Monday, October 31, 2005

CHANGING FACE OF WI-FI

Source: NYTimes

With cable providers and the Bell telephone companies dominating the market for residential high-speed Internet service, smaller Internet access providers are desperately trying to find a new way to connect with consumers. They say they may have found it in wireless technology that avoids the need to build expensive underground networks.The wireless option is attractive because it does not require building or leasing costly underground lines, and the cost of Wi-Fi equipment and installation is falling rapidly

Many smaller telecommunications players are bidding for Wi-Fi contracts with big cities like Minneapolis and New York, which are eager to attract new businesses, give residents alternatives to the cable and phone companies and make it possible for lower-income residents to get an Internet link. In San Francisco, Google is considering building a free citywide network. Google would make money by selling advertising that reached the Wi-Fi users.

High-capacity data connections to the Internet will be beamed from central offices to smaller Wi-Fi antennas on streets, in parks and atop buildings. The antennas, which have a range of about 600 feet, are positioned so that the signals overlap to prevent dropped connections when users move from one hot spot to another and to ensure that signals reach inside buildings.

Here comes the most noticable part of wi-fi. "Wireless networks are far from perfect. Though several times faster than dial-up services, they are still slower than conventional cable or D.S.L. broadband connections. They are also vulnerable to privacy and security problems. In hilly cities, coverage can be spotty. And heavy network use can slow connection speeds"

Though this might look appealing, the security of the data being exchanged can pass through the eyes of bad motive people. More and more security built can bring copious user to the network.

Category: Wi-Fi

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