Networking and Internet Connectivity

Google Keeps You Connected With Free Airport Wi-Fi

News — Tue, 10 Nov 2009 23:19:58 GMT

First, Google teamed up with Virgin America to offer free in-flight Wi-Fi, then American Airlines and Lexus announced their own free Wi-Fi offering. Now, Wi-Fi access will be even more accessible to holiday travelers thanks to Google. Today, the search giant announced that it is working with airports around the country as well as Boingo Wireless,Advanced Wireless Group, Airport Marketing Income, and othersto give you free Wi-Fi in the airport.

The free Wi-Fi service will be available now through January 15, 2010 at 47 airports. Some of the airports that will offer this free Wi-Fi include Las Vegas, San Jose, Boston, Baltimore, Burbank, Houston, Indianapolis, Seattle, Miami, Ft. Lauderdale, Orlando, St. Louis, and Charlotte. For those of you who fly through Burbank and Seattle airports, the deal is even better: airport-wide Wi-Fi will be available indefinitely.

Given that the upcoming Thanksgiving, Christmas and New Year's holiday is one of the heaviest travel seasons of the year, there will definitely be a number of people who can take advantage of this free service. According to FAA estimates, over 100 million people will pass through the participating airports between now and January 15, 2010.

In keeping with the spirit of the season, once travelers log on to the networks in any of the participating airports, they will have the option to donate to Engineers Without Borders, the One Economy Corporation, or the Climate Savers Computing Initiative. Google plans to match the donations made across all the networks up to $250,000. The airport networkthat generates the highest amount per passenger by January 1, 2010 will receive $15,000 to donate to a local nonprofit of their choice.

More information about the networks, including a full list of participating airports, is available at www.freeholidaywifi.com.

marvell yukon 88e8001/8003/8010 pci gigabit ethernet controller

stuio — Sat, 09 Dec 2006 13:26:59 GMT

hi pc win xp pro 64 problem... i have a yukon marvell 8001 chipset and have never been able to use ethernet cable and had to opt for usb. i have updated marvell drivers and when it says setting ip etc just closes and says connection failed, little green light is on next to ethernet connector modem light flashes sayign ethernet is plugged in. i have a DFI Lan party ut Nf4 sli-d Mobo nvidia nforce networking controller.. tried drivers yk60x64 yk60x84/86 cant get it to work any tips would be helpful..
in network connections i have
local area network 11 connected firewalled NVIDIA nforce networking controller
1394 Connection Connected, firewalled 1394 Net Adapter
Local Area Connection 9 Marvell Yukon 88e8001/8003/8010 pci gigabit network cable unplugged firewalled

any tips plz?
thanks
Stu

internet speed test

jocoolguy — Mon, 12 Oct 2009 05:17:19 GMT

i would like to test my internet speed in mbps,last week i test my internet speed here , it shown in kbps i need the right website to test in mbps,please let me know if there is anything.

Comcast's Online Content Experiment Set To Begin By Year's End

News — Thu, 22 Oct 2009 00:25:29 GMT

The long-discussed Comcastonline television experiment will launch before year's end, allowingviewers to — legally — watch certain shows online for the first time.

A couple dozen networks - including HBO, Showtime, TNT and AMC - haveagreed to allow Comcast to provide access to their most popular televisionshows online to existing cable company subscribers. Time Warner is saidto be next in line, if the Comcast experiment works out, and it'spossible the move will extend beyond subscribers once the kinks areworked out.

It's up to the individual networks to decide how much of their contentis available online. For example, HBO could release all seasons of"True Blood," while AMC might decide to just do the current season of"Mad Men" and Showtime could stream two seasons of "Weeds."

A&E, AMC, BBC America, CBS, Cinemax, DIY Network, Fine Living Network, Food Network, Hallmark Channel, HBO, HGTV, History, IFC, MGM Impact, Starz, Sundance Channel, TBS, TNT, WE tv, E! Entertainment, The Style Network,G4 and Fearnet (the last of which is owned by Comcast) have signed upto be part of the initial offerings. Several of the networks are ownedby CBS, including Showtime and Sundance.

CBS does not offer its shows on Hulu.com, the successful joint projectbetween NBC Universal and Fox. However, despite Hulu's growingpopularity, it has yet to turn a profit. And Google hasn't been able tomake the hugely popular YouTube.com profitable, either. Whether thesubscriber model works in a medium - the Internet - that has wreakedhavoc on other legacy media industries such as music and newspapersbecause of its free model is yet to be seen.

There are no plans right now to offer an online-only subscriptiontrack, but if the model is a success and keeps people from leaving thecompany ...

Virgin America And Google Offering Free In-Flight Wi-Fi For Holiday Season

News — Tue, 20 Oct 2009 01:37:27 GMT

Aircell's Gogo in-flight Wi-Fi has found its way into quite a few planes, though we can safely say that finding Internet on a plane ismuch like finding a needle in an ocean. But, to be fair, findingInternet on planes when flying Virgin America is a cinch--after all,it's one of the few airlines in the world to equip every last one ofits planes with in-flight Wi-Fi.

In an effort to convince more people to make the long flights home tosee relatives and grumpy in-laws this holiday season, the airline isteaming with Google in order to deliver free Wi-Fi to all thoseonboard. You read that correctly--FREE! The low-cost, high-styleairline will be offering its Wi-Fi services gratis to passengersbetween November 10, 2009 and January 15, 2010. Even better, VA offerspower outlets at every seat (not just those in first class), so you canrest assured that your laptop will stay powered on while you surf. Man,talk about flying the friendly skies again!

"As millions of people pass through airports this holiday season inorder to celebrate with their families, we wanted to give our users agift – one that makes their travel easier and more convenient," saidMarissa Mayer, Vice President of Search Products and User Experience atGoogle. "The fundamental power of the Internet is in connecting people,and we hope that having a free WiFi connection while enroute will makehome and family seem that much closer."
A recent survey of Virgin America frequent fliers showed that guestsare using WiFi in a variety of ways and consider the ability to stayconnected a key in-flight amenity. Top-line results from the survey*include:
More than half of respondents said that the availability of WiFi would influence their choice of airline.
The availability of in-flight power outlets is also a factor for many in choosing to fly with Virgin America.
72% agreed that VOIP should continue to be blocked to keep the cabin environment quiet.
53% of respondents carry a laptop on board. Of those that connected to Gogo, 88% used a laptop.
Email is the most popular activity while using in-flight WiFi, followed by working remotely and social media.
Although guests traveling on any of Virgin America’s over 100 dailyflights from Nov. 10, 2009 - Jan. 15, 2010, will enjoy free web accessvia their laptops or PDAs, the Gogo service is normally available for$12.95 for flights of over three hours; $9.95 for flights between 1.5and three hours; $5.95 for short haul flights of less than 1.5 hoursand handheld/PDA pricing of $7.95 for flights over 1.5 hours.

Finland Makes Broadband Access a Legal Right

News — Thu, 15 Oct 2009 19:57:19 GMT

Finland's Ministry of Transport and Communications has made 1 mbps broadband access a legal right, according to YLE, the country's national broadcasting company. This makes Finland the first country to take this step.

Even better, 1 mbps access is just an intermediary step. Earlier, Finland had set a goal of 2015 for 100 mbps broadband access as a legal right. The access to 1 mbps broadband will become effective in July of 2010.

Interestingly, some countries have already made Internet access a human right, but Finland is the first to make it a legal one.

Some may pooh-pooh this, as Finland has a population of about 5.3 million. America has cities larger than that. But it begs the question: if a country of 5.3 million can do this, why can't cities in America as well? And why hasn't America embraced the idea of the Internet as a human right?

Wi-Fi Alliance Announces Wi-Fi Direct Spec

realneil — Thu, 15 Oct 2009 00:06:59 GMT

New WiFi standard about to be announced.

Story speaks for itself,.....

Goes to direct communication between devices without routers.

internet speed

jocoolguy — Mon, 12 Oct 2009 05:19:12 GMT

i need speed test assistance

Asus Adds Printer Server, Download Manager To RT-N13U Router

News — Tue, 18 Aug 2009 12:52:38 GMT

Asus may not be the first name that pops to mind when thinking aboutWLAN routers, but the company is definitely doing its best to competewith the likes of Netgear, D-Link and Linksys. The RT-N13U is anall-in-one router that just so happens to do more than provide wirelessInternet access. The stylish device doubles as a shared print server,giving you the ability to print out your receipts and such from thecomfort of your couch, bed, etc.

Even better, the device fully supports 24/7 downloads even when thehost PC is turned off, which should be great for those who tend to haveloads of P2P shares going around the clock. Asus has equipped therouter with its EZ UI for easy management of printers and othernetworked resources, giving owners access to a suite of connectivitysolutions including EZ All-in-One Printer, QIS, Ai Disk, Dr. Surf, EZQoS, and Network Map. EZ All-in-One Printer allows multiple users to share printers and scanners without a dedicated server managing the process. Unfortunately Asus has failed to dole out a price or release just yet, but we suspect both of those will be coming soon.

Specifications

ASUS RT-N13U
Hardware
Ethernet Port	WAN x 1, LAN x 4 RJ-45 for 10/100 BaseT
Ethernet Port	Supports Ethernet and 802.3 with max. bit rate 10/100Mbps and auto cross-over function (MDI-X)
Antenna	2 x PCB antenna Antenna Gain in 1~3dBi
Power Adapter	DC output 12V with max. 1A current
Dimensions	165mm x 125mm x 30mm
Weight	· Device: 265g · w/ Packing: 770g
Wireless LAN
Operating Frequency	2.4~2.5GHz
Data Rate	802.11n Draft up to 300Mbps 802.11g 6, 9, 12, 18, 24, 36, 48, 54Mpbs 802.11b 1, 2, 5.5, 11Mbps
Output Power	n mode: 15.8~19.5dBm g mode: 15.5~16.5dBm b mode: 15.8~19.5dBm
Receiver Sensitivity (at normal temp. range)	75~ -77dBm @54Mbps 89~ -92dBm @11Mbps 91~ -95dBm @1Mbps
Encryption/Authentication	Supports 64/128-bit WEP WPA-PSK, WPA2-PSK WPA-Enterprise, WPA2-Enterprise Radius with 802.1x

Software
Management	EZ QoS (Easy Quality of Service): Allows multiple network activities (FTP, Game, P2P) to work smoothly at the same time DHCP Server: Supports up to 253 IP addresses; Changeable DHCP lease time, IP pool, domain name; Static mapped IP Web-based administration: Supports IE 5.5 or later, Firefox 2.0.0.1 or later; Managed from LAN and Internet; Password Setting System Event Log Firmware Upgrade: Web Interface, Bootloader Save/Restore Configuration File
Internet Connection Type	Automatic IP, Static IP, PPPoE (MPPE supported), PPTP, L2TP
Security	Firewall: NAT and SPI (Stateful Packet Inspection), intrusion detection including logging Logging: Dropped packet, security event, Syslog Filtering: Port, IP packet, URL keyword, MAC address

Netgear's USB-Equipped WNR3500L 802.11n Router Goes Linux

News — Mon, 05 Oct 2009 14:23:55 GMT

Caught yourself looking for a new Wi-Fi router here lately? Netgear'snew RangeMax Wireless-N Gigabit Router with USB (WNR3500L) is certainlyworth a look, particularly if you value flexibility and have an inklingto make on your favorite USB peripherals go wireless. The router isbuilt around a powerful open source Linux platform, giving developersand coding gurus the ability to make tweaks that would generally bedisallowed.

Outside of that and the USB port, the guts here are similar to whatyou've come to expect from Netgear. It's an 802.11n supporting routerthat can also support a wide variety of applications created by multiple development partner sand the dedicated open source community. Ifyou've ever heard of terms like DD-WRT, OpenWRT and Tomato, you'll bein love here. All of those applications (and more) can be downloadedand freely ran on this here device. Within, you'll find a 480MHz CPU,64MB of RAM, five Gigabit Ethernet ports, and a USB 2.0 host port foradding an external hard drive (and accessing it over the Web) ordeveloping other custom uses.

Netgear claims this one will be available later this fall for $139.99,and for those who can't stand a router that doesn't get tinkered with,we suspect they'll be lined up for this one.

Gigabit Switching with Wireless-N for Faster Network Performance
Wireless-N technology for faster wireless speeds and range
Four Gigabit Ethernet ports deliver ultra-fast wired connections
ReadyShare™ provides fast and easy shared access to an external USB storage device
Push 'N' Connect securely connects devices at the touch of a button
Smart Wizard® installation CD and multi-language support make setup easy
Automatic Quality of Service (QoS) for reliable Internet, voice and gaming applications
Configurable as a wireless repeater for extending range
Push 'N' Connect and Wi-Fi Protected Setup™ (WPS) ensure a quick and secure network connection
Open-Source Router, Community and Development Partner program
Open-source Wireless-N router with Gigabit wired ports for Linux developers and open-source enthusiasts.
Open-sourcecommunity website and development Partner program with downloadableapplications, user guide, forums, blogs and downloads at www.myopenrouter.com
High Performance Broadcom 480 MHz MIPS® 74K CPU, 8 MB Flash and 64 MB RAM to even run business-class applications
Popular Linux Firmware-DD-WRT, Open-WRT and Tomato available on Open-source community website
NEWDevelopment Partner Program-development partnership with several 3rdparty software vendors to develop custom applications on WNR3500L.Please visit www.myopenrouter.com to join the partner program and see the custom applications that are released or under development.
Features
High-performance BCM 4718 system-on-a-chip
Gigabit Ethernet and USB port
Double firewall protection
Denial-of-service (DoS) attack prevention
Wi-Fi Protected Access™ (WPA2-PSK, WPA-PSK) and WEP
Wi-Fi Protected Setup™ (WPS) - push-button and PIN
Push 'N' Connect using Wi-Fi Protected Setup (WPS) and Smart Wizard® Standards
IEEE 802.11n
Five 10/100/1000 (1 WAN and 4 LAN) Ethernet ports with auto-sensing technology

D-Link DGL-4500 Firmware Problems - Get it fixed now!

Osirus — Mon, 05 Oct 2009 16:11:28 GMT

Just wanted to pass this on to people here.

If you are an owner of a D-link product with hardware/firmware problems that are still unresolved despite all your efforts to have them resolve them or if you have recently upgraded your firmware only to have your router become useless or not perform as advertised. Immediately follow the instructions below and wait for more details on a website that is being developed now to assist you with these problems.

In the meantime...you need to do the following immediately.

1). File a complaint with the Better Business Bureau at www.bbb.org (this will get an immediate response from Dlink and replacement of your router - at least for now)

2). File a complaint with the California Department of Consumer Affairs at http://www.dca.ca.gov/online_services/complaints/consumer_complaint.shtml

3). File a complaint with YOUR state's consumer affairs.

4.) File a complaint with the Federal Trade Commission at https://www.ftccomplaintassistant.gov/FTC_Wizard.aspx?Lang=en

5.) File a complaint with Rippoffreport.com at http://www.ripoffreport.com/login.asp

You may use the complaint text for each one (that way it saves you loads of time). Also save your paperwork and all emails, conversations, phone records...everything! Do NOT dispose of, sell, trade or otherwise let the hardware go as this may become valuable evidence for authorities.

Your warranty status does NOT matter. Facts are if the firmware update that D-Link provided caused the damage they are liable to fix and/or repair the damage in a reasonable period of time.
More on the self help website will be announced shortly. In the meantime you need to immediately file the complaints above and SAVE EVERYTHING!

More announcements will be posted shortly with information on a self-help website designed to assist all D-Link product owners who have been affected by D-Link's faulty product updates.

Also beware!! D-link is banning anyone critical of D-link in their forums or anyone who tries to pin them down. You probably wanna check out the following two threads as well.

http://www.ispgeeks.com/wild/modules.php?name=Forums&file=viewtopic&t=2888&highlight=dlink

http://www.dslreports.com/forum/r22572439-DLink-Banning-Users-and-Deleting-Posts-Critical-Of-DLink

Good luck!

Wi-Fi Alliance Serves Up New 802.11n Logo, Testing Program

News — Thu, 01 Oct 2009 01:10:13 GMT

802.11n finally became an official, finalized protocol in mid-September, and already the Wi-Fi Alliance is making sure that new wares abide by the new standards. Granted, draft-N gear is still good to go, but the new certification program takes a few other points into account.

The new Wi-Fi CERTIFIED n program takes the place of the Wi-Fi CERTIFIED 802.11n draft 2.0 program, which is actually a whopping two-years old already. The updated program adds testing for some popular optional features now more widely available in Wi-Fi equipment, the details of which are below:

The updated Wi-Fi CERTIFIED n program maintains the requirements ofthe draft 2.0 program and adds testing for some new optional features,including:
Test support for simultaneous transmission of up to three spatial streams
Packet aggregation (A-MPDU), to make data transfers more efficient
Space-time Block Coding (STBC), a multiple-antenna encoding technique to improve reliability in some environments
Channel coexistence measures for "good neighbor" behavior when using 40 MHz operation in the 2.4 GHz band

Also, the Alliance has introduced an updated logo, family of taglines, and product labeling matrix, all of which are reportedly designed to help consumers make informed choices about Wi-Fi products (but probably don't hurt in boosting the Wi-Fi Alliance's image). The Wi-Fi CERTIFIED n logo program has been updated to support a wide range of devices tuned for varying performance criteria. In addition to removing the term "draft" from the logo, devices with particular feature sets may now use taglines in conjunction with the logo. Devices can now be designated "Wi-Fi CERTIFIED dual-stream n" or "Wi-Fi CERTIFIED multi-stream n" to indicate that they have passed tests for specific performance-enhancing features.

So, like we said, your current "802.11n" products will still keep working just fine, but if you spot any new gear with this here logo, you can rest assured that everything will work just perfectly. Er, so they say...

REALLY Slow Internet

Iain — Sat, 13 Jun 2009 21:15:43 GMT

I'm at my friends how on his Dell Inspiron 530S and his internet is slow it's not even funny. What's even worse is that he's got Comcast, and in our area they are REALLY fast. I know for a fact that his problem isn't helped by only one gigabyte of RAM for Vista and a 1.6Ghz Intel e2140 but his internet is so slow it's amazing to me. His parents have a parental control deal going on with his computer (I'm working on getting a ghost key logger for him so he can get the password, lemme know if ya'll got any good recommendations) that's so strict to run updates for Xfire and infact to install software he needs thier permission. Before they modified the level of parental control, my friend put "super" into a Google search and the results were blocked... Anyway, any ideas as to why his internet is so slow?

Why's My Internet Suck?!

Iain — Wed, 05 Aug 2009 17:07:27 GMT

So I just moved into a new place and have the fortune of being the only person here who uses a computer! I've god Comcasts 16 Mbps BLAST internet all to myself, and wouldn't you know it - it sucks! I've been doing download tests on www.testmy.net and I"ve NEVER gotten above 14 Mbps... So I called Comcast and they're like "Yeah, if we send the Tech out there and it's not our fault, then it's your $50 bill..." I'm about to update my LAN Drivers (Wired once again ;) ) but other than that, what else can I try?

Thanks guys!

Error Loading newdev.dll

CCS — Fri, 20 Jul 2007 13:33:46 GMT

I am trying to load the drivers for a BT Voyager 105 DSL Modem to install AOL onto a Win XP Pro PC

I have loaded these numerous times on my own machine (XP Home)

It keeps saying 'Error Loading newdev.dll', then tells me I need Administrative Priveleges to install DSL drivers.

I have only 1 user created who is created as an administrator so I don't see where this problem is coming from.

Any ideas???

AT&T Launches Signal Boosting 3G MicroCell

News — Tue, 22 Sep 2009 12:11:38 GMT

We heard way back in December of 2008 that AT&T was looking to mimic Sprint (and now Verizon Wireless) by introducing a femtocell of its very own, and while it took longer than just about everyone anticipated, that launch day has finally arrived. For those out of the loop, a femtocell is--in short--a mini cell tower. It's a box that looks somewhat like a WLAN router, and when connected to your broadband modem, it actually creates a cell site within your home. Naturally, if you have a cell site within your home, your reception is apt to be great.

The 3G MicroCell is the first GSM-friendly femtocell to be offered in America, with Sprint's version catering to CDMA users. Essentially, this gives AT&T users with flaky in-home service the chance to finally chat whilst roaming the house rather than having to stand perfectly still in a certain corner to snag one bar of signal. One thing to note here, this box actually supports 3G services (up to 3.2Mbit/sec) as well, whereas Sprint's AIRAVE doesn't support EV-DO Rev A. Unfortunately, it's not widely available yet. The carrier is running a public trial in the Charlotte region of North Carolina, so if you're out of that area, you're out of luck for now.

The unit, which covers around 5,000 square feet with AT&T service, will be sold for $150. If you decide to just use your existing calling plan with it, no further fees are necessary. If you'd like to add unlimited calling through the 3G MicroCell (which essentially converts your mobile into an at-home phones), that'll run you up to $20 per month depending on what other AT&T services (Internet, landline, etc.) you're currently paying for. We're hearing that the unit will be available nationwide within the coming weeks, but we suppose the exact launch date depends on how well the Charlotte experiment goes over.

Setting up a small demo PC

Endersothergame — Fri, 25 Sep 2009 06:29:49 GMT

I am setting up a small file share system

I will have a PC elsewhere hosting files and some streaming video ect behind a router. Reason for the router being there is to give the file sharing box wireless connectivity. I don't want the file sharing box to have internet and choose to use HFS as the front end as it is easy to use and simple for beginners to navigate.

So here's the crux, I want to have ONLY the HFS page load no matter what gets typed into the address bar of PC's choosing to connect to this device.

How do I do this?

Verizon Chief Declares Landlines Dead (And He's Probably Right)

News — Sat, 19 Sep 2009 13:55:19 GMT

Landline phones are dead. Done. Over with. Old hat. So last year. Ineffect, that's exactly how Verizon Communications chief Ivan Seidenbergfeels, and you know when Verizon's head honcho says landlines are done,they're done. But really, everyone knew this day was coming. Peoplehave been shutting off their landlines and going mobile-only for yearsnow. With mobile minutes easier to come by, Skype becoming pervasiveand Google Voice taking things even further into the digital realm,there's hardly a need for standard landlines anymore.

Mr. Seidenberg, while speaking at a Goldman Sachs investor conference,noted that Verizon simply wasn't concerned any longer with phonesconnected to wires. Granted, Verizon is pushing the voice aspect of itsFiOS service rather hard, but that relies on fiber and the samedecentralized environment that the Internet enjoys. Seidenberg notedthat "video is going to be the core product in the fixed linebusiness," asserting that these video/landline bundles will shortlymorph into video/cellphone bundles.

Verizon CEO - Ivan Seidenberg - Times they are a-changin'...

To be honest, there are still tons of landline numbers connected inAmerica and around the world. They won't vanish overnight, and theywon't all be disconnected at a moment's notice. But there's no denyingthat the momentum is gone, and people are definitely switching tomobile devices and Internet-based calling services. Have you made theswitch? If so, how long ago did you kiss your landline goodbye?

FCC Chairman To Smack Down ISPs That Throttle Data

News — Sat, 19 Sep 2009 13:14:13 GMT

While healthcare may be the hottest topic of all right now, it's hardto argue that net neutrality isn't one of the hottest, longest lastingtopics as related to the Internet. Ever since this series of tubes wasfirst put into place, pundits and supporters alike have debated abouthow much regulation was needed. Some argued that ISPs knew better thanthe average joe and deserved to be able to control certain aspects ofthe Internet experience, while others maintained that the Internet wasgreat because of the freedom it gave the creative minds of the world.

Now, all of those arguments are coming back to life once more, but thistime a whole host of network carriers will be chiming in. And wealready know what they'll say. On Monday, the new chairman of theFederal Communications Commission, Mr. Julius Genachowski, willreportedly address those who matter in an effort to push a new set ofguidelines surrounding net neutrality. It's the first major move to bemade by the newly appointed chair, who only took office a few monthsago after being appointed by President Obama.

FCC Chairman Julias Genachowski - Stepping up to the plate...

First, a little backstory. Last year, a small cadre of Comcast usersbegan to suspect that the company was actually throttling data used inP2P applications. Granted, BitTorrent and P2P stays in the news mostlyfor illicit acts of downloading media that has not been legallypurchased, but we don't need to convince you that P2P has a great dealof power on the legal side as well. It's a fantastic way to share legalmedia without placing a huge burden on one single CDN (content deliverynetwork), but clearly Comcast felt it was easier to simply throttle allP2P traffic in an effort to make sure that the rest of its subscribershad an enjoyable Internet experience. At issue here is whether or not ahuge company, which provides Internet access to tens of thousands ofindividuals in America, has the right to say what traffic deserves tobe slowed and/or what applications can or cannot run on its network. Toa consumer, the answer seems shockingly clear: "No way they have theright to control the access I'm paying for!"

To a Comcast executive, it's a bit less clear. These for-profitcompanies are in business for one reason: to please shareholders.Naturally, it's a lot easier to please shareholders when you're notletting certain users download terabytes upon terabytes of data as theyplease each month. But, is that right? That scenario is at the heart ofthe new guidelines, but honestly, it's just the tip of the iceberg.AT&T also made the negative nightly news a few months back when itdecided to not let the iPhone's SlingPlayer app stream video over 3G,while the same app on Windows Mobile and BlackBerry OS have been (andstill are) streaming over its 3G network for quite some time. AT&Tsimply decided that iPhone users would use too much data, and thatwould in turn harm the experience of other users simply trying to makea phone call, send a text or do a small Google search. We appreciateAT&T looking out for some consumers, but simultaneously detest themfor flat-out throttling others.

The new FCC chairman has clearly had enough of these games. In just afew hours, he'll spark up a speech at The Brookings Institute, where hewill "propose a new so-called net neutrality rule Monday that couldpreventtelecommunications, cable and wireless companies from blocking Internetapplications." He isn't expected to really dig into many details, butthe message is clear: he wants the power to be re-adjusted from the ISPto the consumer, and he wants all that "unlimited access" that we'repaying for to really be "unlimited access." Specifically, the newguidelines will act to "prevent the operators from discriminating, oract as gatekeepers, of Web content and services."

We can only imagine that suits at major cable companies andtelecommunications firms are scrambling over the weekend to come upwith some sort of rebuttal. In AT&T's eyes, for example, ifeveryone is suddenly allowed to use SlingPlayer and Google Voice, theystand to lose a lot of revenue and could see their networks gethammered. The latter is even bad for the consumer. Do you really wantAT&T's network quality to become even worse? But it begs thequestion: with all these new users that AT&T has been picking upsince the launch of the iPhone, where has that money been going? Ratherthan using new subscriber fees to re-invest in its network, it seems asif the company has been pocketing the difference while expectingconsumers to simply "live with" their legacy network infrastructure that is not meeting demand as it exists today. Hopefully the FCC can change all of that, but you can bet thesecarriers won't go down without a long, vocal fight.

USB Bluetooth Dongle issue

varunmehta11 — Sun, 20 Sep 2009 11:04:34 GMT

I've bought an ENTER Mini USB Bluetooth ver 2.0 Dongle Adaptor details. It got successfully installed in my pc. When i checked in the Networking tab in Task Manager, the link speed of the Bluetooth Network Connection is showing 1Mbits/sec when connected to my Nokia N73 phone(Bluetooth Ver 2.0). But the Data Transfer speed should be 3 Mbits/sec as both the Dongle as well as the mobile phone are Bluetooth 2.0 compatible. I also checked the data transfer speed manually and it came out to be 0.94 Mbits/sec. How can i make Bluetooth dongle to work as Class 2.0 Bluetooth.

Homing Pigeon Faster Than Internet in Data Transfer

News — Fri, 11 Sep 2009 13:51:04 GMT

We've complained about the state of US broadband before but we estimate that, in general, most data transfers are at least faster than this. In a race run in Johannesburg South Africa, a company proved it was faster to transmit data by carrier pigeon than to send it via the country's leading ISP.

Unlimited IT, frustrated by the speed of data transfer provided by ISP Telkom, tested and compared the speed of transferring 4 GB of data 50 miles via homing pigeon as well as the Internet. The pigeon won by a long shot, arriving in two hours, six minutes and 57 seconds. Meanwhile, the company, which regularly transfers data between its 11 call centers, managed to transfer only 4% of the data using Telkom's broadband services.

The time for the pigeon included unstrapping the card and downloading from the card to a computer. Winston is 11 months old, and has a Facebook page with over 3,000 fans, by the way.

To be honest, this took place in South Africa. We're not talking the United States here, and not even North America. It is, in fact true, that American broadband isn't exactly up to par with other countries, however. In fact, if you look at recent studies, you can see just how far behind the United States is. A comparison done by Speed Matters and released in August showed that the average Internet download speed in the U.S. has increased by only 1.6 megabits per second (mbps), from 3.5 mbps in 2007 to 5.1 mbps in 2009.

That might sound good, but not when compared to South Korea with an average data rate of 20.4 mbps, or four times faster than the U.S. The United States ranks 28th in the world in average Internet connection speeds, in fact.

Winston gets ready for flight

And truthfully, there is far more to broadband than just speed. What good is a 20.4 mbps speed if you run up against a cap? It just means you reach your limit faster. Yes, we're talking about you Time-Warner Cable and you, Comcast. Media providers continue to give us more options for viewing media through broadband, but ISPs continue to limit what we can do. Something has to give.

Image courtesy: Winston Pigeon Fan Page

In an ironic development, several Winston fans noted that their internet connections were too slow to follow Winston’s race online. It's unclear where those followers were located.

Comcast To Start Offering Wireless Internet; Exploring Voice Option

News — Thu, 17 Sep 2009 14:16:33 GMT

Comcast plans to take its television on demand feature one step further: to your mobile devices.

TheU.S. cable company recently started offering wireless Internet servicein some cities, jointly with Clearwire Corp., using WiMax technology.It has its sights squarely set on mobile phone/data providers, such asAT&T and Verizon, it appears, saying it is looking to add a "voiceoption" to that service, which could mean you could get your cable,wireless Internet and phone service (using VOIP, it would appear) onone bill.

Comcast already offers a home Internet package, inaddition to the cable service, and this summer announced it would startoffering shows On Demand via the Internet, so customers would be ableto legally see shows from a couple dozen networks— from CBS and Cinemax to A&E and BBC America, from TNT & TBSto DIY and History — on their computers. What makes this on demandservice different from existing streaming over the Internet is that theshows would be available at the same time as their initial broadcast,to paying customers. Some shows usually aren't available online untilthe next day or later, depending on the network.

Cable television companies are trying to avoid irrelevance, as the Internet wreaks havoc in the televisionindustry, as it has in the music and media industries. By offeringpeople a way to get content online, legally, and combining that withvoice, Internet and other services, they're bidding to keepshareholders and customers happy. Time Warner is also a partner in TV Everywhere, the program to bring television online legally.

A voice option on the wireless network probably wouldn't happen until the 4G networks are rolled out, Comcast Chief Financial Officer Michael Angelakis said at the Goldman Sachs Communicopia conference, according to Reuters.

Belkin's Home Base Enables Wireless Printing, HDD Access

News — Wed, 16 Sep 2009 05:54:32 GMT

While the Belkin name is most commonly associated with overpriced mice and a cadre of networking products, the company has been branching out of late. Take, for example, it's newest box: the Home Base. At first, it looks like a four-port USB 2.0 hub with an Ethernet jack, but in reality it's so much more.

This companion box, which yearns to sit next to your WLAN router and share deep, dark secrets over CAT5, gives home users the ability to wirelessly print from any machine and even access files on a USB hard drive over the network. All you need to do is plug in your USB printer and as many USB hard drives as you like. Once setup is complete, any machine on the network can print to that printer over Wi-Fi, and any of those hard drives can also be accessed (albeit slowly, compared to a hard-wired USB connection) over the air.

This setup also allows for your Wi-Fi PCs to be backed up automatically to whatever USB HDDs you connect, and it even handles auto-uploading of music, pictures, and videos to Flickr/Picasa. It's available now for $129.99 in North America.

Connect and access up to 4 USB 2.0 devices over an existing wireless network
Automatically back up files and share pictures on Flickr^® and Picasa^®
Access media files stored on your gaming console
Features push-button WPS security
Compatible with 802.11b/g/n devices

IEEE Ratifies Final 802.11n Certification...Seven Years Later

News — Sun, 13 Sep 2009 17:12:13 GMT

So, here's a question. Did you realize that the 802.11n WLAN router youpurchased three years ago, your shiny new 802.11n-equipped notebook andyour 802.11n dongle you bought for your grandmother wasn't actuallycertified? It's true! 802.11n--which is widely known as the quickest ofthe Wi-Fi transmission protocols available today (trumping802.11a/b/g)--has been mulling around in one "Draft" status or anotherfor years now. Seven whole years, in fact.

Over the weekend, however, the IEEE working group responsible formaking sure 802.11n was rock solid from top to bottom decided thateverything was finally just right.The Standards Board finally ratified the 802.11n-2009 amendment, which defines "mechanisms that provide significantly improved
data rates and ranges for wireless local area networks (WLANs)." Overone million 802.11n units already ship per day worldwide, but now youcan finally rest assured that one product will cooperate with another.Here's a simple overview of what this certification means:

"The IEEE 802.11 standard defines how to design interoperable WLAN equipment that provides a variety of capabilities including a wide range of data rates, quality of service, reliability, range optimization, device link options, network management and security.

The 560-page 802.11n amendment-"…WLAN Enhancements for Higher Throughput"1-will enable rollout of significantly more scalable WLANs that deliver 10-fold-greater data rates than previously defined while ensuring co-existence with legacy systems and security implementations."

Publishing of the actual document is scheduled for next month, andusers shouldn't really have to worry over their current products notworking right. The goal here was to make sure Draft-N items didn't getput out of work when the final specification was published, so theaverage consumer shouldn't even notice a difference. Still, it's niceto see all the i's dotted and t's crossed so we can get to work on thenext fastest thing.

Clearwire Hopes To Land Global WiMAX Roaming Agreement

News — Tue, 15 Sep 2009 14:26:24 GMT

One of the biggest troubles today when it comes to using a cell phone abroad is global roaming. For one, it's really expensive. Second, only phones with GSM technology can be used in many overseas nations. But you know, 4G could change all of that.

As WiMAX backers deal with the immense amount of support garnered by rivaling LTE (Long-Term Evolution), the battle for 4G is really heating up. Clearwire, a seller of WiMAX services in America, has just reached out to a pair of international carriers to land a deal that could be instrumental in catapulting WiMAX on a global scale.

The memorandum of understanding (MOU) with WiMAX operators UQ Communications of Japan (UQ) and Yota of Russia identifies the objectives and activities each operator will perform towards the realization of establishing WiMAX roaming between the operators, essentially paving the way for a global agreement that would ensure WiMAX devices could roam on any WiMAX network around the globe. This kind of support could also lead to lower prices overall, which would be a real boon for those who travel frequently.

"Under the MOU, Clearwire, UQ, and Yota plan to collaborate on business and technical aspects of their respective operations to define and institute the process necessary to support international roaming and to ensure the operators’ systems and devices are able to support roaming. Additionally, the operators will work with Clearwire’s Global Alliance Partner Program members and other WiMAX operators to ensure that seamless roaming occurs in an increasing number of countries."

We're trying to keep our hopes down, but this kind of agreement could really revolutionize things. Just think--if Clearwire can nail this down, it'll put a great deal of pressure on the AT&T's and Verizon's of the world to follow suit.