Author: Wayne Slavin

Microsoft and Intel each have technologies that work with Digital Rights Management (DRM) on home networks. Consumer networking leaders D-Link and Linksys, never ones to get along, have picked sides. At least for now. Via [wi-fiplanet.com]

A new start-up says it has developed antenna technology that can steer signals around obstacles, improving reliability in wireless home networks. Via [news.zdnet.com]

The city of West Hollywood, home of the renowned Sunset Strip, wants to join the growing ranks of municipalities making free wireless broadband available to anyone. Via [news.com.com]

WiMax is the answer to everything, or so it seems: a wireless alternative to DSL and cable modems; a bigger and better technology for hotspots; the saviour of rural broadband; even a 3G killer. Via [networks.silicon.com]

Networking gear maker Linksys is incorporating a new technology that expands the range of its Wi-Fi products up to three times and the speed up to eight times, according to the company. Via [news.com.com]

Samsung and Athena Semiconductors claim they have developed MIMO technology that can dramatically increase the speed and range of existing wireless LAN products. Via [informationweek.networkingpipeline.com]

The work involved in updating wireless access points and clients for 802.11i compliance—not to mention verifying that they are compliant in the first place—is daunting, but actually migrating users to the new security framework can be equally complicated and requires a combination of strategies. Via [eweek.com]

Cingular Wireless has expanded its Wi-Fi offering to seven international airports in the United States, with the addition of the Raleigh-Durham International Airport in North Carolina. Via [wirelessweek.com]

New Jersey-based VoIP provider Vonage announced today that it will soon be offering its subscribers a WiFi telephone that can be used to make calls over the internet at WiFi-enabled homes and public hot-spots. Via [voxilla.com]

Charter Communications Inc. will launch wireless Internet service for its high-speed Internet customers through a new agreement with RemotePipes Inc. of St. Paul, Minn., the companies said Monday. Via [stlouis.bizjournals.com]

With San Francisco's world-famous Lombard Street -- the so-called curviest street in the world -- a block away and Alcatraz resplendent in the glow of a late afternoon sun, it was only natural that one of the nearest available Wi-Fi networks was named "Rice-a-Roni." Via [wired.com]

Consolidation in the WLAN switching arena may mean fewer vendors to choose from, but more ways for users to secure, configure and manage their wireless LANs this year. Via [eweek.com]

When the evangelists for wireless disappear and are replaced by regular ol' folks complaining about their connection quality, you know that wireless has gone mainstream. That hasn't quite happened yet, although Wi-Fi has certainly become very convenient. Witness the thousands of Wi-Fi public hotspots at Starbuck's or McDonald's, which already have killed off cyber cafes....

As reports of the tsunami death toll seem to double daily - the latest count exceeded 120,000 - the demand for communications rises almost as fast as the need for food and water. But where wires have washed away, wireless broadband can bring crucial communications for disaster relief, and a variety of companies are gearing...

It's true, we're all addicted to speed—even if we don't need it. Why else would the speedometer in a Toyota Camry top out at 140 MPH? At CES, we expect that several vendors will jump on the bandwagon and embrace the new wireless networking technology called MIMO. (Multiple Input Multiple Output). Via [pcmag.com]