WLANs / Wi-Fi

News

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  Samsung's new Wi-Fi tech is five times faster than today's wireless networks

  Those face-meltingly fast new 802.11ac routers might not be king of the wireless networking world for long. Samsung recently announced it's developing new 802.11ad Wi-Fi technology that can turbocharge network speeds fivefold, from today's 866Mbps p...

• Belkin says router outages should be resolved

  Belkin said Tuesday afternoon it had fixed an issue that caused some of its Wi-Fi routers to disconnect from the Internet.

• Marriott must pay $600,000 for blocking personal Wi-Fi hotspots

  Here's some payback for everyone who has felt gouged by hotel charges for Wi-Fi service: Marriott International has to pay US$600,000 following a probe into whether it intentionally blocked personal Wi-Fi hotspots in order to force customers to use i...

• MIT-bred technology would let cars help each other avoid traffic jams

  If you get stuck in traffic a lot, your next car may be able to talk to other vehicles and help keep you off jammed roads.

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  Virgin Atlantic picks Gogo for in-flight connectivity

  Gogo will offer in-flight connectivity with speeds at up to 70Mbps on Virgin Atlantic's aircraft, once a deal between the two companies is concluded.

• Wi-Fi group acts to simplify peer-to-peer video, printing and other tasks

  The Wi-Fi Direct standard for linking two devices without a LAN is about to get easier to use.

• T-Mobile takes Wi-Fi voice and text everywhere

  T-Mobile USA is making a big bet on Wi-Fi, offering unlimited voice calls and text messaging over any Wi-Fi network on every new smartphone it sells, including on networks outside the U.S.

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  Sonos speakers now run on Wi-Fi with no Bridge required

  With a simple software upgrade, wireless audio pioneer Sonos is getting rid of the need for a Sonos Bridge. Instead, users will now be able to directly connect Sonos's multi-room wireless speakers to their Wi-Fi network.

• Researchers promote battery-free Wi-Fi technology

  The coming Internet of things (IoT) revolution may not run on batteries, but on power plucked from the air, according to researchers at the University of Washington.

• AirMagnet Wi-Fi security tool takes aim at drones

  In its quest to help enterprises seek out and neutralize all threats to their Wi-Fi networks, AirMagnet is now looking to the skies.

• Google may bring Wi-Fi to New York City pay phones

  Google may be among the hopefuls vying to turn the New York City phone booths of the past into "communication points" of the future with free Wi-Fi and cellphone charging.

• FCC approves plan to spend $1B a year on school Wi-Fi

  The U.S. Federal Communications Commission has voted to spend US$2 billion over the next two years on improving Wi-Fi networks at schools and libraries, despite questions from Republican commissioners about the source of those funds.

• Commissioners rip FCC's spendy school Wi-Fi plan

  A proposal by U.S. Federal Communications Commission Chairman Tom Wheeler to pump billions of dollars into Wi-Fi deployment at schools and libraries has run into a snag, with the commission's two Republican suggesting the money will come from U.S. re...

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  Free Wi-Fi networks in SF, San Jose join hands through Hotspot 2.0

  San Francisco and San Jose are now at the cutting edge of another tech trend, and one that has nothing to do with smartwatches or social-media startups -- not directly, at least.

• FCC proposes $1B per year for Wi-Fi in schools

  U.S. schools could get a cool billion to set up Wi-Fi networks to connect more than 10 million more students by the 2015-2016 school year under a new FCC proposal.