Wi-Fi Article Round-Up: CES Edition

A recap of interesting Wi-Fi and IT industry articles from around the interwebs. For those living in isolation, CES is this week, so much of the news will relate to the show.

Note - I will not be covering CES news surrounding tablets or smartphones. Wi-Fi within those devices are well understood and not really new.

Wi-Fi Articles:


Wireless display technologies will fight to enter the market in 2012 and compete with Apple AirPlay. I don't think they'll gain much traction in 2012, but Marvell and the Wi-Fi Alliance have a better long-term shot than Intel WiDi, as I wrote about earlier this week.

Marvell to Showcase Wi-Fi Display Technology Implemented Across Avastar Family of Wireless Products: "The Wi-Fi Display specification is the basis for an exciting new Wi-Fi Alliance certification program, scheduled for launch in mid-2012. Devices certified under this program can provide a rich audio/video experience between Wi-Fi devices anywhere, at any time, without cables or a connection to an existing Wi-Fi network--all with the multi-vendor interoperability expected from Wi-Fi CERTIFIED."

This standards-based solution has already been adopted by Qualcomm Atheros as well (press release), proving just how important the Wi-Fi Alliance and interoperable standards are in the Wi-Fi industry (hint - we live by interoperability!)

New Wi-Fi Alliance growth predictions:

Wi-Fi Alliance's Wireless Predictions and Projects for 2012: "Recent research data shows that shipment of wi-fi devices is expected to double by 2015. Growth in home wireless networking devices—including TVs, media players and gaming consoles is anticipated to reach 35 percent from 2011 to 2016. Other predictions:
- Wi-Fi is expected to grow 109 percent between 2011-2016 in automotive applications such as infotainment systems, navigation, and traffic monitoring.
- Wi-Fi is expected to grow 39 percent between 2011-2016 in health, fitness, and medical applications.
- Wi-Fi is expected to grow 25 percent between 2011-2016 in smart meters and automation products."

White space Wi-Fi could get faster if Microsoft has anything to say. They have proposed Wi-Fi over Narrow Channels (Wi-Fi NC), which essentially bonds non-contiguous narrowband frequencies into a single Wi-Fi channel that increases available spectrum and therefore bandwidth for white space Wi-Fi.

WiFi-NC : WiFi Over Narrow Channels - Microsoft Research: "We propose WiFi-NC, a novel PHY-MAC design that allows radios to use WiFi over multiple narrow channels simultaneously. To enable WiFi-NC, we have developed the compound radio, a single wideband radio that exposes the abstraction of multiple narrow channel radios, each with independent transmission, reception and carrier sensing capabilities."

Hotspot 2.0 will a recurring theme throughout 2012 (and 2013 for that matter). The ability to provide Wi-Fi hotspot security, ease of use, service and provider transparency, and allow carrier data offload, while doing so with a viable business model for telecom carriers, independent hotspot operators, as well as authentication providers (which, BTW, is not limited to carriers), will be a major milestone for the Wi-Fi industry. Marcus breaks most of this down in his blog post on the subject!

Hotspot 2.0 and the Next Generation Hotspot: "Hotspot 2.0 and the Next Generation Hotspot initiatives are possibly the most exciting areas of wireless progress occurring in 2012. For starters, these developments have a worldwide scope of influence. The technologies that come to market as a result of these programs will directly affect a large portion of the world’s population. If brought to market with extensibility, they could revolutionize the hotspot ease-of-use and security landscapes. These programs deserve the spotlight."

While you're at it, be sure to sign up to learn about Hotspot 2.0 at the upcoming Wi-Fi Mobility Symposium and Wireless Field Day 2 events being held Jan. 25-27th.

Want details of the recent WPS vulnerability affecting Wi-Fi routers? Look no further than the No Strings Attached Show podcast - Episode 02 - Wi-Fi Protected Setup, Battered or Broken?

How about making Eye-Fi, the SD cards that connects to Wi-Fi for automatic picture upload, into an industry standard? Enter the SD Association and the Wireless LAN SD standard!

Wireless LAN SD standard aims to give every SD card that Eye-Fi flair: "The Wireless LAN SD standard announced today is the SD Association's first wireless SD memory card standard combining storage and wireless capabilities. Consumers will be able to transfer pictures, videos and other content wirelessly from most existing digital cameras and digital video cameras to web-based cloud services and between SD devices over home networks."

We've also seen manufacturers embedding Wi-Fi capabilities directly into cameras (Samsung, Kodak), and camcorders too (JVC, Gobandit Live). Watch out Eye-Fi, time to shift into new territory to keep the sales flowing! Also, check out this Toshiba FlashAir wireless LAN SD hands-on video!

Toshiba FlashAir Wireless LAN SD Card

Or how about embedding an Android phone into a true point-and-shoot camera, with this interesting twist on the merger of the two capabilities in the Polaroid SC1630.

Polaroid's Frankenstein Camera / Android Phone, the SC1630

Okay, I will throw one smartphone news item at you... how about more and more phones supporting dual-band Wi-Fi. There have been others prior, I'd just like to highlight the growing trend. 5GHz phones - "Make it so!"

Notice support for 5GHz standards (11a/n) with a 1x1:1 configuration
capable of up to 150Mbps if it support 40Mhz wide channels (not verified)

Indoor location services - Google is trumpeting their indoor location and navigation technology in Google Maps 6.0. I first heard of this being deployed in my neck of the woods, at the Mall of America, and now it's at CES.

Google Maps indoor navigation: yeah, it works at CES: "Google Maps 6.0 brought a promise of indoor navigation back in November of last year, but outside of a few dozen airports, transit hubs and retail outlets, we had no idea where it was or wasn't implemented. Turns out, Google (smartly) mapped out lots of Las Vegas before the annual Consumer Electronics Show"

I'm concerned with the hype surrounding this service as over-zealous media analysts predict this will revolutionize indoor navigation and appear at most retail stores. Sure, one-off venues likes malls make sense, but an inordinate amount of time goes into mapping the venue. Don't expect large retail chains to be spending the labor and money to map each and every one of their thousands of stores anytime soon! Indoor location just ain't THAT easy :)

Home automation solutions continue to keep plugging away, hoping to find a place in consumer's hearts. Right now most of them are standalone solutions, lacking whole-home automation at an affordable price for the masses.

Belkin announces WeMo home automation system; controls electrical outlets with your smartphone, motion: "WeMo works with a home's existing electrical system and requires only a Wi-Fi® network and free smartphone app to set up and control. Simply plug the WeMo Home Control Switch into any electrical outlet and then plug in any device, such as a lamp, into the WeMo Home Control Switch. Through the free smartphone app, the item then can be turned on or off remotely or scheduled to turn on and off at set times." 

Also check out the Motorola Connected Home Gateway (tour and video).

Belkin WeMo Electrical Outlets

Wi-Fi video surveillance and baby cameras are also quite popular (see Dropcam, Samsung). Smart appliances are also back at CES this year, same as last year (see LG, Samsung). While we're at it, let's make it Siri voice-activated too! Oh, and don't forget this weird Withings Wi-Fi connected baby scale!

Samsung SmartHome Wi-Fi Washer, Dryer, and Mobile Application 

IT Industry Articles:


NFC built into MicroSD cards could bring faster consumer adoption, for uses including information retrieval (such as Google Places or Sony SmartTags), information exchange, and contactless payment (mobile wallets).

Moneto NFC microSD to bring contactless features to any Android phone: "DeviceFidelity and Spring Card Systems have teamed up on a NFC-capable microSD card that will hopefully forgo the need of buying specific mobile handsets for the privilege of contactless payments. "

Also check out this Cirque Glidepoint NFC-enabled laptop trackpad. I'm not sure how this would be of practical use, but it's interesting, that's for sure.

NFC MicroSD Card

Home networking could be made easier with higher-speed powerline networks. I think consumers will still prefer Wi-Fi, but powerline could be an attractive option for older homes with thick construction material that hinders RF propagation. Given powerline's checkered performance history and problems with power strips, filters, and surge protectors, I think it still faces challenges with consumer adoption.

HomePlug Alliance AV2 specification promises gigabit class networking over electrical wires: "With MIMO functionality (multiple-input and multiple-output) at its core, the new specification features gigabit class speeds and comes from a decade of field tests. What's more, the new standard promises to bring greater in-home coverage beyond WiFi capabilities while maintaining compatibility with existing HomePlug AV / IEEE 1901 products."

Comic for the Week:

Don't Kitchen Sink Me, Dude!

Cheers (and happy reading)!
Andrew

Articles Worth Reading: 01/14/2011

Here are a collection of articles from the past week that I have found useful, interesting, or enlightening. As always, for a complete list of articles check out my shared article feed from Google Reader.


This week articles focus on news from the National Retail Federation (NRF) show,  advice for establishing corporate culture and creativity for entrepreneurs, some older Wi-Fi articles I just found, and more news flowing out of CES (particularly around smart meters, sensors, and the connected home).


Because of the diversity of articles (so many are must-reads and can't be left out), I've decided to start splitting this weekly recap into sections for easier digestion. Feel free to skip to the sections that interest you, at your leisure. After all, not everyone has the same interests as I do (whoda thunk)! 


Without delay, here they are...


General Wi-Fi Related Articles

Mathias On Mobility: The Wireless LAN Architecture Question -- InformationWeek: 

"most WLAN suppliers today offer controllers of one form or another. But there is, in fact, a difference between the controller as box and the controller as function"

A must read for wireless engineers to understand the fundamental design choices they face when evaluating solutions and vendors!


How to approach wireless LAN architectures: 

"Networking professionals need to understand the two paths in wireless networking: controller-centric approach, and a decentralized -- also known as controller-less or smart AP -- approach."

Aerohive Blog » Airtime Unfairness (aka SLA): 

"If you can control the airtime, then you can manipulate it based on policy, and that’s always a good thing."

Step 1 - control airtime. Step 2 - policy-based airtime control is even better. Aerohive is developing quite a suite of advanced wireless controls, while keeping them simple with SLA, Client Health Score, and TeacherView. I'll have more to come on this as I get my hands on some of their equipment!

802.11: It is the same EIRP, so why does antenna gain mater?: 

"Let me rephrase the dilemma. Is using 100 mW power on a radio with 3 dBi antenna the same as using 20 mW power on a radio with 10 dBi antenna? In both cases you have the same EIRP – 200 mW (I have disregarded the loss from the cables and connectors for the sake of better understanding. I am also using arbitrary numbers.)

Short answer? NO!"

Gregor does a great job re-enforcing the fundamentals with this article on the importance of Link Budget Calculations and antenna selection! Great job!

Wi-Spy: Five Years of Leading the Way | MetaGeek: 

"Here's a quick tour of the evolution of MetaGeek products, showing the progression from Wi-Spy Viewer 1.0 to Chanalyzer Pro, and how they have led the whole industry forward over the past five years."

MetaGeek has innovated with their Wi-Spy product line, and I'll be writing about their product soon.

Best practices for event-driven mobile communication systems - RCR Wireless News: 

"Enhanced mobile infrastructure is often a requirement for major events ranging from the Olympics or World Cup to concerts and festivals. The nature of these events presents specific challenges such as massive crowds, the temporary nature of the event, and the short timeframe allowed for deployment."

This article focuses on cellular challenges at large events, but is very applicable to Wi-Fi as well.

Boing Boing: WiFi isn't short for "Wireless Fidelity": 

"WiFi doesn't 'stand for' wireless fidelity. It's a pun on 'Hi-Fi' and 'wireless fidelity' doesn't mean anything."

An oldie but a goodie! I like to reference this article anytime media reports on "wireless fidelity". It's so annoying!

Survey finds big 2011 surge in enterprise mobile apps: 

"A survey of 250 IT managers finds that 9 out of 10 are planning this year to dramatically expand the number of mobile applications deployed at their companies."

Will your Wi-Fi network be ready for the onslaught of mobile devices? Prepare now, or face the consequences!


Retail Industry Specific Wi-Fi Articles


National Retail Federation - National Retail Federation Announces Release of Second Version of Mobile Blueprint: 

"Mobile adoption in retail is moving rapidly, ABI Research reports that through December 2010 mobile commerce excluding travel will have grown 143 percent from $1.4 billion in 2009 to $3.4 billion in 2010"

This is a *MUST* read if you support Wi-Fi in the retail industry.


“Is Your Brand Ready to Engage Mobile Consumers?” Asks ABI Research | Press Release | ABI Research: 

"mounting evidence points to a broadening awareness that mobile will soon become a necessary way to engage with customers and prospects."

Make Your Brick-and-Mortar Store More Like Your E-Commerce Site | ClickZ: 

"Big changes are in store (pun intended). The biggest trends in business today – mobile, social, relevance – are poised to change the in-store shopping experience dramatically."

Top 10 Things You Missed at the NRF Big Show 2011 | Retail Trends | RIS News: Business/Technology Insights for Retail, Supermarket Executives: 

"Executives from Macy’s, Food Lion and Tesco acknowledged the importance of WiFi availability in brick-and-mortar stores"

Cisco Blog » Blog Archive » Speed: 

"Wireless enables huge increases in business velocity. When information comes to you versus you going to where it is, you save enormous amounts of time. Saving time is the same as increasing speed."

The retail organization that I work for has a motto: "Speed is Life". Almost always, design trade-offs must be made between an ideal solution and one which simply meets the immediate objectives. As an engineer, understanding this fact is important to achieving success.

Cisco Blog » Blog Archive » PCI DSS: Survey Results Reveal More Focus on Complying than Complaining: 

"when asked in a recent Cisco-commissioned survey about their sentiments on PCI compliance, organizations were largely positive and on board with PCI."

Do your customers or your organization need guidance on PCI regulations? Look for some advice coming from Revolution Wi-Fi and CWNP soon!

Retail Chains - Retailers should bring the web inside stores, Cisco says - Internet Retailer: 

"Bringing e-commerce shopping features inside bricks-and-mortar stores could increase revenues for retailers, suggests a report released this week by Cisco Systems Inc."

Thoughts From NRF's Big Show: 

"It's understandable that retail companies are excited by interactive displays and other cool new technologies, because they feel that shopping in a store has to be as easy and satisfying as shopping online."

Sensor Networks & Smart-Home Articles
The more I read about sensor networks, I more that I am left with the vision that both Wi-Fi and Zigbee will be used as complementary technologies to achieve the connected home as well as smart buildings. Zigbee for sensor metrics and control throughout the home, and Wi-Fi for the 'central brains' to achieve broader integration with the Internet for information reporting, dissemination, and remote control. Imagine the synergies!


dailywireless.org » Connected TVs at CES: 

"Industry watchers and manufacturers estimate that nearly two-thirds of households in the United States now have a flat-screen set. This year manufacturers want to convince people that their new sets are already obsolete"

I'm happy using my Roku player with any old TV. Why would I spend more money on a connected TV when I can get a low-cost Roku for my existing flat-panel?

dailywireless.org » Connected Home at CES: 

"Cisco, General Electric, and Xerox shared the stage this morning at CES, to discuss smart metering, green technology and the connected home."

LG's Thinq automated oven, refrigerator, and washer / dryer are the future now (hands-on) -- Engadget: 

"The details of connectivity and interoperability are scarce but we do know that the appliances support both WiFi and ZigBee connectivity in order to communicate with each other, your in-home smart meter, and with smartphones when outside of the home."

Samsung WiFi-enabled RF4289 fridge cools, eats and tweets; we go hands-on -- Engadget: 

"Other brands may view networked fridges as the key to going green, but it seems Samsung is more interested in letting users access Pandora or tweet while grabbing a snack."

I think some engineers at Samsung got too excited about connected appliances and went haywire. Who wants to tweet or post on Facebook from their refrigerator? Seriously?!


Entrepreneurial Articles

5 things you’re doing that are killing your culture | VentureBeat: 

"If you’re serious about creating a great corporate culture, here are the five areas in which you need to assess your company"

6 Tips for Building a More Creative Company | MarketingProfs Daily Fix Blog: 

"The lack of creativity at your office isn’t due to “not enough creative people,” but a company culture that resists change. This is what stifles remarkable ideas."

The Most Influential Consumers Online are on Twitter « Brian Solis Brian Solis: 

"Twitter is a human seismograph and it represents a transformative channel where everyday people possess the ability to affect actions."

Startup Professionals Musings: Lack of Integrity is an Easy Quality to Detect: 

"As an entrepreneur, your personal integrity is critical for getting and keeping the support of investors and team members, and your company’s integrity is critical for getting and keeping customers and vendors. But in a practical sense, what does that really mean?"

Rachel Botsman: The case for collaborative consumption | Video on TED.com: 

"At TEDxSydney, Rachel Botsman says we're 'wired to share'"

Sheryl Sandberg: Why we have too few women leaders | Video on TED.com: 

"Facebook COO Sheryl Sandberg looks at why a smaller percentage of women than men reach the top of their professions -- and offers 3 powerful pieces of advice to women aiming for the C-suite."

Unfortunately, I've tended to notice many of these self-defeating traits among women that I know who are really motivated. Whatever the cause, we need more women in executive and influential positions.


... and 'NO', I'm not going to mention the Verizon iPhone on purpose!


And of course, your comic for the week!





Cheers (and happy reading)!
Andrew