If you are like me, an expatriate who does not want the hassle of installing a broadband Internet in a rented room, this video will thrill you. However, bear in mind that it is illegal in some countries such as Singapore to use third party Wi-Fi connection without consent. You have been warned.
The video by Infinite Solutions shows you a method of boosting Wi-Fi signal by two bars. If you have a 3G phone, you just need to wind an LAN cable (Ethernet cable or CAT5 cable) around the phone. The mobile phone has a better ability to grab a weak signal than most Wi-Fi antenna in an electromagnetic noisy environment such as your room or house full of electrical appliances.
I am sure you are familiar with terms like “wireless”, “hotspot” and “Wi-Fi”. If you know a bit technical details, you might know “802.11a”, “802.11b/g” and “channels”. Yes, you are right! 802.11n is just another amendment to the 802.11 standard for wireless local area networks (LANs) for better throughput and range.
Intel has begun shipping 802.11n compatible wireless networking module, a key component of next generation Centrino due in April with a code name Santa Rosa. Wireless Wi-Fi Link 4965AGN will consume less power according to Channel Register UK, yielding an extra hour of battery life to notebook users. The module has a data throughput of 270Mbps, half of the maximum data rate.
Surprisingly, the module is based on the draft specifications of 802.11n. The latest draft approved on 19 January this year is version 1.10. The official time line for 802.11n shows final IEEE publish date of October 2008. The final working group approval is scheduled on July 2008.
AutoNet Mobile, a startup company wants to change the driving experience forever. The AutoNet Mobile In-Car-Router turns any moving vehicle into a Wi-Fi hotspot powered by the car’s cigarette lighter. It allows any portables that are Wi-Fi enabled to surf the net on the road.
The service covers 95% of America making it equally competitive to mobile service providers. The service is optimized for the in-car experience regardless of driving conditions or location.
How does the device connect to the Internet? The answer is TRU technology. There is no detail on what exactly it is. Without the technology, the in-car Internet connection would interrupt too frequently creating an unpleasant net surfing experience.
The new startup offers not much innovation except TRU technology, which is perhaps why they choose to keep quiet. It competes directly with mobile service providers and WiMAX although not necessary favorably.
The service begins shipping in spring 07 and is available for pre-order. The unit retails for $US399 with a monthly service charge of $US49 according to iTWire. The company is unveiling Autonet mobile in Las Vegas on January 8 at CES International 2007.
Wi-Fi networking is inherently insecure. Wi-Fi and its latest security and encryption updates (WEP/WPA/WPA2) try to protect network access but not necessarily the information that flows over that network. Using public Wi-Fi network should be considered as open to the public as if you had published your accounts, passwords, and correspondence in a newspaper.
There are three primary threats from bedevil Wi-Fi users - sniffers, rogue access points and worms/probes.
Sniffers
Wi-Fi uses radio waves to send data thus making it ripe for monitoring from vicinity. Unless a building is surrounded with a wire cage, signals leak and you must treat your access to the network as completely available to anyone within line-of-sight range. A used $200 laptop with a $10 Wi-Fi card and free software is quite effective and often used for these purposes of sniffing. The sniffer can decode any data passing by into its original form.