Wi-fi
Wi-fi
Wi-Fi (also WiFi, Wi-fi, Wifi, or wifi) is a brand licensed by the Wi-Fi Alliance to products which pass testing demonstrating that they implement a set of product compatibility standards for wireless local area networks (WLAN) based on the IEEE 802.11 specifications. New standards beyond the 802.11 specifications, such as 802.16 (WiMAX), are currently in the works and offer many enhancements, anywhere from longer range to greater transfer speeds.
Wi-Fi was intended to be used for mobile devices and LANs, but is now often used for Internet access. It enables a person with a wireless-enabled computer or personal digital assistant (PDA) to connect to the Internet when in proximity of an access point. The geographical region covered by one or several access points is called a hotspot.
Certified products can use the official Wi-Fi logo, which indicates that the product is interoperable with any other product also showing the logo.
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Wi-fi Related Products
AirMagnet's Handheld Analyzer is a convenient, inexpensive way to solve serious problems in the enterprise wireless LAN. The Handheld Analyzer helps IT staff make sense of end-user complaints to quickly resolve performance problems, while automatically detecting hundreds of security threats and other network vulnerabilities.
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Anytime, Anywhere, WLAN Monitoring and Troubleshooting. AirMagnet's WiFi Analyzer is the industry's most popular mobile field tool for troubleshooting enterprise Wi-Fi networks. WiFi Analyzer helps IT staff make sense of end-user complaints to quickly resolve performance problems, while automatically detecting security threats and other network vulnerabilities. Although compact, WiFi Analyzer has many of the feature-rich qualities of a dedicated, policy-driven wireless LAN monitoring system.
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AirMagnet Survey delivers fast, scientifically accurate site surveys for any 802.11a/b/g/n indoor and outdoor wireless network. This evolutionary software automatically gathers critical Wi-Fi and RF spectrum information from your enterprise network using multiple data collection methods and generates detailed Wi-Fi performance maps of the results for easy network deployment, capacity planning and optimization. It is the only survey solution to actively associate to APs and get real world uplink/downlink data rates, retry and packet loss information.
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The AirMagnet Spectrum Analyzer proactively identifies, classifies, graphs and finds sources of RF interference in all Wi-Fi bands. It is an ideal complement to AirMagnet Laptop, the world's most popular Wi-Fi performance and security troubleshooting tool.
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The AirMagnet Vo-Fi Analyzer proactively monitors network devices, both wired and wireless networks, quality of service (QoS) and the IP PBX call manager for issues that can affect VoWLAN performance. By providing end-to-end analysis and a comprehensive overview of all factors affecting the VoWLAN network, the AirMagnet Vo-Fi Analyzer eases VoWLAN management-making it the most complete tool available for wireless voice analysis.
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AirMagnet StreetWISE is a family of professional endpoint security software products developed specifically for the enterprise to protect all wireless laptops from dangerous wireless activity and end user behavior, regardless of where they are and where they go. StreetWISE enables you to set strict security policies for all types of wireless connections and hardware devices, while automatically preventing common end user mistakes that put the laptop at risk.
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AirMagnet Planner makes it easy to build a detailed model of any WiFi environment. Simply load in a map of your location and simulate wireless performance based on the correct number, placement and configuration of APs. Tweak any number of these settings until you achieve full coverage for end-users while minimising signal bleed into unsecured areas.
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The AirMagnet Enterprise Analyzer for Cisco is a software-only Wi-Fi troubleshooting solution designed specifically for Cisco Unified Wireless Networks. The Enterprise Analyzer software cooperates with your Cisco Wireless LAN controllers and lightweight access points to collect Wi-Fi data for expert analysis.
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Whether you are at home or on the go, Trend Micro Internet Security Pro safeguards your online transactions, identity, and irreplaceable files with the most comprehensive protection available. Get all the benefits of our proven Internet security plus enhanced identity theft protection, Wi-Fi validation, data theft protection, and system recovery.
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Wi-fi Related Product Families
3eTI offers both a line of highly secure wireless LAN devices that meet NIST standards (FIPS 140-2 Validated) and the capability to help plan and implement a new or improved wireless LAN. 3eTI are also the First Wireless Infrastructure Supplier to Provide Common Criteria Secure Products. When it comes to robustly secure WLAN connectivity, dynamic mesh networking, wireless bridging & repeating, deploying hotspots... 3eTI products are the ideal solution.
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Wi-fi Related Industry News
Ten steps to low-cost wireless LAN security Let me guess: Despite your best efforts to stop them, users are hooking low-cost 802.11b (Wi-Fi) access points (APs) to the corporate network. And, despite your best efforts, your CFO has zero interest in buying the tools you really need to secure these wireless LANs.
Here, then, are some relatively simple, low-cost ways to boost the security of your wireless LANs. They're not perfect, but they do provide at least a first line of defense. And if a......
[more] BT says: Protect your network from professional hackers It's not just the warchalkers you need to worry about... BT Openworld has this week thrown its weight behind the fight against 'Warchalking' - the practice of scrawling chalk marks on the outside of buildings with Wi-Fi networks to encourage passers by to surf on companies' unprotected bandwidth.
However, the UK ISP has warned that it's not just bandwidth pirates you need to worry about. Warchalkers have also drawn attention to the very......
[more] Alliance to certify Wi-Fi security specs HANOVER, GERMANY -- The Wi-Fi Alliance expects to certify by May its WPA (Wi-Fi Protected Access) set of specifications in the first of several efforts to provide greater security to users of high-speed wireless networks, said Andrea Vocale, a technical expert with the alliance, speaking Monday at a news conference at the CeBIT trade show here.
WPA is a subset of the 802.11i security standard, which has yet to be approved by the IEEE ( Institute of El......
[more] Boost to wireless broadband BT is speeding up plans for thousands more places around the UK where you can go online via a wireless broadband connection. To further that aim, the telecoms giant is offering wireless starter kits, dubbed hotspots in a box, which will allow companies to set up their own wi-fi networks.
It follows the success of self-install home broadband access, which was a major contributor to kick-starting a fast net boom.
People will need a fixed broadband line from BT,......
[more] The Wireless-Security Balancing Act If you choose an EAP that doesn't gain de facto standard status, the access point will be to other EAP clients what a two-hole electrical outlet is to three-pronged plugs. Wireless LANs have been billed as the great security wasteland. But thanks to the 802.11b Wi-Fi community's frenetic activity in the last year, an abundance of good security choices now exist, with more on the way.
Wi-Fi security efforts have focused on encryption and authentication, wi......
[more] Future of Wireless Fidelity Remains Up in Air It remains to be seen whether telecom companies will attempt to build Wi-Fi systems that span their entire territories. "The question is how you make a nationwide plan that will run in the black," says Yankee Group analyst Sarah Kim. The great wireless land grab has begun.
Companies ranging from tech startups to the nation's largest phone corporations are staking their claims on more wireless spectrum across the country. This time, they are not......
[more] People confused by wi-fi jargon If talk of a "wi-fi hotspot" makes you think of someone having trouble with their spouse, then you are not alone. Most home computer users in the UK have no idea what so-called wi-fi hotspots are, a survey has found.
Just under 30% of those quizzed knew that the term refers to an area where you can connect to the internet without having to plug a cable into your computer.
The findings will prove disappointing for companies looking to tempt people to log on......
[more] Wi-Fi gets on the right track What sort of investment in public transport would make you swap from plane to long haul trains or from car to bus or commuter train? asks Rob Bamforth of Bloor Research. How about fast mobile data access using Wi-Fi? Mobile users at mobile hotspots. It might be a challenge delivering high bandwidth networking to a moving target - both technical and financial - but at least there's a sitting audience.
For the would-be 'railwarrior', the solution could be at hand,......
[more] Wi-fi networks step up security The security of wireless networks used by businesses in London has improved significantly over the last 12 months, says a survey RSA Security found that 66% of the networks surveyed use the encryption system built-in to the wi-fi standard to help them prevent unauthorised access.
This is a big change since the last survey which found that only 37% had the security system turned on.
Despite this improvement, RSA said many firms were still making basic mista......
[more] Opportunities for Wi-Fi hackers on the increase London home to rogue access points IT managers are catching up to the dangers of Wi-Fi, but opportunities for drive-by hackers in London may actually be increasing. New wireless LANs are popping up very fast, and many of them are insecure 'rogue' access points.
This year, only two-thirds of the City's Wi-Fi networks have WEP (wired equivalent privacy), the basic Wi-Fi security standard turned on. That's not a great record, but it is better than l......
[more] Microsoft clips Wi-Fi's wings Three minutes to connect? Just keep waiting says Redmond Microsoft has responded to complaints that Windows XP sometimes has problems connecting to Wi-Fi. Unfortunately, the response is: "Tough. Wait it out."
"This behavior is expected," says a terse article in Microsoft's Knowledge Base. "You must wait up to three minutes for the network configuration to complete."
There's no fix, no patch, no workaround. "The wireless network card driver may not respond......
[more] A quarter of products fail Wi-Fi tests More than a quarter of Wi-Fi products fail compatibility tests the first time, according to the Wi-Fi Alliance, the body that promotes Wi-Fi use. Most users find that Wi-Fi devices work the first time with any hotspot, however, because the problems are always fixed before the product earns the Wi-Fi badge -- the 1000th of which has now been issued by the Alliance.
"Based on testing of more than 1,000 products over several IEEE (Institute of Electrical......
[more] Software upgrade puts proprietary Wi-Fi on back foot Vernier claims supremacy and threatens to bend market Wireless gateway vendor Vernier has updated its software to match, according to the company, the security and control of wireless-specific switches.
The advantage of version 4 of its CS6500 Control Server software over competing products from, for instance, Trapeze (see review) and Symbol (see review) is that they do not require proprietary access points.
The new product includes a c......
[more] AirMagnet Unveils New Distributed WLAN Security and Performance Solution AirMagnet, the leader in wireless LAN (WLAN) security and performance solutions, today announced an entirely new version of its Distributed WLAN security and performance system. AirMagnet Distributed 4.0(1) includes a completely new network dashboard, advanced rogue access point (AP) blocking and tracing, extended security and performance policy management, and more than a dozen other new features that allow increasingly d......
[more] Wireless internet stumbles ahead The spread of wi-fi is being hampered by increasing complex and incompatible products, an industry body promoting the technology has said. The Wi-Fi Alliance said 22% of new wireless devices it tested did not work properly on the first attempt.
The group lobbies for a common standard to make it as easy as possible for people to surf the web wirelessly.
A recent Consumers' Association survey in the UK found that many people were put off by the complexity o......
[more] Wireless visions collide Wireless executives at a Tuesday morning keynote session here at the CTIA Wireless show looked toward ubiquitous high-speed services and new ways of using phones, but some disagreed as to how those services will be delivered Wi-Fi wireless LAN hot spots will complement fast wide-area data services such as GPRS (General Packet Radio Service), said Sky Dayton, founder and chief executive officer of Wi-Fi service provider Boingo Wireless. Boingo on Tuesday announced a partn......
[more] China wireless policy a "concern" The United States said China's attempt to impose its own technical security standard for wireless computer chips was "a matter of grave concern" that could result in a complaint to the WTO.
The US Trade Representative's Office, in a report on global barriers to trade, weighed in on the dispute, which is expected to shut US-based Intel out of the Chinese market for the fast-growing wireless data network technology.
Intel has said it would not comply with th......
[more] U.K. Plans Roadside Wireless Network The U.K. government is planning to upgrade its roadside telematics system with a wireless network designed to blanket the country with low-cost wireless Internet access.
At this week's Wireless LAN Event here, a small Exeter-based company called Last Mile Communications (a trading name of five-year-old TIVIS Ltd.) launched the patented technology the government is eyeing for its massive roadside infrastructure upgrade. Under Last Mile's scheme, contractor......
[more] London Wi-Fi plan hits lamppost The future of wireless, we thought, was short-range repeaters on street furniture. Either, the Wi-Fi based model proposed by Westminster Council, or the revolutionary telematics model patented by Last Mile communications.
Here at the WLAN Event in Olympia, Last Mile has officially revealed its plans to install 150,000 wireless circuits, including memory, in 150,000 lampposts in the UK. To do this, it takes advantage of a near-global agreement on roadside telem......
[more] Hackers Target Computers On Wi-Fi Hot Spots Wireless networks aren't just popular with computer users on the go. Hackers are finding them an easy target to snoop on consumers' laptop PCs and, eventually, their employers' networks.
Digital intruders are piercing defenseless air space at corporations, public Wi-Fi hot spots and homes to gain illegal entry to computers. About 90% of mobile devices lack protection, says market researcher Gartner.
''All the money you've spent to protect your......
[more] Hackers Lurk Through Holes in Hot Spots Many hot spots do not require passwords. That lets anyone with a wireless connection and hacking know-how hop aboard the network and filch business files, credit card numbers and other confidential information. Wireless networks aren't just popular with computer users on the go. Hackers are finding them an easy target to snoop on consumers' laptop PCs and, eventually, their employers' networks.
Digital intruders are piercing defenseless air space at cor......
[more] McWi-Fi Ronald McDonald can teach you a few lessons about how to creatively apply Wi-Fi to your business. It seems like a simple enough deal: Last week, fast food chain McDonald's announced it's having 6,000 of its U.S. outlets set up for Wi-Fi access. The new hot spots will let McDonald's customers link up to the Internet while they chow down, for a mere $2.95 per hour. There's nothing really new about that -- lots of Starbucks coffee joints and a few Schlotzsky's delis already offer Wi-Fi. An......
[more] China Downplays Wireless Security Delay The Chinese government downplayed Thursday a decision to delay adoption of new security standards for wireless communications as part of a key trade deal.
U.S. manufacturers had complained the new standards for wireless phone and computer transmissions would unfairly disadvantage them, and, in a broad trade agreement announced Wednesday with the United States, China said it temporarily would hold off on instituting any changes.
Chinese officials d......
[more] Central London Wi-Fi zone gets green light London will become one of the world's leading wireless city, the Westminster Council said today as it cut the ribbon on a project to turn the West End into a Wi-Fi zone for its workers.
The scheme, revealed by The Register over a year ago, is being extended from an initial test - put in place last September - in Soho Square, Greek Street and Frith Street. It now extends to the whole of Soho, bordered by Shafesbury Ave, Regent Street, Oxford Street a......
[more] THE A to Z of wireless terms and technologies Everything you need to know about Wireless Jargon 802.11a
54Mbps wireless Ethernet operating in the 5GHz band.
802.11b
The industry standard 11Mbps wireless Ethernet operating at 2.4GHz.
802.11e
Defines quality-of-service for wireless local area networks, to support voice-over IP for example.
802.11g
Successor to 802.11b, providing up to 54Mbps over the same 2.4GHz spectrum used by 802.11b.
802.11h
A supplement to 802.11a to ensure t......
[more] Leading Canadian communications provider chooses AirMagnet AirMagnet, the leader in wireless LAN (WLAN) security and performance solutions, today announced that Allstream, Canada's largest alternative communication solutions provider, has selected AirMagnet Distributed 4.0 to support its recently launched Managed Local Area Network (LAN) service, which offers enterprise customers a stable, flexible and secure hosted wireless LAN solution. Wireless Friendly, a leading Canadian wireless integrato......
[more] Wi-Fi open to jamming attack The 802.11 Wi-Fi protocol contains a weakness that could make it susceptible to a denial of service attack from a PDA vulnerability in the 802.11 wireless protocol that could allow someone with a PDA to disrupt corporate wireless communications has been discovered by The University of Queensland in Australia.
More and more companies are implementing wireless instead of hard-wired networks to reduce clutter and save installation costs. Microsoft is a prime exampl......
[more] Train company on track with wireless GNER rolls out iPaqs to fleet following successful pilot scheme GNER has rolled out new handheld mobile devices, web services and business intelligence tools to improve customer service for passengers.
Following a successful pilot earlier this year using iPaqs, the train firm has now rolled out more than 300 devices to provide staff with information on journey disruptions that can be relayed to passengers.
The iPaqs connect to web-based applications usi......
[more] Students uncover new Wi-Fi vulnerability Attackers could shut down WLAN with just a handheld device Students at the Queensland University of Technology Information Security Research Centre in Australia have uncovered a flaw in an IEEE 802.11 (Wi-Fi) protocol that allows attackers with a simple Wi-Fi-enabled handheld device to effectively shut down a wireless local area network.
The report, published by AusCERT (Australian Computer Emergency Response Team), a not-for-profit organization based......
[more] Cardiff to become wireless hotspot Cardiff is to become the first city in the UK to offer wire-free internet coverage in central areas of the city. The technology, known as wi-fi, means people with suitably-equipped laptops will be able to surf the web or pick up emails in "hotspots" without cables.
A network of 50 hotspots will operate across the city centre and in Cardiff Bay from the summer.
The service is being set up by a partnership between Cardiff council and BT.
Users will be......
[more] Wi-fi may tempt train travellers Wireless net access could tempt many more people into using the train. A survey found that 72% of business travellers asked said onboard wi-fi web access would make them more likely to choose trains over cars or planes.
It also found that the longer the journey that people took, the more interested they became in using web access on trains to get some work done.
Passengers on the longest journeys said they would be willing to pay up to £12 per trip for an......
[more] CCTV goes wi-fi to fight crime The technology behind street surveillance is changing, reports BBC ClickOnline's Spencer Kelly.
In the UK there is one CCTV camera for every 14 people. If you are in London, you could be caught on camera up to 300 times a day.
But the cameras are expensive, and once you have installed one, and laid all the wires back to base, it is fixed and cannot move.
This means if a crime hotspot moves round the corner, you cannot see it.
Westminster City Counc......
[more] Banks open to attack as security spending stales Patch-apathy sets in... With billions of pounds at stake, security is one of the biggest concerns for banks and financial institutions. So why have 83 of the top 100 been compromised?
According to Deloitte's annual Global Security Survey, hackers are keener than ever to try and breach banks' defences but around a quarter of the institutions queried said their security budget growth was "flat".
The money-cautious approach to security may......
[more] IT managers ready defenses against flaw in wireless LANs Users could face DoS attacks, but the risks are seen as low Information technology managers last week said a denial-of-service vulnerability that affects some Wi-Fi wireless LANs could force companies to develop new skills and rethink the way their networks are set up. But, they added, it should be relatively easy to defend WLANs against attacks seeking to exploit the flaw.
For example, an attacker would need to be within the typical 20......
[more] Securing the air The benefits of wireless LANs (WLAN) are undeniable but the risks introduced by them are increasing exponentially. According to InStat MDR More than 75 million Wi-Fi devices have been deployed worldwide and another 4 million new WLAN devices are being shipped per month.
Some organizations think their investments in firewalls and VPNs will protect them from the risks of WLANs. However, they do not realize that the WLAN signal bypasses all wired side security and opens a back......
[more] AirMagnet offers intrusion detection Managing wireless devices is difficult enough without worrying about hackers relentlessly probing your agency's network for weaknesses. AirMagnet Inc., known for wireless toolkits and Wi-Fi management and survey devices, takes security a step further with a true policy-based and distributed wireless intrusion- detection system.
I've tested several products on the market that compete with AirMagnet Distributed, including AirDefense Inc.'s AirDefense and R......
[more] Attack of the bandwidth-hogging hackers Swiss security researchers have unearthed a flaw in wireless LAN systems that might be used by hackers to drastically increase their share of the available bandwidth at the expense of the other users. The issue should be of particular concern to hotspot operators, according to a team from the computer labs at the Ecole Polytechnique Federale de Lussanne (EPFL).
Appropriate standards (such as 802.11i) have been developed to ensure user security and pri......
[more] Rawhide gets taste of the Wi-Fi cowboy Herding cattle, 802.11b style While the corporate world struggles to find a business model that will make Wi-Fi hotspots pay, those agricultural types out in the countryside have been having other ideas. Not for the farmer the delights of high speed Internet access in a soulless coffee joint.
No. In the country, they'll use Wi-Fi to herd cattle.
The suggestion was actually made by roboticist Zack Butler, speaking at the MobiSys conference in Boston.......
[more] The Wi-Fi explosion: a virus writer's dream With the consumer Wi-Fi explosion, launching a virus into the wild has never been easier and more anonymous than it is today. Like a sneeze in a crowded subway, it's hard to find the human source of the latest viral infection. On the Internet it's not much different. The people who write these nasty little programs and release them into the wild almost never get caught. Why? The answer is easy, but it's also a sort of technical nemesis: there's simply......
[more] London business to get 36 Mbit/s wireless broadband Libera aims to plug the copper-fibre gap. A start-up has promised to offer 36Mbit/s of fixed wireless broadband connectivity to 75 percent of small and medium businesses, starting with London. Libera will start with a trial in Docklands this summer and expects to cover the whole area within the M25 by summer 2005.
"We are the first real alternative to BT's local loop," said Libera's chief executive, Robert Condon at the Voice on the Net con......
[more] Hackers exploit poor Wi-Fi security Update security policies for the mobile workplace, analyst warns corporates Shoddy configuration of wireless local area network (Lan) access points and client software will cause 70 per cent of successful attacks against business networks through to 2006, industry experts have warned.
According to analyst Gartner, security for corporate wireless Lans and PDAs must to be driven by updated security policies that address the fast-developing mobile workplace.......
[more] Wi-Fi ends up in court BT wins deal to install wireless hotspots for jurors, lawyers and judges BT has won a three-year deal to supply UK courts with Wi-Fi hotspots, aiming to speed up the legal system by making sure jurors, lawyers and judges have access to the most up-to-date information.
Seven courts in England and Wales are being Wi-Fi enabled by BT OpenWorld as part of the trial.
Lawyers would benefit by being able to research new points of law as and when they arise, according to L......
[more] Stealth wallpaper could keep WLANs secure Keeps outsiders off your wired or wireless network UK defence contractor BAE Systems has developed a stealth wallpaper to beat electronic eavesdropping on company Wi-Fi networks.
The company has produced panels using the technology to produce a screen that will prevent outsiders from listening in on companies' Wi-Fi traffic but let other radio and mobile phone traffic get through.
The FSS (Frequency Selective Surface) panels are made in the same......
[more] Wireless security must improve in Europe Around 34% of businesses in London, Paris, Frankfurt and Milan are still leaving their wireless networks open to attack, according to the latest survey commissioned by RSA Security. Many install the networks without changing risky default settings.
The survey also recorded explosive growth in the number of wireless networks across the four financial centres, with the number in London rising 770% since 2001.
Wireless networks – also known as Wi-Fi......
[more] Stronger WLAN security standard approved The IEEE 802.11i specification, the latest set of rules to bolster security on wireless LANs, has received final approval, according to a co-author of the standard.
The IEEE 802.11i subcommittee signed off on the standard Thursday, according to a statement from Trapeze Networks that was attributed to Dan Harkins, a software engineer at the Pleasanton, Calif., WLAN equipment vendor. Harkins was a co-author of several portions of the specification.......
[more] Wi-Fi hopper guilty of cyber-extortion A Maryland man with a grudge against a Connecticut-based patent firm used unsecured wireless networks at homes and businesses in the Washington DC area to penetrate the company's computers and deliver untraceable threats and extortion demands, until an FBI surveillance team caught him in the act.
Myron Tereshchuk, 42, pleaded guilty this month to a single charge of "attempted extortion affecting commerce" for demanding a $17m ransom in exchange for not......
[more] Wi-fi sensor net aids wine makers A Californian vineyard is turning to wi-fi technology to help it grow better grapes. Pickberry in Sonoma County is using a wireless net to gather data from sensors in its fields that monitor key conditions such as temperature, humidity and soil moisture.
The sensor net means the grape growers know much more about the health of their vines and can apply water or chemicals only when the plants really need them.
It is also helping the viticulturists work out......
[more] Rail users get wi-fi net access Train passengers on the East Coast Main Line can now use the information superhighway while they travel. Operator GNER is bringing the first of 10 trains equipped with wireless internet access (wi-fi) on the east coast route on Tuesday.
The company said it was the first rail firm in the UK to provide the service.
First class passengers can get online free, said chief executive Christopher Garnett, but those in standard class will have to pay for the servi......
[more] Wimpey installs Wi-Fi networks on construction sites Construction firm George Wimpey has slashed its telecoms costs by consolidating infrastructure and installing wireless networks on building sites.
The firm, which builds more than 14,500 new homes a year, has already reduced mobile and fixed-line charges on several of its sites by introducing digital enhanced cordless telecoms, and now plans to roll out the infrastructure across all new sites.
The Wi-Fi project, along with other managed......
[more] Don't abandon using VPN for wireless security too soon Many people use VPN technology to overcome the past shortcomings of wireless security, and they might want to continue doing just that for a while.
The IEEE has approved a new standard for wireless security called 802.11i that is supposed to address the shortcomings of earlier standards, Wired Equivalent Protection (WEP) and Wi-Fi Protected Access (WPA).
Maybe 802.11i will succeed in its goals, but users should consider two things befor......
[more] High-speed wireless begins its standardisation journey The Institute of Electrical and Electronics Engineers (IEEE) will begin sifting through a record number of proposals for a high-speed amendment to the 802.11 standard next week, but wireless chip makers are already jumping the gun with pre-standard products.
802.11n is intended to more than triple the real throughput of wireless LAN (WLAN) by focussing on enhancements to the MAC (media access control) interface, rather than the physical l......
[more] Experts predict Wi-Fi explosion
Now that 802.11i is an official IEEE standard, paving the way for more secure Wi-Fi products, industry experts predict the business community's interest in the technology will skyrocket in the next year or two.
Frank Hanzlik, managing director of the Austin-based Wi-Fi Alliance, said the next step comes in September. That's when his group will start certifying products with WPA2, an update of Wi-Fi Protected Access, which the alliance introduced last year as......
[more] AirMagnet Ships Latest Wireless Security Solution For Laptops, Handhelds
AirMagnet on Monday plans to ship the fourth generation of its laptop and handheld wireless security solution, which brings voice-over-WLAN tools as well as support for 802.11i, a wireless security standard recently ratified by the IEEE.
AirMagnet Mobile 4.0 includes 20 new features, such as voice-over-WLAN troubleshooting tools, expanded authentication support and policy management, said Rich Mironov, vice president o......
[more] Wi-Fi Weds Bluetooth It was inevitable. As connectivity has continued its evolution of putting more functions in a single box, the pairing of more than one popular wireless technology into a single device was just a matter of time.
That's why companies are now putting Wi-Fi and Bluetooth together into handhelds such as smartphones and PDAs. But while this marriage may seem like a dream come true for consumers, as demonstrated by the popularity of the combo in the consumer market, it's......
[more] Co-ordination vital to wireless adoption The gulf between the promise of wireless and the reality of incompatible networks and hotspots remains the biggest hindrance to Wi-Fi take-up The big promise of wireless technology is that it will finally free workers
from the tyranny of the office. But there is still a long way to go before
wireless working becomes ubiquitous, and many of the barriers to adoption are as
familiar as they are depressingly mundane.
Take Wi-Fi. You might access corporat......
[more] Security concerns still plague wireless take-up Wireless has many benefits, provided companies minimise the risks and rein in ad hoc networks 'Be afraid, be very afraid' is the attitude of many companies when faced with the prospect of using a wireless network.
Because wireless is about broadcasting data that often goes beyond company perimeters, businesses worry that it won't be secure enough. And who can blame them, with a regular stream of surveys highlighting gaping security holes?
Secur......
[more] Wi-Fi Group Cracks Down on Incompatible Extensions The Wi-Fi Alliance announced a new policy Monday to prevent proprietary extensions to wireless standards from breaking compatibility with other devices.
The alliance said it would pull its logo—certifying interoperability with other Wi-Fi products—from devices whose extensions made them inoperable with other devices.
The policy seems to be the Wi-Fi Alliance's response to the "good neighbor" debate between Atheros Inc. and Broadcom Corp.......
[more] Wireless Laptops At Democratic Convention Pose Big Risk Next week, thousands will gather in Boston for the Democratic National Convention, many of them armed with wireless-enabled laptops that could present major security problems, a Boston-area firm said Thursday.
Although the convention itself will rely on a wired network, there are hundreds of unsecured wireless access points and cards around and about the FleetCenter, home to the convention, according to tests done by Newbury Networks, a......
[more] Massive free Wi-Fi hot spot lands on Paris Mobile workers in the main business area of Paris will soon be able to get free high-speed Internet connectivity on the move A wireless network is being deployed in the business district of Paris that will give high-speed Internet access to some 150,000 workers. The network, which is being deployed by Wi-Fi operator SFR using Alcatel kit, will incorporate 30 separate 802.11b hot spots into a single cloud of coverage.
It runs from the Bridge of Neuilly......
[more] AirMagnet Tends CBK's Wireless Networks Nine months ago, Todd Little sat in a cafe with his laptop and was amazed by the number of wireless networks he could see. This got the network administrator at CBK Ltd. thinking: "What could people see coming from behind CBK's walls?"
Although Little was sure his wireless networks at CBK, a wholesaler of home accents in Union City, Tenn., were secure, he decided to play it safe. He deployed AirMagnet Inc.'s Distributed Starter Kit, a wireless security o......
[more] XP Service Pack 2 gets the green light The massive update to Windows XP has been released to manufacturing, and is expected to be available to business and consumers within weeks Microsoft on Friday wrapped up development on a long-awaited security update to Windows XP, paving the way for businesses and consumers to upgrade in the coming days and months.
The company said it has released Windows XP Service Pack 2 to manufacturing, following a series of delays. Microsoft will make the free updat......
[more] Ensure security best practice when deploying new technologies Managers must balance the benefits of new technologies with the security risks they pose. Use this advice to maintain your security architecture's standards and ensure that it isn't compromised by newly integrated technologies. Topnotch companies wield cutting-edge technology to stay ahead of the pack. But with the breakneck speed at which technologies roll out, an enterprise's supposedly robust security architecture could quickly bec......
[more] Brits still blind to benefits of Wi-Fi It's 17 months since Intel launched its Centrino and began telling the world about wireless networking - Apple launched its first 802.11b product in 1999 - and still the majority of the UK public remain blissfully unaware what Wi-Fi is.
The chip giant today announced that its research - actually conducted by ICM Research - has revealed that 34 per cent of adults in the UK known the meaning of the term 'Wi-Fi'. This, the company feels, is impressive.......
[more] City first for wi-fi connection Preston has become the first English city to offer comprehensive wire-free internet coverage in the city centre. The technology, known as wi-fi, means people with laptops and PDAs will be able to surf the web or pick up emails in "hotspots" without cables.
The scheme - which is a joint project between the council and the University of Central Lancashire (Uclan) - has a £60 annual subscription fee.
Last month, Cardiff became the first city in the UK to offer t......
[more] Hackers Get Jail Time After Using Wi-Fi For Break-Ins Federal prosecutors in Charlotte, N.C. said Thursday that three men had pleaded guilty in a case that is likely the first criminal conviction of "wardriving," the hacker tactic of cruising for unsecured wireless networks.
The three Michigan men all filed guilty pleas for charges that they penetrated the computer network of home improvement retailer Lowe's through an unprotected Wi-Fi access point in a parking lot of a Lowe's in suburban De......
[more] UK Scientists roll out Wi-Fi proof wallpaper British boffins have developed wallpaper that blocks Wi-Fi traffic but still allows other wireless transmissions to pass through in a bid to prevent unauthorised access to sensitive data via the WLAN.
Developed by UK defence company BAE Systems, the wallpaper uses Frequency Selective Surface (FSS) sheeting, a material more commonly found slapped on military aircraft, naval vessels and radar antennae, New Scientist reports. In this case, the FSS mate......
[more] Industry Coalition Floats Proposal for 802.11n A second group is floating its technical proposal to replace Wi-Fi, in advance of a meeting next month to begin resolving the issue. The so-called WWiSE consortium–comprising Airgo Networks, Bermai, Broadcom, Conexant, STMicroelectronics and Texas Instruments–held a conference call Thursday morning to introduce its new proposal for the 802.11n standard. "WWiSE" stands for "World Wide Spectrum Efficiency," a characteristic of the new proposed standa......
[more] Switched Wi-Fi market soars The enterprise wireless LAN market has grown significantly this year and, in particular, switched wireless LANs have been booming. According to new research, as wireless LAN technology gains more acceptance in the enterprise, the markets for both traditional and switched wireless LANs will continue to grow at high rates. According to a recent study by Redwood City, Calif.-based Dell'Oro Group Inc., the switched wireless LAN market grew by 125% in the second quarter i......
[more] Intel improves Centrino wireless security Chip firm Intel said it had released support for 802.11a, b and g in the same Calexico wireless chipset.
It said it has also built fresh software for its Pro Wireless 2915 ABG connection, which includes a wizard to allow safer net security, offers profile management, and has better troubleshooting capabilities.
Version 9.0 of the software also includes the latest version of Cisco Compatible Extensions for compatibility with that company's infrastructu......
[more] Intel formally introduces tri-mode Wi-Fi chip Processor supports 802.11a, b and g As expected, Intel introduced its tri-mode wireless chip Thursday with several software enhancements to the product to help improve security and reliability, it said during a Webcast.
The Intel Pro/Wireless 2915ABG Network Connection allows laptops based on Intel's Centrino platform to connect to the three most commonly used wireless networks found in enterprises and homes. The first notebooks with the chip will b......
[more] Wi-fi nets get security makeover The security systems built into wireless networks have had an overhaul. The update uses stronger encryption and does a better job of letting only authorised users join wireless nets.
The improvements have been made to re-assure businesses that wi-fi networks can be made safe enough to be really useful and widely deployed.
However, with a lot of older, insecure wireless technology already installed, it could be a while before all networks are upgraded and mad......
[more] First Wi-Fi products get security certificate The Wi-Fi Alliance got its next certification programme off to a flying start, issuing WPA2 badges to a bunch of products that comply with the 802.11i security specification. The Alliance is readying other programmes for quality of service and the 802.11n fast Wi-Fi standard due next year.
The WPA2 certified products include generic designs from Atheros Communications and Broadcom, so customers can expect to buy products with the badges on by the en......
[more] First 'warspamming' case reaches court A landmark case in America could establish that spammers really do take advantage of insecure wireless networks A US citizen is thought to have become the first person to be accused of hacking a wireless network in order to send spam.
Nicholas Tombros, 37, is charged under the US CAN-SPAM act, which aims to clamp down on unsolicited junk mail. Prosecutors allege that Tombros used a laptop to sniff out insecure residential wireless access points in a Los An......
[more] Warspammer guilty under new federal law A Los Angeles man who used other people's wi-fi networks to send thousands of unsolicited adult-themed e-mails from his car pleaded guilty to a single felony Monday, in what prosecutors say is the first criminal conviction under the federal CAN-SPAM Act.
In a plea agreement with prosecutors, Nicholas Tombros, 37, faces a likely sentencing range stretching from probation to six months in custody, assuming he has no prior criminal convictions. Sentencing......
[more] 802.11i: The next big thing The IEEE standard called Robust Security Networking is a force to be reckoned with. As an amendment to the original 802.11 WLAN standard, 802.11i replaces the original meager 10-page WEP discussion with more than 200 pages of detailed protocol on how to lock unwanted users out of your wireless network.
Approved in July, 802.11i products have started to appear in the market. Even though we received our test equipment before the final draft of the standard was ratifi......
[more] Gaps remain in Wi-Fi security Sadly the new WPA2 security spec won't make your wireless LAN invulnerable Here's some good news - the Wi-Fi Protected Access 2 (WPA2) spec is finally with us, and the Wi-Fi Alliance has begun certifying compliant products. "Hurrah," I hear you shout, "finally we can have secure wireless networks."
Now the bad news; starting with the fact that WPA2 is not so much a standard as an interoperability stamp for wireless encryption and authentication technologies conform......
[more] Wi-Fi group says 'no' to pre-standard 802.11n kit The Wi-Fi Alliance (WFA) today formally avowed its aversion to so-called 'pre-standard' wireless products by pledging not to certify kit featuring 802.11n technologies until the standard has been ratified by the IEEE.
That's not expected to take place until November 2006, but if past versions of Wi-Fi are anything to go by, a number of WLAN chip makers and equipment makers will undoubtedly try to beat the rest to market by offering products tha......
[more] Wi-Fi networks kiss and make up BT Openzone and T-Mobile have finally agreed to let each other's subscribers use their wireless hot spots From November, mobile workers whose company has taken out a subscription with either BT Openzone or T-Mobile will be able to use both Wi-Fi networks in the UK at no additional cost.
The agreement helps to unify Britain's fragmented Wi-Fi market. Between them, Openzone and T-Mobile have around 10,000 hot spots -- many through Openzone's own roaming deal with T......
[more] Business frets over wireless security There is no question that a number of the new mobile solutions that are being developed could help many business processes function more efficiently. The results of a recent survey, carried out at an executive briefing held by IT consulting services and solutions provider C&C Technology, sheds some light onto the perceived advantages of wireless working and some major concerns regarding these solutions.
Perhaps unsurprisingly, wireless network security......
[more] Some WLANs open to dictionary attack A dictionary attack tool designed to exploit a weakness the Wi-Fi Protected Access security for wireless LANs has been published on the Web.
The software, called WPA Cracker, exploits one option that can be used in WPA, usually in consumer applications or residential WLANs: a pre-shared encryption key. This key is simpler to use and deploy than using the more complex 802.1x for authentication.
With the pre-shared key, a common shared pass phrase is set f......
[more] Global Wi-Fi Access Deal Makes World Wireless Agreement creates instant access to 20,000 wireless hotspots in 11 countries. A worldwide roaming agreement among four of the world's biggest wireless operators has given the Wi-Fi hotspot market a shot in the arm and users access to more than 20,000 hotspots.
UK-based BT Group; StarHub of Singapore; T-Mobile International, which operates in Austria, the Czech Republic, Germany, the Netherlands, the UK, and the U.S.; Australia's Telstra; and Teleco......
[more] WLAN Security Adoption Still Trailing Despite Widespread Use of Wireless in the Workplace Around 70 percent of British organisations are either already using or planning to use wireless connectivity as part of everyday business. Yet security remains top of the list when it comes to wireless networking concerns, with more than a third of companies admitting that they would have no way of knowing if their wireless security measures were breached. These are some of the main findings of an independ......
[more] UK firms wide open to wireless attack Two-thirds of companies failing to take Wi-Fi and Bluetooth security seriously Most large UK companies are leaving their networks open to attack by failing to take wireless security seriously, newly released research has claimed.
A survey of 81 large UK companies found that 68 per cent of respondents displayed "an alarming lack of urgency in securing computer networks against wireless risks".
According to the study by wireless firm Red-M, 45 per cent of th......
[more] Corporations Get Ready for Wi-Fi Universities and health care organizations have led the way in Wi-Fi installations -- and done the bleeding that takes place on the cutting edge. Now, U.S. corporations are learning from these leaders and evaluating how wireless LANs (WLANs) can benefit their companies.
Corporate IT executives came to the Angelbeat Mobility, Security, VoIP Executive Briefing on Monday to hear from vendors of wireless monitoring and security applications hoping to get their busi......
[more] London gets 'largest ever' indoor Wi-Fi site The British Library claims to have built the largest indoor wireless LAN in the capital The British Library finally launched its wireless network on Tuesday, which it claims is the largest enclosed Wi-Fi hot spot in the UK capital.
The network covers eleven reading rooms, the Library auditorium, a cafe and restaurant, and also an outdoor Piazza. It will be available to around 3,000 visitors per day.
Broadcom has built a huge Wi-Fi zone outdoors in......
[more] AirMagnet polarizes wireless monitoring debate Two access points and a scanner on one chip. Wireless security specialist AirMagnet reckons it can settle a rumbling dispute in the Wi-Fi world, by offering a box that combines two access points with a full-time wireless monitor. The new device, based on multi-channel silicon from Engim, could find its way into other vendors' Wi-Fi systems next year.
AirMagnet - along with other specialists such as AirDefense - sells security products that use sta......
[more] Wireless-J standard opens Japan to the Wi-Fi world And boost 802.11a at the same time. The Institute of Electrical and Electronics Engineers (IEEE) has approved a new wireless standard that will expand international Wi-Fi roaming to Japan.
The 802.11j standard will also apply to wireless equipment used by US anti-terrorism forces, and will affect the way spectrum is used in other countries.
It brings the 802.11 WLAN family - branded Wi-Fi - into line with Japanese regulations from August of 2......
[more] Wi-fi web reaches farmers in Peru A network of community computer centres, linked by wireless technology, is providing a helping hand for poor farmers in Peru. The pilot scheme in the Huaral Valley, 80 kilometres north of the capital Lima, aims to offer the 6,000-strong community up-to-date information on agricultural market prices and trends.
The Agricultural Information Project for Farmers of the Chancay-Huaral Valley also provides vital links between local organisations in charge of water......
[more] Long prison term for Lowe's wi-fi hacker A 21-year-old Michigan man was sentenced to nine years in federal prison Wednesday in federal court in Charlotte, North Carolina for his role in a failed scheme to steal credit card numbers from the Lowe's chain of home improvement stores by taking advantage of an unsecured wi-fi network at a store in suburban Detroit.
Brian Salcedo faced a possible sentence of 12 to 15 years under federal sentencing guidelines, but at the government's urging federal j......
[more] Airwave hackers spark computer alert Almost two-thirds of wireless computers installed in offices, homes and public buildings have no basic security safeguards and can be snooped on by amateur hackers, according to a Sunday Times investigation.
The lack of protection means that e-mails and sensitive computer files can be accessed by hackers using little more than a laptop and an antenna.
The revelation has sparked concern among the police and will come as a shock to tens of thousands of......
[more] Access all areas Doubts about security have long discouraged many firms from deploying mobile computing. But wireless technology has moved on When many companies find it hard enough to control the IT use of office-based employees, how do you convince them that giving staff remote access is a good idea?
This is the dilemma that faces all notebook, wireless networking and remote-management software manufacturers and resellers. There are a lot of variables to consider. The process of providing a m......
[more] US slaps on the wardriver-busting paint Security-minded US decorators' supply outfit Force Field Wireless claims to have developed a DIY solution to the international menace of marauding geek wardrivers - DefendAir paint "laced with copper and aluminum fibers that form an electromagnetic shield, blocking most radio waves and protecting wireless networks".
According to a South Florida Sun Sentinel report, one coat of the water-based paint "shields Wi-Fi, WiMax and Bluetooth networks operating......
[more] Souped-up wi-fi is on the horizon Super high-speed wireless data networks could soon be in use in the UK. The government's wireless watchdog is seeking help on the best way to regulate the technology behind such networks called Ultra Wideband (UWB).
Ofcom wants to ensure that the arrival of UWB-using devices does not cause problems for those that already use the same part of the radio spectrum.
UWB makes it possible to stream huge amounts of data through the air over short distances.
One......
[more] Wi-Fi Alliance to Promote WLAN Security The Wi-Fi alliance will use its pull in the industry to improve security measures in wireless LAN hardware over the next year.
The Austin, Texas, trade organization, which confers the right to use the Wi-Fi label on hardware, plans to increase encryption requirements for certification. But members of the security task groups within the alliance stress that the onus of WLAN security still lies with the customer.
Last fall, the group quietly made support......
[more] Why standards are important for wireless security Industry standards play a critical role in R&D, product development and marketing initiatives which in turn help organizations meet their business objectives. Standards simplify product development and reduce non-value-adding costs, thereby increasing a user's ability to compare competing products. Standards also represent fundamental building blocks for international trade and communications.
Successful businesses benefit from standards both......
[more] AirMagnet Receives Funding From Intel Communications Fund AirMagnet, the leader in wireless LAN (WLAN) security and performance solutions, today announced that it is receiving an investment from Intel Communications Fund. This investment will be used to help expand the company's solutions to manage wireless in the mobile enterprise. As one of its first projects, AirMagnet will implement its Enterprise SmartSensor software on Intel® based Access Point (AP) reference platforms, starting with the......
[more] IT security industry faces a tough 2005 Days of wine and roses over as corporates streamline security budgets This year will mark a period of reckoning for the IT security industry as spending begins to decline, Gartner has predicted.
Victor Wheatman, managing vice president at the analyst firm, told the RSA Conference in San Francisco that by 2006 security spending will have dropped to four or five per cent of corporate IT budgets. In more efficient companies it could drop lower with no harm t......
[more] Many Wireless Security Breaches Reported At Security Conference There were 32 "Evil Twin" attacks and many other types of security breaches aimed at Wi-Fi users of the recently-concluded RSA security conference, wireless security vendor AirDefense claimed Thursday.
In an Evil Twin attack, hackers set up bogus access points and try to get nearby wireless users to log on either. Then, they can steal information that the user transmits The use of this method of attack marks a significant shift......
[more] Motorola Merges Its Plan for Faster Wi-Fi Two camps are ready for a showdown over faster wireless LANs following Motorola's agreement last week to merge its proposal for the IEEE 802.11n standard with that of the World Wide Spectrum Efficiency (WWiSE) consortium.
There are two remaining proposals for the 802.11n standard, which calls for wireless LANs that offer more than 100 megabits per second of data throughput. A task group of the Institute of Electrical and Electronics Engineers is set to......
[more] AirMagnet to complete a comprehensive Wireless solution for the US Government AirMagnet, Inc., announced today its participation in iGov's one-of-a-kind, turnkey, secure wireless networking solution that ensures interoperability among multiple wireless technologies and the wired network. iGov's new comprehensive solution, iSolutions for Wireless, combines sales, marketing, and engineering resources from 10 partners, including AirMagnet, that iGov has identified as industry leaders within the Fe......
[more] Security fears fail to hold back Wi-Fi Wireless Lans to triple in five years, reports analyst Despite security fears, the market for wireless Lan gear will roughly double in value and triple in unit shipments by 2009, largely thanks to next-generation technology delivering higher throughput, longer range and greater capacity.
According to a newly published report by Datacomm Research Company, soaring demand for wireless home entertainment technology will help drive the boom.
The report noted t......
[more] Does Your Wi-Fi Hotspot Have an Evil Twin? Identity thieves are going wireless in their quest to steal your personal info. You may want to think twice before logging into a public wireless hotspot. Sure, grabbing a few minutes of connectivity is convenient, but identity thieves are discovering that, through "evil twin" attacks, hotspots are a great way to steal unsuspecting users' private information.
So how does an evil twin attack work? Let's say that I'm a hacker. I set up my computer to tra......
[more] MCI Adds Thousands of Wireless Hotspots Telecom carrier broadens business Wi-Fi access in more than a dozen countries. MCI announced a major expansion today of the number of wireless hotspots available across the globe to its large-business consumers.
The telecommunications carrier has launched 1300 new Wi-Fi hotspots in Europe and the Asia/Pacific region, and will launch 3400 U.S. hotspots in May, the company said. Before the expansion, corporate customers of MCI's wireless service had access......
[more] BMW brings Wi-Fi to London showrooms BMW is to roll out public Wi-Fi Internet access at three of its London showrooms and service centres, the motor manufacturer said today.
The service's provision comes courtesy of BT Openzone and is geared toward customers availing themselves of BMW's one-hour mend-and-mop Fast Track service package. Alas, while Fast Track includes free coffee, newspapers and even a massage, it doesn't cover gratis Internet access. Presumably they figure if you can afford a......
[more] WLAN standards battle begins again Networking equipment makers are worried that Cisco will try foist a standard upon them as concerns over interoperability mount As large companies install Wi-Fi in their offices, equipment suppliers are challenged to come up with a new standard that will allow gear from different companies to work together.
Interoperability between radio access points used to transmit signals throughout offices and a new breed of WLAN switches that centrally control these switc......
[more] Many UK citizens still clueless about Wi-Fi Forty percent of the UK apparently don't know what Wi-Fi is More than a third of the nation is still ignorant about wireless technology, according to research published on Thursday.
Forty percent of respondents to a Freedom2Surf survey didn't understand what Wi-Fi technology was, although the overwhelming majority of those surveyed who were aged between 16 and 24 claimed to know about it. Thirty percent of this group used high-speed wireless networks......
[more] Frozen polar waste gets Wi-Fi hotspot Intel has rigged up a Wi-Fi hotspot just 80km from the North Pole, presumably so that Sir Ranaulph Fiennes and his ilk can check his email next time they take a little stroll across the ice-pack.
The hotspot was set up by two Intel employees who recently went on an expedition to ninety degrees north. The adventurous staffers installed an 802.11b/g access point at the main camp site, and a wireless LAN of three IBM T41 and T42 Centrino notebooks.
The acces......
[more] Intel employees put hot spot near the North Pole The hot spot was built at the Barneo ice camp in the Arctic region Intel Corp. said today that two employees at Intel Russia have erected what may be the world's most northerly Wi-Fi "hot spot." Its location: 78 miles from the North Pole.
The hot spot was built in the Arctic region at the Barneo ice camp, a tent complex used by scientists, researchers and rescue crews during the month of April, when ice conditions are safe. Still, the camp enviro......
[more] T-Mobile steams in with WiMAX, Wi-Fi train European rail operators love Wi-Fi. They're keen on anything that encourages more businesspeople to take the train, and wireless networking is an attractive way to provide paying travellers with ad hoc connections to the internet and company networks. A journey's duration becomes productive work time, whether it's part of a daily commute or a longer trip.
Connecting a carriage to the internet is not a problem. Nor is sharing that connection among the......
[more] London gets a mile of free Wi-Fi Good news for wireless users in Islington - they can now get free wireless Internet access. But will commercial hot spot operators be pleased? Mobile workers in London will be able to get free wireless access across a mile-long swathe of the capital, via a Wi-Fi network financed by Islington Council.
Dubbed the 'Technology Mile', it is thought to be the largest free public-access wireless network built in the UK so far. Islington Council took the decision to fu......
[more] AirMagnet Advances World's Best-Selling Wi-Fi Tools AirMagnet Laptop Analyzer 5.0 Builds on Years of Success; Offers Integrated Reporting for Easy SOX and HIPAA Compliance, New Security and Performance Alarms and Robust Vo-Fi Quality Management AirMagnet, Inc., the leader in wireless LAN (WLAN) security and performance solutions, today introduced the fifth generation of its AirMagnet Laptop Analyzer and related mobile solutions, which are relied upon by thousands of wireless network professional......
[more] Wi-Fi-proof sheet gets government approval Wireless hackers could be thwarted by a sheet of film that blocks Wi-Fi and IR signals. But MI5 is watching who buys it… Wireless hackers could soon face problems when trying to steal information, now that the British government has endorsed a transparent film that can block Wi-Fi transmissions and other wireless signals from travelling through windows.
The blast-proof film, called Spyguard, can be laminated or fitted inside windows to prevent remote e......
[more] IT staff fear Wi-Fi fumbles If the technology is fixed, it must be a people problem... The security of Wi-Fi networks is still a worry - even though most senior IT staff believe that 802.11i solves the technical problems. How can this be? Simple: those staff don't believe in their ability to deploy 802.11i securely.
This is one of the results from the just-published second annual Webtorials "Wireless LAN State-of-the-Market Report", which analyses responses from 419 subscribers to Webtorials,......
[more] Microsoft finally acknowledges wi-fi security standard Year's delay - but Window XP supports WPA2 Microsoft has released native support for the IEEE 802.11i wireless security specification in Windows XP and its variants, nearly a year after the standard's ratification. The update, made available on Friday, gives Windows compatibility with WPA2 - the certification based on 802.11i - as well as a standard designed to help laptops connect to secure public hotspots.
The Wi-Fi Alliance's WPA2 is de......
[more] CyberGuard launches wireless security appliance for SMEs CyberGuard Corporation has announced a new all-in-one wireless workgroup security and data access appliance, the CyberGuard SG565, designed to secure the wireless and wired local area networks of small and medium-sized enterprises.
Unifying defences to combat blended threats via a single device combining firewall, intrusion prevention and gateway anti-virus is quickly becoming a requirement for small and medium-sized businesses. CyberGua......
[more] When Is a Baked-Bean Can a Wi-Fi Network Antenna? You can make high technology when you're competing in Intel's International Science and Engineering Fair Is using an empty baked-bean can to grab a Wi-Fi signal from a mile away high technology? The answer is yes if you're an entrant in Intel's International Science and Engineering Fair being held this week in Phoenix.
Steven Buss, an 18-year-old Wi-Fi buff from Palm City, Florida, built three different types of antennas to see which provided th......
[more] Cyberguard brings networking to small businesses Cyberguard is coming out with a box that tries to be the only networking equipment needed in small offices.
Called SG565 the device includes a firewall, VPN support, intrusion protection, anti-virus software, traffic shaping, a five-port Ethernet switch and two USB ports that can support a printer and external storage. In addition to all that, it also includes an 802.11b and g Wi-Fi access point.
A box like this could support a small business......
[more] High-speed Wi-Fi standards debate stalls The latest proposal for 802.11n, the next-generation Wi-Fi standard, has been sent back to the drawing board after a second failure to be approved by the IEEE The process to establish the next-generation Wi-Fi standard, which promises to quadruple transmission speeds, has stalled as members of the working group developing the standard failed to pass the main proposal onto the next stage.
The proposal, put forth by the vendor group called Task Group 'n' s......
[more] Feds botch wireless security Federal agencies in the US are leaving their wireless networks open to attack by not implementing key security measures, according to a report issued by the Government Accountability Office (GAO) on Tuesday.
Wireless networks – also known as Wi-Fi or Wireless Local Area Networks or WLANs – can fall victim to malicious hacking techniques, from eavesdropping on company or agency secrets to computer network disruption and the launching of denial of service attacks.
S......
[more] Westminster to open Wi-Fi network to hoi polloi Westminster Council's metropolitan Wi-Fi network is to be made accessible to the public, courtesy of BT's wireless Internet service provider, BT Openzone.
The network will also be upgraded to improve 3G mobile data connectivity in the area.
The Council today named the telco the Wireless City Project's infrastructure partner, as the network expands beyond its Soho core throughout the City of Westminster. It should be noted that the borough does n......
[more] Wi-Fi standard impasse makes 802.11n merger likely The leaders of the rival proposals for faster Wi-Fi are expected to meet face to face next week, to discuss a truce following the failure of IEEE's 802.11n task group to reach an agreement.
"The IEEE .11n ballot was a good result," said Dave Borison, director of product marketing at Airgo Networks Inc. "It's a wake-up call for both camps. We want to move forward and get a standard in place. Within the next quarter, or two at the most, we will......
[more] 802.11n supercharges Wi-Fi The forthcoming 802.11n standard will increase the capabilities of Wi-Fi kit The Institute of Electrical and Electronics Engineers (IEEE), based in the US and not to be confused with our own Institution of Electrical Engineers (IEE), creates standards for various aspects of electronics. The best-known standards in the IT field are those written by committee 802, which include the standards for Ethernet, other LAN access methods and LAN security. However, 802 is now mos......
[more] Wi-Fi Still A Corporate Risk As the speed of business continues to accelerate all over the world, the strategic advantages of constantly connected employees also present some high-risk problems for corporate America.
Experts say the risks are growing because computer networks are increasingly being patched together through the Internet, with more entry points into the system than ever before. Laptops, PDAs, Wi-Fi hotspots and even cell phones form a loose-knit circle of methods to accesses th......
[more] Error 404 at 40,000 feet Struggling United Airlines could this year become the first US carrier to provide passengers with in-flight access to the internet.
United is to equip its fleet of aircraft with WiFi, after the US Federal Communications Commission (FCC) decided that 802.11 b/g technology does not, in fact, harm the operation of an in-flight aircraft.
United, the World's second largest airline, wants to make WiFi-based internet access available on all its flights, after an initial roll......
[more] AirMagnet Announces Laptop-Based Wi-Fi Spectrum A
