Throughout your whole life, you’ve been raised in the art of recycling.  And while it’s true that it’s better to reuse materials than to create new ones, there are more ways to recycle than chucking your cans and bottles in a bin.  They can actually be used to improve the strength and distance of a wireless network.

Pringles “cantennas” were one of the earliest such experiments, and while larger cans can actually work better, they are still a popular project for people just getting interested in Wi-Fi experimenting.  All you need are a can, a good N-type connector, some copper wire, a coaxial cable “pigtail”, and a soldering iron.  You can find many guides online, including this one which includes a handy calculator for determining the standing wavelength based on the diameter of the can.  This simple device can improve your range by about a half mile under certain conditions.  The size of the cantenna also makes it popular among “wardriving”, a surprisingly popular hobby among certain types of tech-heads in which they search for Wi-Fi networks while in a moving vehicle. Read the rest of this entry »

Borders bookstores and JiWire have announced a new partnership based on the belief that people will announce their location online if it leads to more relevant advertising.  JiWire is the leading based mobile ad network working with this technology.  While the details of the partnership have not been announced, JiWire’s growth in popularity, along with the increasing number of venues offering Wi-Fi access, could spell success for both companies.

David Staas, JiWire’s SVP of marketing, compares their new location-based efforts to the ways in which brands integrated themselves into social networking.  A Mobile Audience Insights report by the company found that 53% of consumers were willing to disclose their location to advertisers, and that 70% of café users connected to Wi-Fi for at least an hour each visit.  85% of those users connect more than once a week.

Not only will the new ads be able to determine what city the Borders Wi-Fi user is in, but they will also know that the user is in a Borders bookstore, and will tailor their advertising to fit that user.  National brands like UPS, Verizon, and Cisco are already connected to the JiWire network, and Borders users will see customized ads based on their location.  Staas has said that when advertising is customized, the “click-through” rates on ads are increased by 100-120%.

The growing popularity of mobile devices that can connect to the internet are also making it easier for more users to take advantage of Borders (and other venues’) networks.  Phones like the HTC EVO, which make use of Clearwire’s 4G network, increase the speed and processing power for users.  Depending on how this new partnership works out, we could be seeing a big difference in how advertising works on the Internet.

Wi-Fi is not yet at the point where it can compete with cellular and satellite networks in all cases.  In some instances, though, these other types of connections are not an option, whether due to geography, cost, or both.  Long range Wi-Fi has demonstrated its effectiveness in these cases, and developers are working to improve the technology to achieve even more range and speed.

Some business instances in which long-range Wi-Fi is preferable, or even necessary, include providing coverage over an office or campus complex, connecting skyscrapers in the city, and connecting internet to remote labs that require it for research.  For example, the TIER Project at the University of California—Berkeley connects the Aravind Eye Hospital with other health clinics in India, at distances of 5 to 13 km (3 to 10 mi).  Residential consumers are also finding long-range Wi-Fi useful for connecting to the internet during mountain vacations, or while on the ocean. Read the rest of this entry »

While the decision may initially seem arbitrary, the fact is that different models of wireless routers can have drastically different results based on your individual network. There are a number of things to consider when purchasing a router, and cost is only one of them.

You will usually find speed ratings on the box advertised in megabits per second (Mbps).  Draft N routers may look tempting with their 300 Mbps ratings, but this is a test-value only.  In reality, most people only achieve a fraction of that speed, so a more modest 802.11g router (with a speed of 54 Mbps) may not be such a bad idea.  The other most common thing people look for, and with good reason, is sales rankings.  Even if this doesn’t include the models that are later returned, numbers are a good indication that that device works, even if it isn’t cutting-edge technology. Read the rest of this entry »

In the early morning of Thursday, July 29, Best Buy and Clearwire announced that Best Buy will be offering mobile internet service, Best Buy Connect, using Clearwire’s 4G network.  This network has already been proven to be 3 times faster than current 3G technology, and Best Buy will be the first major wholesaler utilizing Clearwire’s network.  The partnership will begin next year and offer even more options to Best Buy consumers, including shopping, service activation, and customer billing.

Best Buy Connect will continue to offer its current 3G service as well, but the company believes that customers will be willing to pay for the new experience.  On Clearwire’s end, they are excited to be networking with companies outside of traditional Internet service providers, according to Teresa Elder (named one of 2010’s top women in wireless).

Clearwire’s existing 4G products are marketed under its CLEAR brand name, along with partnerships with Sprint, Comcast, and Time Warner Cable.  The best known product is the HTC EVO.  On the release date of June 4, Sprint moved so many products that the EVO quickly became Sprint’s top-selling launch day phone.  The phone will be upgraded to Android 2.2 Froyo as soon as possible. Read the rest of this entry »