"Hotspot Zones" Born from Muni-Fi Failures and Hotspot Successes

Remember all those failed Muni-Fi (or Metro Wi-Fi) deployments in the mid-2000's? Well, most of them failed due to a combination of poor business planning where no anchor tenancy was established, advertising wasn't sufficient to foot the bill, over-zealous Wi-Fi design that called for far too few wireless APs (and subsequently poor performance), and difficulty in obtaining access rights to utility poles to get power and backhaul for AP locations which stalled deployments. (Read about all that over here; Minneapolis seems to be one bright spot in all that).

Now, Muni-Fi appears to be making a bit of a comeback. Although everyone has ditched that terminology, likely to avoid bringing the negative connotation that now comes with it :) This is not completely without just cause, as the focus has shifted from providing pervasive coverage over entire cities, to focused coverage in specific public areas where it makes sense. In some respects, I consider these new deployments a hybrid between Muni-Fi (pervasive public area coverage) and Hotspots (coverage in a specific location, typically tied to an establishment such as a coffee shop). I'd call them "Hotspot Zones".

AT&T and other carriers have installed hotspot zones in a few major urban areas, such as Manhattan and San Francisco. And Wi-Fi is even being installed in old phone booths in NYC to ease rights-of-way issues.


LightReading describes this initiative:

New York City's plan to house hot spots in pay phones to provide free Wi-Fi service in the Big Apple illustrates just how much wireless LAN has become part of everyday life even as the public telephone system has become a thing of the past. 

The city is working with pay-phone companies Titan and Van Wagner to install the hot spots, according to NY1 TV.

And the folks at Smart Wi-Fi provide insight on the economics of deployment in old phone booths:

Obviously phone booths are connected via the two wires needed for a POTS line which could easily be augmented with a DSL session.  Along with power, the locations can easily be re-born to a ‘smartphone’ world.  Maybe we can dub these “smartphone booths”. 

Putting Wi-Fi access points into un-used phone banks makes some sense, particularly with the new Next Generation Hotspot (NGH) and HotSpot2.0 initiatives.  Acompany can use their right-of-way to install and maintain the access points while changing back-end service providers (Boingo, iPass, AT&T, …) to enable their subscriber’s access.

What's the difference this time around?

First, and most importantly, the deployment model has shifted from "large-scale" Wi-Fi installations trying to light up entire cities and communities, to much more focused "hotspot-zones" where Wi-Fi is deployed in areas that make sense from a public and consumer point-of-view.

Second, Wi-Fi is much more accessible and mobile than it was 7-10 years ago. Users increasingly no longer need to carry around laptops to access Wi-Fi hotspots, they have much more convenient access from smartphones and tablets. That should help increase adoption, improve the free Wi-Fi through advertising business model, and help these hotspot zones succeed.

Finally, Wi-Fi technology has dramatically improved with 802.11n, offering better speeds and rate-over-range for customer devices, translating into better service quality and perception.

It's all about the business model folks :) Okay - and some technology too.

Cheers,
Andrew

NearBuy Announces Captive Portal and Analytics for Retail

Analytics are the un-sung driver behind retail Wi-Fi hotspots. As I have previously written in 5 Retail Trends Driving Wi-Fi, retailers want to know who their customers are in order to tailor the in-store shopping experience which helps drive customer satisfaction and ultimately increased sales and profit. Consumers are increasingly using and relying on digital communications while in the store to perform product research, price comparison, and to make purchases. Retailers want the same reporting available from physical stores that they already get from their websites. The ability to tap into this information by offering free Wi-Fi to shoppers and report on usage is one of the main reasons retailers are offering hotspots in increasing numbers since late 2010.

NearBuy Systems is focused on helping retailers build competitive advantage from the smartphone revolution. The company has been around for a few years now, first getting retailer's attention with their unique micro-location solution for indoor location based services which combines Wi-Fi with in-store video cameras to reliably achieve aisle-level accuracy, something traditional Wi-Fi only systems struggle to accomplish.

NearBuy is announcing their captive portal solution this week at the NRF (National Retail Federation) Annual Convention & Expo, a show dedicated to showcasing retail industry solutions. The NearBuy captive portal differentiates itself through a rich analytics and reporting engine tailored for retail, dubbed Luneta.

NearBuy - Analytics for Retail Guest Wi-Fi Networks

The company is betting that retailers will want information on shopper behavior in their stores and are willing to invest in a more robust solution than integrated captive portal capabilities within wireless infrastructure equipment. Whereas integrated captive portals provide basic functionality with a focus on enterprise features such as authentication and network VLAN integration, NearBuy focuses on tailoring the guest user experience for a retail environment through frictionless shopper access (one-time registration across repeat visits) and providing rich analytics for the retailer.

Bryan Wargo, the founder of NearBuy, summarizes this trend:

Guest Wi-Fi is a major trend for retailers today. One of the biggest benefits is the ability to understand what shoppers are doing in their stores. With this tool we give them a way to quantify what and where consumers are shopping online while in the store, and what products they are purchasing.

The captive portal solution includes a standard guest access webpage which presents terms of use and can collect shopper identification through email address input. More interesting is the ability to integrate guest access with common web services providers such as Twitter and Facebook, allowing retailers to leverage consumer adoption of social media platforms as an avenue for subsequent customer interaction and outreach. This capability seems intuitive, and I'm surprised others have not offered it already.

The NearBuy captive portal provides
social media login for guest access

The back-end analytics include standard network-centric information on the number of users, new versus repeat users, volume of traffic, and websites visited. However, the Luneta solution differentiates by providing detailed information on consumer shopping behavior, including mobile device types being used, guest conversion (opt-in versus decline rate), mobile applications being used, search terms queried, top products browsed, and products purchased online from within the store. Data can be viewed across the entire retail chain (all stores), or broken down into region, store, or even department level reports.

NearBuy Luneta analytics include retail focused data on
products browsed and purchased by shoppers while in-store

From a technical standpoint, the solution architecture relies on a captive portal server which can live on a physical or virtual server of it's own. Depending on the WLAN architecture and traffic routing, the server can live in the store for distributed forwarding scenarios or at a data center when performing central traffic forwarding. Alternatively, for customers running a Motorola wireless infrastructure, it can be loaded as an virtual image on their NX 9000 series centralized wireless controller to reduce server footprint and offer an integrated solution for lower TCO.

The NearBuy captive portal can be deployed as a standalone server
or integrated as a virtual image running on a Motorola NX 9000 controller

The solution includes a RESTful API for integration with external systems such as corporate data warehouses or real-time systems for customer marketing and outreach while in-store.

For retailers, guest Wi-Fi requires a combination of excellent user experience with rich analytics, something that most solutions don't provide. NearBuy hopes to fill that gap by providing a solution that tailors to retail needs.

More information on this solution can be found on the NearBuy website. In addition, they will be providing product demonstrations this week at NRF in the Motorola booth.

Cheers,
Andrew

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

Wi-Fi Article Round-Up: 2011/04/29

Here are a collection of Wi-Fi related articles 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.


My Stuff:

• I provided tips for Cisco CCIE Lab Exam Preparation for engineers considering or already studying for Cisco's expert level certifications.
• I ran down some of the more important features included in the Cisco Wireless LAN Controller 7.0.116.0 (J-MR1) code release. John Cox over at Network World was also very kind and linked to my post! Thanks John!
• I compiled Wireless Access Point Feature Matrices for most enterprise wireless network vendors for easier feature comparison.
• I continued my series on deploying an Aerohive wireless network with posts on the HiveManager Configuration Workflow and on completing a HiveAP Initial (Guided) Configuration.
• I started a series on Wi-Fi protocol analysis tips, beginning with the use of Wireshark Packet Colorization for easy visual identification of packets of interest, common frame exchanges, and anomalies in large trace files. I also detailed how to identify the SSID to BSSID Mappings on Cisco wireless equipment for focused analysis.
• I described how to use the Cisco Notification Service and IOS Software Checker tools to stay abreast of the latest information on Cisco products and security advisories.
• I was quoted in the press release for Fluke Networks AirCheck product version 1.2.
• I attended the CWAP version 2 beta course, along with many other Wi-Fi experts. Douglas Haider recapped both days of the class and a spectrum analysis location tip from Keith R. Parsons.

Industry Wi-Fi Articles:

• Secure Wi-Fi Hotspots are continuing to get a lot of attention, as they should. This is a necessary evolution to make Wi-Fi network access ubiquitous and secure for the next generation of mobile applications and services. When the EFF and BBB have come out criticizing the state of the industry, it's time to step up and develop a solution! How much more clear can it be... are the Wi-Fi Alliance and their industry leading members listening? Carrier Hotspots do not go far enough and leave out independent hotspot operators! Is this due solely to backroom financial deals, or are they just out of touch with their own customer's needs?!
• The Electronic Frontier Foundation (EFF) put out a call to action to support an open wireless movement (you can join by sending an email to the address provided).
• The Better Business Bureau cautioned users when using public Wi-Fi networks.
• GottaBeMobile threw out the idea of simplifying hotspot logins with NFC.
  
• Be sure to also read these excellent articles on the subject from the IBM ISS X-Force Team and Chris Byrd at RioSec. Highly recommended!
• Wi-Fi calling is gaining quite a following by current T-Mobile subscribers (and some technically inclined user on other carriers). Personally, I use Wi-Fi calling with Google Voice and Talkatone as an AT&T subscriber and have better voice service and call quality. I can't wait for this service to grow!
• Is Wi-Fi the glue that will hold the AT&T and T-Mobile merger together?
• WirelessWeek analyzed the rise of mobile VoIP and Over-the-Top VoIP providers building services for an increasingly mobile customer base.
• The Independent ran a story about fixing flaky mobile phone issues with Wi-Fi calling and UMA. PC Mag also gave kudos to Kineto, the application provider, proclaiming "Wi-Fi Calling is Awesome!"
• Jay Botelho lays out the Top Five Wireless Trends and how the line between cellular and Wi-Fi is being blurred.
• And interestingly, cellular providers are testing more of a micro-cell architecture similar to Wi-Fi in an attempt to fill in coverage holes and add capacity.
  
• The Enterprise Mobility Forum provided a great interview with the Chairman of AirWatch, a mobile device management solution provider, about the state of enterprise mobility and support for non-traditional devices within organizations. Also, ownership of mobility in the enterprise is a tricky subject.
  
• Mobile payments are coming, as Google, Mastercard, and Citigroup teamed up to develop an NFC payment system. Visa and Samsung are also getting into the NFC game for the 2012 Olympics (pun intended).
  
• Cellular data traffic offload to Wi-Fi continues to march forward in articles by Light Reading and Fierce Broadband Wireless.
  
• Wi-Fi continues to dominate, surpassing 10,000 certified products.

Techie Wi-Fi Articles:

• Marcus Burton, over at CWNP, grounded our expectations of 3-spatial stream access points (and rightly so), and provided an excellent overview of where Wi-Fi overhead comes from.
• Steve Williams highlighted issues with iPhone personal hotspots and co-channel interference. Personal hotspot capable devices are quickly becoming the bane of most network administrators, especially during large events.
• The Eye-Fi card support for Wi-Fi Direct has been released. And Wi-Fi Direct shipments are going to surge this year.
• Aruba released their AirMesh product, completing their acquisition of the Azalea Network product line.
• Cisco released Cisco Prime, their new management solution which includes Network Control System (NCS) for integrated wired and wireless management (way to go Saurabh!), and their Identity Services Engine (ISE) for contextual policy-based network security. ISE integrates with their larger TrustSec initiative.
• Proper wireless design is critical. Remember that Wireless Overkill Can Result in Poor Performance. This is often lost on many engineers. This would be a good opportunity for many to jump into the CWDP study guide!

Other IT Related Articles:

• Managing IT ... people is harder than it looks, and why many organizations get it wrong. 
• Matthew Norwood asks, if everyone has an angle then "Who Do You Trust?" when it comes to vendor or consultant pitches. A good reality check on taking information with a grain of salt and verifying claims.
• The stifling of digital media delivery models by big content producers proves they are still clueless as to what their consumers want, and are even strangling American innovation!
• Don't let your IT career get stuck in a rut, courtesy of Network World. Also, Aaron discusses the Four Stages of Expertise (In Your Mind), which is an interesting take on self-assessment psychology.
• Ethan Banks at PacketAttack stereotypes useless participants involved in incident resolution conference bridges. Absolutely hilarious, and accurate. Great job!
• Check out this interesting TED Talk on Cracking Stuxnet. Are you scared of the changing threat landscape yet?

Comic for the Week:
It's not "off-shoring", it's "best-shoring"...





Cheers (and happy reading),
Andrew