouTube
It's easy to understand why Gogo would curb video streaming given the limited headroom on its current in-flight WiFi service. You don't want to miss important email just because someone in row 29 is watching the latest Epic Rap Battle, after all. However, the company's approach to keeping you off those forbidden sites is raising some major security concerns. Google's Adrienne Porter Felt recently noticed that Gogo is using fake google.com web security certificates to deter people from visiting YouTube. You can bypass any warnings from your browser, but the move theoretically lets Gogo decrypt and monitor your mid-air activity on any secure website, so long as it has the matching credentials.
CES 2015: AT&T announces 4G LTE Modio Smartcase for Wi-Fi iPads
So, you bought a Wi-Fi-only iPad or iPad mini, and now you're regretting the fact that you can't work or play while away from Wi-Fi networks. Regrets, begone! At CES 2015, AT&T today announced the new Modio Smartcase, which is essentially an iPad case with a built-in 4G LTE hotspot. The case will eventually be available for all models of the iPad Air and iPad mini, and has some other perks in addition to the 4G LTE connection. There's a built-in 4,600 mAh battery pack to keep the device going for up to 10 hours, and a microSD card slot that can be used to offload up to 32 GB of files off of your iPad. The AT&T Modio Data application will work to let you do the file transfers, as well as monitor your data usage and connection. AT&T customers with a Mobile Share plan can add the Modio Smartcase-equipped iPad to their plan. Currently, the AT&T website shows the Modio Smartcase for iPad mini as "coming soon," but no availability dates or pricing have been set for the other models.
Linksys unveils networked storage and its fastest WiFi router yet
You knew that Linksys wouldn't sit idly by while competitors like ASUS and Netgear rolled out extra-fast WiFi routers -- sure enough, the Belkin-owned networking giant is coming to CES 2015 with some speedy wireless of its own. The company's EA8500 promises brisk, interruption-free 802.11ac at 1.73 Gbps thanks to both multi-user antennas (which keeps the speed up when the network is crowded) and a relatively quick 1.4GHz dual-core Snapdragon processor. It's also loaded with frills, such as four Gigabit Ethernet jacks as well as ports to share your eSATA and USB 3.0 storage. The EA8500 will be expensive at $280 when it ships in the spring, but it'll be accompanied by the $180 WRT1200AC if you're willing to settle for "just" 1.3 Gbps while maintaining similar features and hackable firmware.
Google and Microsoft fight hotels' attempts to block personal WiFi
The battle between hotels and hotspot-toting travelers isn't over just because Marriott settled a complaint that it blocked personal WiFi -- far from it. Google, Microsoft and a US carrier lobbying group (the Cellular Telecommunications and Internet Association) are opposing a hotel industry petition asking the FCC to let them block guests' hotspots while they're on the premises. Google and its allies contend that the hospitality business is trying not only to make customers pay for expensive WiFi, but also to effectively take control of unlicensed wireless frequencies. Everyone has "equal rights" to use those airwaves, the carriers say.
Here's the root cause and a workaround for iOS 8 and Yosemite Wi-Fi issues
You know those pesky slow Wi-Fi issues that have been plaguing iOS 8 and OS X Yosemite? Well, co-founder and CEO of Colorado Springs-based Quantum Metric and all-around good guy Mario Ciabarra appears to have found the root cause and a workaround to keep your Wi-Fi running happily until Apple finally fixes the problem. He wrote up a trending post on Medium titled "WiFried: iOS 8 WiFi Issue" about his find and let us know so we could pass the info along to our readers. I won't go into the deep, dark details -- you should absolutely read Ciabarra's post. But the key points are these: the issue is due to the use of Apple's Wireless Direct Link (AWDL) that's used for AirDrop, AirPlay and gaming connections. To quote Ciabarra, "I'll go out on a limb and say the WiFi issues are because of Apple's choice of using Bonjour over AWDL and that, given the constraints of the WiFi hardware, this will be difficult to get right." Ciabarra has been able to reproduce the WiFi performance issues (see the video below) and even offers a way for readers to reproduce it themselves. The issue can also occur on nearby devices simply by waking an iOS device; doing so causes the device to browse for other devices and advertise itself to them, and that can slow down devices in the near vicinity. The solution is to disable AirDrop and doing AirPlay directly with other devices. Unfortunately, the fix that Ciabarra has created only works on jailbroken iOS devices but allows you to enable and disable your device-to-device Wi-Fi and Apple Wireless Direct Link under the AirDrop settings in Control Center. Hopefully Apple will choose to put this same fix into a future version of iOS 8 so that users who aren't using the features can get full-steam-ahead Wi-Fi. Ciabarra also discovered that this is the same root cause for the issue on Mac OS X Yosemite. Fortunately, you can resolve the Yosemite Wi-Fi issues with a quick Terminal command: sudo ifconfig awdl0 down That will take AirDrop and AWDL down, but hey, you'll have fast Wi-Fi. To restore AirDrop and AWDL, here's what you want to type into Terminal: sudo ifconfig awdl0 up We can only hope that Apple decides to really fix the problem for both iOS and OS X soon, or at least provides a way for users to toggle the services on and off. Many thanks to Mario Ciabarra for digging into the issue and finding a workaround.
Some users still having Wi-Fi issues after OS X 10.10.1 Yosemite update
While yesterday's Mac OS X 10.10.1 Yosemite update brought relief to a number of users who were having Wi-Fi issues, MacNN reports that the Apple support threads are still buzzing with discussions of continued disconnects and slow connection speeds. MacNN notes that an informal poll showed that only four out of 15 users (about 27 percent) with Wi-Fi issues before the patch are still experiencing problems. One user reported having "numerous people unable to connect for longer than a minute before and after 10.10.1" even with business-grade routers and access points, while others are less exact. Some are saying they'll see disconnections at random intervals while the menu bar signal strength indicator shows full signal strength. Others are no longer having the disconnect issue, but are getting very slow (802.11b-like) speeds rather than 802.11ac or 802.11n speeds. Fortunately, there are some fixes available thanks to OS X Daily. These range from the simple -- deleting a network configuration file -- to the time-consuming, which involves doing a clean install of Yosemite. If OS X 10.10.1 didn't help your Wi-Fi issues, be sure to take a look at some of the fixes and let us know in the comments if they helped.
Austin's airport uses WiFi to gauge how long you'll wait in security lines
If you're a frequent flyer, you've probably panicked after realizing that a long security line could make you miss your flight. You might not have reason to worry at Austin-Bergstrom International Airport, though, since the travel hub is now taking advantage of Boingo's WiFi networks to estimate security line wait times. The system works by detecting passengers' WiFi-equipped devices as they swing by security checkpoints, creating a catalog of interval data. With a few months of information, Boingo can almost always predict how long you'll be stuck in the queue -- yes, even during the holiday rush. Austin's approach doesn't require that you sign into Boingo (it's just checking for basic hardware identifiers), and Bluetooth beacons supplement the coverage.
Installing and living with the new Sonos Boost
I've been a long-time fan of the Sonos whole house music system. When it was first introduced about a decade ago, it provided high quality music to several rooms in my house, and later updates allowed me to have complete control of the system from my Mac, iPhone or iPad. The only issue I ever had with my system is interference. I live in a pretty densely-built neighborhood, and I see Wi-Fi signals coming into the house at or near the signal strength of my own Wi-Fi router. As a result, music would sometime drop out or Sonos would report insufficient bandwidth to play the music. Design To solve the problem for me and countless others, Sonos has just introduced the Sonos Boost. It's a small US$99.00 white box that promises 50% greater range, and freedom from wireless interference. Configuration and Conclusion Hooking up the Sonos Boost is easy. In my original configuration, I had one of my Sonos boxes -- a Connect: AMP -- hooked directly to the router in my office. I unplugged that ethernet cable, and plugged in the Boost instead using the same cable. My Connect: AMP was now mated to the system wirelessly. I followed the quick setup steps in the Sonos Controller app on my Mac, and I was quickly reconfigured to use the Boost. The Boost has three internal wireless antennas which are designed to overcome just about any kind of interference. Real World Testing I've had the Boost as part of my Sonos system for about a week and so far I haven't experienced a single dropout. That's a decided improvement to my pre-Boost system. Before, I was constantly having to change the wireless channel the Sonos was using in order to try to stay away from channel changes on other people's home Wi-Fi systems. Everything is now calm and stable. In fact I've tried all the available wireless channels on the Sonos and they all work without dropouts or music interruptions. I simply could not do that before, as every channel change was at risk of losing connectivity. If you currently have a working Sonos system in your home, the Boost really isn't for you. But if you are living in any kind of Wi-Fi interference hell with your Sonos system, it appears that the Boost will give you a ticket out of your issues and into a state of audio nirvana.
AT&T's new travel plans let you text as much as you want
AT&T's international cellphone plans have become more affordable over time, but they've still been wildly expensive in some cases -- besides the low data caps, even frequent texting can cost a lot of money. Things just got a little more reasonable with the carrier's new Passport plans, however. The smartphone add-ons still ask you to pay between $30 to $120 per month for a paltry 120MB to 800MB of data, but they now include unlimited SMS messaging and WiFi service (on Android and iOS) in the bargain. In short, you won't run into any nasty overage fees simply because you got into a deep text conversation or uploaded too many vacation photos through one of AT&T's hotspot partners. These new one-time tiers are available now, and regular Global plans have received a matching upgrade if you routinely venture abroad. [Image credit: Shutterstock]
Marriott settles complaint that it forced convention goers to use hotel WiFi
Ever suspected that a hotel was forcing you to use its paid WiFi by making your mobile hotspot unusable? Apparently, your hunch has some grounding in reality. Marriott has paid a $600,000 fine to settle a complaint that it blocked third-party hotspots at a Nashville hotel to make convention attendees and exhibitors pay for the venue's commercial WiFi access -- not exactly cheap at $250 to $1,000 a pop. As the FCC explains, the hotel was effectively asking users to either pay twice for internet access or else risk going offline whenever they approached the convention center.
Netgear's ultimate WiFi router gives you full speed on any frequency
Watch out, ASUS: you're not the only one with an extremely fast WiFi router these days. Netgear has just released the Nighthawk X4, the latest version of its sinister-looking flagship hotspot. The X4's four antennas let it deliver 802.11ac wireless as quickly as possible on any frequency; it offers the same speedy 1.73Gbps as its ASUS rival on the 5GHz band, and a still quick 600Mbps on 2.4GHz. You shouldn't have to worry about your devices starving for bandwidth just because they have to use a less-than-ideal network, in other words. There's also a relatively brawny 1.4GHz dual-core chip inside to keep traffic flowing smoothly, and you can plug hard drives into the eSATA and USB 3.0 ports to share storage throughout your home. This latest Nighthawk is the antithesis of cheap at $280, but you probably can't find a more capable home router right now. Besides, who doesn't want a network box that can masquerade as a stealth fighter?
Flaw lets hackers break your WiFi router's security with one guess
Typically, attacks against your WiFi router require a lengthy attempt to guess any codes and passwords. Not if you use 0xcite's new technique, however; the research firm has detailed a flaw in some router chipsets that lets hackers bypass the push-button security of WiFi Protected Setup (WPS) almost instantly. Instead of trying to guess a hotspot's PIN code, which can take hours, you simply take a single shot based on a series of offline calculations. Once you're ready to attack, it takes roughly "one second" to get in.
Sprint offers free international WiFi calls for your next overseas jaunt
There's just enough time to pop off for a far-flung holiday before summer ends, and Sprint's trying to make calling home from Guangzhou a little easier. The canary-hued carrier announced the other day that it's launching free international WiFi calling for a handful of compatible Android smartphones. For better or worse, some older hardware is getting the nod first: Samsung's Spark-friendly Galaxy S 4 will get the update before the ten other devices capable of making WiFi calls. Curiously enough, the name Sprint chose is actually sort of a misnomer. Yes, you can gab with your folks back home over WiFi, but you can fire off messages free of charge too. Just remember that it's only WiFi calls to the US from abroad that don't cost anything -- WiFi calling Bangkok from the States will hit your wallet, as will international Wi-Fi calls to non-US numbers. Got it? Good.
Smart collar turns your cat into a WiFi hacking weapon
Forget Trojan horses -- it's the cats you have to worry about. Security engineer Gene Bransfield has developed WarKitteh, a tech-laden collar that turns feline companions into scouts for WiFi hackers. The innocuous-looking accessory hides a Spark Core board that maps wireless networks and their vulnerabilities wherever the pet wanders. If used in the field, the technology would be pretty sneaky; the cat stalking mice in your backyard could represent the prelude to an attack on your wireless router.
Anti-surveillance advocates want you to run an open, secure WiFi router
Plenty of WiFi routers have guest modes for visitors; some companies base their entire business models around them. Many of these devices are full of security holes, however, and the Electronic Frontier Foundation doesn't see that as acceptable in an era where widespread government surveillance is a fact of life. To fix this, it has posted a very early version of custom-built open router firmware that promises both easy access and security. While there is a guest mode, the new firmware (based on the existing CenoWRT) should patch common exploits that leave your home network vulnerable. It will even fetch signatures for updates through the anonymizing Tor network to prevent rogue code from posing as a necessary upgrade.
