I haven’t looked for a WiFi hotspot directory in quite some time, but I was just alerted to JiWire via Street Tech this morning and I must agree with Gareth that it is indeed comprehensive.

In fact, I learned that my local public library has its own free public hotspot!

I just read the following via Wi-Fi Networking News:

“Speakeasy’s NetShare service … allows a DSL or T-1 customer to share their connection with anyone they like and have Speakeasy bill their sharers directly, while rebating 50 percent of those fees against their direct customers’ bill.”

Awesome!

Heh, and I was just debating the validity of Neighborhood Wi-Fi with Ed. So naturally I found the timeliness of this to be a bit ironic, but interesting nonetheless.

A very slick hack was posted over at O’Reilly that combines power-line
Ethernet, with a wireless access point and a fluorescent light bulb to
create “a weatherproof
wireless access point integrated into a light-fixture” (via BoingBoing and Futurismic)

John just sent me a link to this Reuters story about Verizon’s launch of new Wi-Fi hot spots in phone
booths through out NYC:

Verizon Communications today launched its new Wi-Fi service by lighting up150 hot spots in New York City, with plans to activate another 850 by theend of the year. Verizon said its deployment marks the largest such initiative by an Internet service provider in a single U.S. city. Verizon’s hot spots will be inside pay phones located throughout New York and will have a range of 300 feet.

Martin Cooper, the father of the first cell phone call, has the following to say about Wi-Fi:

“”Wi-Fi is wonderful. It is a superb local area network–what it was designed to do–and it does that very well. When you try to make Wi-Fi cover a wide area, it’s absolutely the worst way to do it. Think about it. In order to cover a city, you need a million sites; we actually did an analysis of that. And every one of them has got to have backhaul. So it turns out it’s neither economical nor practical.” (via cnet)

“… an innovative project within Linksys. Called the LinkSysCommunity Network, the company will provide fast, powerful and inexpensive solutions for Community LANs.”

“Microsoft on Monday released a Windows XP update designed to enhance security for computers that connect to wireless networks.” (via CNet)

According to this MSNBC article: “McDonaldÂ’s restaurants in three U.S. cities will offer one hour of free high-speed [WiFi] access to anyone who buys a combination meal.” (via Scobleizer)

Wow, this is the most comprehensive Wi-Fi Hotsport directory I’ve seen.

Ahh, this is too bad, but I suppose no one is surprised …

“The high-speed wireless Net service, which launched less than a year ago, ceases operations because of slower-than-expected demand.” (via CNet)

According to this article, Linksys will be releasing in 2Q03, a wireless LAN (WiFi) device that attaches to any 802.11b network, and searches the network for MP3 files, or even images, which can then be played or displayed on a home audio or video device (TV).

Apparently it cannot stream video yet, but that is supposedly planned for future releases. (via BoingBoing)

Have WiFi, will travel … AT&T Wireless “… announces a pact with a Wi-Fi network provider to give its subscribers wireless access at more than 485 venues around the country.” (via CNET)

MeshBox “configures a group of wireless access points into a coherent “mesh” and connects them to any broadband Internet node available.”

iDetect Technology: “Wi-Fi Sniffer, WFS-1, detects Wi-Fi availability by the press of a button. No longer do you have to boot up your laptop or walk around with your laptop turned on, hence reducing the risk of hard drive crashes. Pressing the button on the Wi-Fi
Sniffer will tell you whether access is available.”

Clay Shirky “… hosted a two-day brainstorming session for 30 or so
people on the subject of social software. In addition to the usual “sit
around a big table and talk to each other” format, [they] set up an
in-room chat channel accessible over the WiFi network which created a
two-channel experience — a live conversation in the room, and an
overlapping real-time text conversation.”

“The Linksys Wireless Signal Booster piggybacks onto your Linksys Wireless Access
Point (or Wireless Access Point Router) to increase the effective range and
coverage area of the 802.11b network. ” (Thanks John! via SlashDot)

Got this one from John, but it looks like
Intel, IBM Team With AT&T to create a Nationwide Wi-Fi Network service provider.

From Pringles-2-Cantenna … “A Cantenna is simply an inexpensive version of the long range antennas used by wireless internet providers and mobile phone companies. Now, with your own Cantenna you can extend the range of your wireless network or connect to other wireless networks in your neighborhood.”

From: Cantenna website

From Kevin Werbach: “Marcos R. Lara of the Public
Internet Project has unveiled an amazing map of WiFi
access points in Manhattan, compiled by volunteers who drove along every street.
As you’ll see, virtually all of the island is covered.”

DATA STATS: 1) ~13,000 unique nodes
2) 60% open to public access
3) Approx. 1,000,000 data points collected

That’s one big-ass neighborhood WAN!

This article on CNet almost sounds like it’s from 1999: “The nation’s oldest “hot spot” network plans to give away Wi-Fi equipment starting Friday, in an aggressive push to increase the number of urban areas that offer wireless Web access.”

Found this one on Boing Boing and I can just imagine the commercial with the never afraid of crass commercialism William Shatner saying ….“Scotty … Can you hear me now?”

“WiFi Trek Badges” — The Vocera Communications System consists of Vocera Server Software, residing on a customer premise server, and Vocera Communications Badges, which operate over a wireless LAN (802.11b). The badge – which weighs less than 2 ounces – includes a microphone and speaker, LCD readout to display text messages, and an 802.11b wireless radio. It can be clipped to a shirt pocket or collar, or worn on a lanyard."

from the book review on Linux Journal of “Building Wireless Community Networks”

“WiFi is great for setting up a simple office network (see the February 2002 Linux Journal), and much of the information in this book is applicable to such projects. But, Flickenger explains, “It didn’t take long for some sharp hacker types (and, indeed, a few CEO and FCC types) to realize that by using 802.11b client gear in conjunction with standard radio equipment, effective range can extend to more than twenty miles, and potentially provide thousands of people with bandwidth reaching DSL speeds, for minimal hardware cost.”

wow! this market is hugh! keep your eyes on EvolvingEdge

“Analysts see revenue potential in the connectivity. The Strategis Group estimates that revenue from broadband fixed wireless will reach $6.4 billion in 2004; others project about $5 billion that year.” from: Fixed Wireless Increases Broadband Access

new rules for the wireless web … a good report from CNBC