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Millions of people and businesses have installed 802.11b networks--also known as Wi-Fi networks--in the past couple of years, making the technology one of the few bright spots in an otherwise bleak market for PC hardware.
For about $200, an 802.11b network allows Net access within a 300-foot radius, with information moving at up to 11 megabits per second. Considering that most home broadband connections download data at up to 7.1mbps, that speed would seem to be plenty.
So why are manufacturers pushing a much faster, and more expensive, version, called 802.11a? The answer is twofold: 802.11a networks should find greater acceptance in business and, secondly, in the digital home of the future, where the PC will be used as a server to beam information to a range of devices such as TVs and stereos.
802.11a has three main advantages. Chiefly, it offers better security features, a top concern among businesses that have passed on 802.11b. In addition, 802.11a can transmit data up to five times faster, and it can handle more users simultaneously. However, 802.11a equipment doesn't work on 802.11b networks. For example, a person with an 802.11a card in his or her laptop cannot access a home network using an 802.11b base station.
As a result, 802.11a "will show up in the offices not concerned with backward compatibility; it'll be a new deployment in a high-density area with lots of file sharing going on," said Dennis Eaton, senior strategic marketing manger at Intersil, whose designs are licensed to most of the world's 802.11 makers.
A third wave of 802.11 technology is already cresting: 802.11g, which boasts the speed of "a" and is more secure than "b," and has the added benefit of being backward compatible to 802.11b--something the much-touted 802.11a networks are not. However, 802.11g only operates on the same three crowded channels as 802.11b, compared with 802.11a, which runs on 12 channels and reduces interference issues.
The biggest challenger has been identified as Bluetooth, a wireless standard used to emit a very powerful signal but over a range far shorter (only 30 feet) than Wi-Fi's. Mike Hogan, general manager of Texas Instruments' wireless networking business, is among those who believe Bluetooth will never pose a serious threat to 802.11 equipment.
The main reason is that 802.11 was originally built to work specifically with broadband transmissions, while Bluetooth was created to wirelessly connect a phone and headset and other short-range devices such as notebooks, handhelds and printers.
"Trying to extend Bluetooth to be a competitor with 802.11 is an unnatural act," Hogan said.
Another distant challenge is posed by ultrawideband (UWB) technology, which can transfer at speeds of between 400mbps and 500mbps over distances of about 15 feet. It uses a different technique for transmitting data, and it sends many short, sharp pulses of data over a wide frequency, allowing the transfer of large amounts of data over short distances using a relatively low amount of power.
But the technology has been held back by regulatory concerns. The Federal Communications Commission has allowed only limited use because UWB works across wide slices of the radio spectrum that are already licensed to hundreds of government and commercial users. Critics say its powerful signal could cause interference with such devices as satellite navigation tools or government airport radars.
The tandem strategy
Although the technology industry is infamous
for rapidly making older technologies obsolete, it appears that the already
widely used 802.11b technology is deeply entrenched and unlikely to be discarded
even as 802.11a catches on.
Although it's true that 802.11a equipment doesn't work on 802.11b networks, that may change as a result of some strong-arming on the part of Microsoft. The software giant will give its coveted Window Hardware Quality Labs (WHQL) seal of approval for the next generation of Windows software only to Ethernet cards that support both 802.11a and 802.11b networks, said Warren Barkley, Microsoft's program manager for wireless and mobility.
"We see both .11a and .11b in the future together, and we think of that as a way for seamless roaming," he said.
Microsoft isn't alone in seeing combination cards as the key to 802.11a's future. Equipment based on just 802.11a will be manufactured and sold, likely ending up in the offices of major businesses installing a wireless network for the first time. But most industry insiders see 802.11a networks living in tandem with 802.11b in order to not abandon the 15 million to 30 million 802.11b wireless networks.
"The future for 'a' is in combination," said In Stat/MDR wireless analyst Alan Nogee.
Combination networks are more costly than 802.11b networks, but "anyone who wants to deploy wireless local area networks will be interested," Intersil's Eaton said.
Major wireless equipment makers such Atheros Communications, Intersil, Agere Systems, Broadcom and Texas Instruments have already begun making 802.11 chipsets that support each of the standards and scenarios. And while wireless equipment based on the 802.11g standard is not on the market yet, major chipmakers are producing chips that use the 802.11g standard.
The competing technologies are causing headaches for the growing number of companies trying to piece together a patchwork of wireless LANs (local area networks) in coffee shops, hotels and other public areas to create a nationwide wireless network.
One such company is Boingo Wireless. The company makes deals with other companies that have set up their own 802.11b networks in places like airport lounges and hotel lobbies. Boingo then sells customers access to more than 600 of these Wi-Fi networks and gives the network owners a slice of any revenue from a subscriber.
Boingo Wireless users can already use an 802.11a network if they have the appropriate equipment, said spokesman Christian Gunning. The company is leaving it up to the operators of the smaller networks to make their own decisions on which of the scenarios to go with, Gunning said.
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The only significant publicly available hotspot which isn't run by Bluengine is Changi Airport. At Changi Airport, the Civil Aviation Authority of Singapore is providing free wireless access to passengers at the Departure/Transit Lounges of Terminals 1 and 2.
An individual subscription with Bluengine costs just S$25 a month while a corporate subscription for up to 10 users costs S$199 a month. Once you sign up, you can go to any of the wireless hotspots and just log on to the network. There is no additional charge.
Not quite cybercafes
These hotspots usually have an ADSL connection of 512Kbps. Within the hotspot, the theoretical speed is 11Mbps, but the actual speed depends on your location to the transmitter as well as the number of users on the network. The more people on the network, the slower the speed each person experiences.
These hotspots compare well to cybercafes. Cybercafes in Singapore charge an average of S$4 an hour. For S$25 a month, you can use the Bluengine for an unlimited amount of time each month. There is no additional charge for logging on to the network. In comparison, S$25 will give you only about 6 hours at a cybercafe.
At wireless hotspots, the coffee also tends to be much better. An added bonus is that wireless hotspots are not filled with the sounds of gunfire and the screams of the dying. You can check your email or work on your proposal without the presence of testosterone-filled teenagers crouched over terminals, hell-bent on killing off people in the latest network shoot-'em-up.
Wireless hotspots aren't perfect, of course. Insurance adviser Kelvin Khoo says his chief complaint about the hotspots is the places usually do not have enough electrical sockets to go around, meaning he has to worry about the battery level on his laptop.
Despite the inconvenience, Khoo still swears by the technology. Even if the battery does run out, at least you can always take a coffee break.
Meanwhile, if you are traveling or on the road, join one of these networks and get access to high-speed wireless service.
Company | Where | ||
Arena Country Club | 511 Upper Jurong Road, Singapore 638366 | ||
Asia Educational Consortium | 141 Market Street, #01-00, AEC Centre, Singapore 048944 | ||
Changi Airport | Departure/Transit lounge, Terminals 1 and 2, Singapore Changi Airport, Singapore 918141 | ||
Coffee Club | Ngee Ann City 391 Orchard Road, Ngee Ann City, #03-10/15, Singapore 238872 | ||
Coffee Club | 907 East Coast Road, #01-01, Springvale, Singapore 459107 | ||
Coffee Club (Hotel Rendezvous) | 9 Bras Basah Road, #01-04, Hotel Rendezvous, Gourmet Gallery, Singapore 189559 | ||
Coffee Club (Holland Village) | 48A Lorong Mambong, Holland Village, Singapore 277699 | ||
Coffee Club Xpress (PWC Building) | 8 Cross Street, #01-02/03 PWC Building, Singapore 048424 | ||
Coffee Club Xpress (Paragon) | 290 Orchard Road, #01-37 Paragon SC, Singapore 238859 | ||
Courts IQ Funan | Funan The IT Mall, 109 North Bridge Road, #05-38/39, Singapore 179097 | ||
Courts IQ Turf City | 200 Turf Club Road, #02-03/09, Singapore 287994 | ||
Furama Hotel (Tiffany Café) | 60 Eu Tong Sen Street, Singapore 059804 | ||
Fuzion Smoothie Café (The Heeren) | 260 Orchard Road, #05-15, Singapore 238855 | ||
Fuzion Smoothie Café (Millenia Walk) | 9 Raffles Boulevard, #01-84, Singapore 039596 | ||
Fuzion Smoothie Café (Novena Square) | 238 Thomson Road, #01-39/40, Singapore 307683 | ||
Lau Pa Sat Festival Market | 18 Raffles Quay, Singapore 048582 | ||
Olio Dome (Singapore Arts Museum) | 71, Bras Basah Road, #01-01, Singapore Arts Museum, Singapore 189555 | ||
Olio Dome (Bishan Community Club) | 51, Bishan St 13, #01-02, Bishan Coummunity Club, Singapore 579799 | ||
Olio Dome (Suntec City) | 1 Raffles Boulevard, #01-01A, SICEC, Singapore 039493 | ||
Olio Dome (West Coast Community Club) | Blk 720, Clementi West Street 2, Singapore 120720 | ||
Poems Investor Centre | Century Square Shopping Centre, 2 Tampines Central, #03-01, Century Square Shopping Centre, Singapore 529509 | ||
Raffles Marina | 10 Tuas West Drive, Singapore 638404 | ||
SAFE Superstore Anchorpoint | Anchorpoint Shopping Centre, 370 Alexandra Road, #B1-03, #01-21 & #01-34, Singapore 159953 | ||
SAFE Superstore Junction 8 | 9 Bishan Place, #03-02 & #04-02, Junction 8 Shopping Centre, Singapore 579837 | ||
SAFE Superstore Jurong Point | 1 Jurong West Central 2, #02-45 & #03-37, Jurong Point Shopping Centre, Singapore 648886 | ||
Science Park 2 Aquarius | 21 Science Park Road, Singapore 117628 | ||
Subordinate Courts | 1 Havelock Square, Singapore 059724 | ||
Supreme Court | St Andrew's Road, Singapore 178957 | ||
Thomson Community Club | 194 Upper Thomson Rd, #01-02, Singapore 574339 | ||