WirelessDoc

You MUST Own a Wireless Router - Reviews by PC Magazine

You MUST Own a Wireless Router - Reviews by PC Magazine.

I might be useful to emphasize the security aspect:

It Provides PC Safety

Routers typically have two built in firewalls. The first is simple NAT for network address translation, which isn't so much for protection as it is for simply making the Internet connection work to all your computers. The second is SPI or stateful packet inspection. Most modern routers have SPI, which keeps extra track of data in network packets and makes sure it's kosher (i.e., you requested it), protecting both the router and your computers by filtering out the bad.

There are other settings you can make to your router, such as disabling universal plug and play, and choosing WPA2 using both TKIP and the stronger AES, but it depends on your model, YMMV.

gdgt guys find Zune HD browser sluggish

I'm listening to the latest gdgt podcast with Rojas and Block. They mention that this Zune as well as the iPod Touch are not the ideal devices if you mainly use them for listening to music. The Nano and similar devices would be a better bet, mostly because of size.

Rojas says that he felt the Zune's browser, a mobile IE version, was sluggish when he attempted the pinch and expand finger movements. This would be a deal breaker for me. I'm hoping that the next Android HTC Hero smartphone from Sprint will have a decent browser, and fully satisfy my convergence needs.

Phone Smart - A Wi-Fi Alternative When the Network Gets Clogged - NYTimes.com

Phone Smart - A Wi-Fi Alternative When the Network Gets Clogged - NYTimes.com.

Carriers are quickly adding high-speed network capacity, but in the meantime, AT&T and T-Mobile are throwing another lifeline to customers in the form of Wi-Fi. Both are making it easier to connect to wireless hot spots with their phones, in an effort to deliver fast data and clear calls in areas where neither might be possible.

In this respect, AT&T has been the most aggressive of any carrier. The company said this month that customers with a Windows Mobile phone could now connect freely at any of the company’s roughly 20,000 hot spots.

Windows Mobile?

My impression is that the Apple iPhone/iPod Touch platform (and maybe soon to be released Apple tablet) are stellar performers in regard to Wi-Fi support. It's not "another lifeline." This shouldn't be minimized.

Lowry Computer deploys Motorola's 802.11n wireless LAN solution at Memorial Medical Center of Western Michigan

MOT Lowry Computer deploys Motorola's 802.11n wireless LAN solution at MMC.

The 802.11n solution at MMC leverages Motorola's AP-7131 802.11a/b/g/n adaptive access points (APs) and RFS6000 wireless switches/controllers for high-bandwidth, reliable coverage. The tri-radio design of the AP-7131 provides value, integrating a WIPS sensor for gap-free, 24x7 security, while eliminating the need for multiple hardware purchases and extra cabling, Motorola said.

Motorola has said that the network is powered by Motorola's Wireless Next Generation (Wi-NG) architecture, which offers a feature set, including adaptive AP technology for resiliency, real-time locationing system (RTLS) for asset tracking, Smart RF (Self-monitoring at Run-Time Radio Frequency) management to address changes in the radio frequency (RF) environment, and a wireless firewall for maximized layer two and three protection.

Le Bonheur erects tent to handle swine flu : Local News : Memphis Commercial Appeal

Le Bonheur erects tent to handle swine flu : Local News : Memphis Commercial Appeal.

Le Bonheur [Children's Medical Center in Memphis] set up the 2,400-square-foot tent to handle a growing influx of patients stricken with the H1N1 swine flu virus. The local influenza outbreak, part of a global pandemic, has more than doubled the patient load at the hospital's emergency room in recent days -- even though most of the children don't need to see a physician, health officials say.

The article goes on that this tent is not only climate controlled but is using Wi-Fi.

ABI Research predicts $4.9B worldwide sales of Wi-Fi health care products in 2014

Wi-Fi Health Care Systems to Hit $4.9B

There are two caveats, though. It's expected that this surge will be due to the $20 billion in stimulus funds, but also by the fact that: "...government security requirements including HIPAA often mean replacing older wireless equipment with modern versions." Who's to say that the system you'll be heavily invested in is "modern" enough, or will need upgrading later on? Yesterday, during a computer security Webinar, there was talk of HIPAA 2.0 as new standards of compliance are developed.

The second is ABI Research VP Stan Schatt's remark about health care wi-fi systems: "It is truly a Tower of Babel," meaning that multiple vendors are required to put together a system.

UPDATE: I just finished a phone conversation with Ken Kousky of IP3, Inc, a company that provides computer security training. During his Webinar yesterday "Zero Day Attacks and Bot-Nets in the Age of Compliance," he spoke of the idea that one of the consequences of ARRA will be the emergence of HIPAA 2.0, which led to the point I made above.

He also told me that he felt that HIPAA does a disservice by concentrating on privacy while not paying enough attention to data integrity (I would call authenticity) and data availability. We've all heard about the MRI systems that became infected with conficker because they were running Windows-embedded systems that were not being updated with security patches supposedly because of FDA regulations. It seems that the stories I read seemed to put the onus on the FDA. My question is why isn't there a mandate that these systems be air-gapped (not connected to the Internet)?

Regarding the topic of medical wireless, Ken told me that Wi-Fi security implemenation 802.11i is inadequate and a broader view of wireless security, broader than the IEEE connection, is needed to include cellular packets. He called this a holistic approach to security, which I think would be harder if multiple vendors are required to build this clinical wireless systems. Maybe I'm wrong on this. There are other issues to be addressed such as user authentication and VoIP handsets in the hospital setting.

Qualcomm's 802.11n single chip for mobile devices

Their press release.

The WCN1312 chip is part of an integrated device which is expected to support data rates up to 72 Mbps, "significantly higher than previous 802.11a, b, and g Wi-Fi solutions...."

“As demand increases for wireless LAN connectivity in handsets and other mobile devices, carriers are migrating to higher-performance, more integrated solutions,” said Mike Concannon, senior vice president of Connectivity and Wireless Modules for Qualcomm CDMA Technologies. “The new WCN1312 solution gives our customers an extremely compact 802.11n solution with leading-edge performance and full system-level integration with other Qualcomm chipsets, which minimizes design time and reduces manufacturers' time-to-market.”

Qualcomm introduces industry's first dual-band 802.11n chip supporting 4x4 MIMO with peak data rates of 600 Mbps

(Based on Qualcomm's press release)

Qualcomm [introduces] the N-Stream™ Wireless LAN WCN1320™ chip, the industry's first dual-band 802.11n standards-based wireless local-area networking (WLAN ) solution with 4x4 multiple-input multiple-output (MIMO) technology. Offering industry-leading performance of 600 Mbps, the new chip is designed to enable users to distribute multiple simultaneous streams of high-definition video, voice and data throughout the home, without the hassle and cost of installing cables or the interference and range problems of previous wireless technologies.

The significance of this chip will be a reduction in the cost of implementing a 4-radio, 4x4 antenna solution for that data rate.

82% of US hospitals have Wi-Fi networks

In Wireless Week's "Diagnosis: Wireless"...

ABI Research says about 82% of the hospitals in the United States have Wi-Fi networks, or 6,161 of the 7,526 hospitals.

JoikuSpot: turns the Nokia N95 cell phone into a Wi-Fi hotspot

Via Raimo Van der Klein's Marikaya blog:

This week JoikuSpot turns my N95 into a hotspot. It just takes my HSDPA/UMTS signal and turns into a public Wifi hotspot. Amazing! Check this Seesmic video.

Yes, this is a way to get 3G speed on an iPhone, as Raimo demo's in his video.

UPDATE: Some folks have their hands on the new N96. Nokia has increased the internal memory to 16 GB in addition to its microSD slot which the 8 GB N95 doesn't have. It sports a 5 megapixel camera with auto-focus lens and two LEDs for flash and video lighting.

The 2.8 inch QVGA display will come in handy for the integrated DVB-H [Digital Video Broadcast - Handheld] mobile TV tuner, while a 3.5mm headphone jack, A2DP [stereo Bluetooth], and integrated stereo speakers should handle audio with aplomb.

It provides AGPS (Assisted Global Positioning System which uses cell sites within the cellular network to help with positioning when the satellite signal is degraded). Unfortunately, for now, the N96 does "HSDPA only on the 900 and 2100 MHz bands." The AT&T Wireless 3G HSDPA network uses 850/1900 MHz.