Tag: WIRELESS

If it takes hours to download files on your Wi-Fi network, you might want to try clearing out some of your furniture and turning off your radios. According to a new study from Bristol University in the U.K., wireless connections can be "significantly slowed" by interference from electronic devices, or by physical barriers, like walls, doors, and other household items. The study, led by Prof. ...

Part of being a smart consumer is understanding how technology works, why we use it the way we do, and what that barrage of acronyms and PR jargon means. We're here to help you make sense of it all, and to give you a better appreciation of how those transistors, pixels, and antennae come together to deliver the conveniences of the modern world to you. If you thought our guide to 3G tech was ...

Airlines began offering in-flight Wi-Fi several years ago, but for some reason (exorbitant prices or misleading offers of "free" access, maybe?) people haven't exactly been jumping on board. An enticing new promotional plan from Gogo Inflight Internet could inspire a significant wave enthusiasm, though. Seven major airlines (Virgin America, United Airlines, American Airlines, Delta, AirTran, US ...

At a press conference today, Verizon officially unveiled plans for its new 4G LTE (long term evolution) network. On December 5th, the new, speedier network will go live in 38 metropolitan areas, including New York, Chicago, Seattle and, perhaps in time for CES, Las Vegas. The first two devices to take advantage of the new data network will be a pair of 4G USB modems: the LG VL600 and the Pantech ...

The Internet may be moving us ever closer to a paperless existence, but, according to a newly released study, it's still not that great for trees. As Mac World reports, the study was commissioned five years ago by the Dutch city of Alphen aan den Rijn, after officials noticed that many trees in the area were exhibiting inexplicable abnormalities, including bleeding and fissures in their bark. Such ...

Two years ago, FEMA and the FCC began working toward an emergency alert system for cell phones. Such services already exist in various municipalities and foreign nations, and now the FCC, FEMA and the Department of Homeland Security have finally initiated the implementation of the U.S.'s own national system. The FCC recently commissioned Alcatel-Lucent to create a Commercial Mobile Alert System ...

A reader writes: I've taken to plugging my laptop into my HDTV when watching Hulu, streaming Netflix, or when I'm tired of squinting at my tiny screen. Unfortunately, I've discovered my arms are not long enough to reach the keyboard and touchpad when I'm laying on the couch. I need a wireless keyboard and mouse that will let me not only take charge of the Netflix queue, but also bang out an ...

Solar power continues to gain traction as a viable energy source. Although the expensive technology still seems out of reach for most consumers, Logitech is installing the increasingly popular panels on a mainstream product. The company's new Wireless Solar Keyboard K750 sports a thin, one-third-inch profile, a series of ambient light solar panels (which can reportedly charge even indoors) and ...

For better or worse, Wi-Fi is an increasingly common amenity on flights, both domestic and international. The upside is that you can get work done in transit. The down side is that you're expected to get online and get work done in transit. Many now fly assuming they'll have Internet access at 30,000 feet, but that isn't always the case, and there hasn't been a particularly easy way to check ...

Today, Verizon announced that 38 metropolitan areas (including New York, D.C., Atlanta, and Seattle) will be blanketed with its new high speed 4G LTE network by year's end. Verizon will also be covering 60 airports near metropolitan areas. The service is expected to hit 5 to 12Mbps for downloads, and 2 to 5Mbps for uploads. No word on pricing, but consumers will have to wait for the first half of ...

In a unanimous vote, all five FCC Commissioners have approved rules opening up the so-called whitespace between television channels for use in what the commission has dubbed "super Wi-Fi." The newly available spectrum offers greater range and wall penetration than current Wi-Fi technology, and provides plenty of room for boosting speeds, as well. Rules will require that devices take advantage of ...

Most of the recent headlines regarding the FCC focus on the battle over Net neutrality. Lost among the haranguing over tiered service and packet prioritization, the debate about so-called white space has fallen by the wayside. But, with the fight to preserve an unrestricted Web temporarily on hold, the regulating body is finally moving to approve the unlicensed use of the spaces that exist between ...

A reader asks: Share I recently moved apartments, and was startled to discover that I get little to no cell phone signal in my new pad, which obviously sucks. Calls drop or don't come through, and my phone chews through the battery. To make a call I have to go on my roof or across the street. Short of switching to a new service provider, which I don't want to do, I've read there are gadgets that ...

With everyone else trying to lock you into contracts, instituting data caps and jacking up prices, Clearwire's new Rover mobile broadband service seems like a breath of fresh air. The pay-as-you-go, contract-free 4G WiMAX service starts at $5 a day for access, with weekly and monthly passes available for $20 and $50, respectively. To use Rover, customers need either the Rover Stick USB modem ...

If you terminated your landline phone service recently, count yourself among a growing number of Americans transitioning to a purely mobile existence. According to a new Citi Investment Report from analyst Jason Bazinet, nearly 30-percent of all U.S. households have now disconnected their landlines -- up from 25-percent just one year ago. As Business Insider explains, the "wireless substitution" ...