Wi-Fi Alliance To Brand Public Hotspots

Andreas Ehn writes "802.11 Planet writes: 'The Wi-Fi Alliance is launching a new program starting today to create a global brand for easier recognition of public access hotspots. The Wi-Fi ZONE program will also include setting a minimum standard of quality for hotspots before they can label themselves a Wi-Fi ZONE or display the ZONE logo.' Read the article here! It won't be cheap, however -- you'll be expected to pay $100 for a license to use the trademark for three access points at one location, though it will be free until March 2004. Or you could just stick to warchalking."

Comments

This hotspot was brought to you by...

[swordboy]

I can see it now... There'll be a little popup in the taskbar that says:

Wireless internet services brought to you by Anheuser-Busch - St Louis, MO

HotSpot? Not without encryption

[puzzled]

Our friends at Homeland Security view the uncontrolled internet access available via careless WISPs, careless wireless lan operators, and the like as a *major* problem. The telcos want to protect their monopoly so they're onboard with any efforts to squelch the booming wireless market.

I strongly suspect that we'll see legislation about such services before very long and the only cure for the complaint will be solid layer 3 encryption.

I run a WISP that covers five counties in a fairly large metro area and I'm already working this issue - business customers can get an affordable IPsec client like the Linksys firewall for around $100, Windows users have PPTP, and RouterOS from http://www.mikrotik.com provides a solid platform to terminate both sorts of connections.

If these guys are going to do a Hot Spot standard, which *is* needed on a national basis, it had better include a solid L3 encryption method.

one word: truck stops (ok, its two :-)

[puzzled]

Geeks want them in coffee shops, but the real growth markets for Hot Spot are airports and ... truck stops! Really - I've been invited to consult on a couple of truck stop projects but haven't done anything - I knew it'd be too big for me to have any serious influence.

Don't laugh - just start counting semis next time you're on the interstate - if you get 1% of all truckers using the service at the 100 busiest truck stops, you've got a winner. Market penetration will likely be more like 50% ...

Re:one word: truck stops (ok, its two :-)

[Fjord]

With truck stops, it wouldn't just be personal use. I work on logistics software and the current buzz is WiFi hotspots where a laptop with a GPS will call home when it enters the area. Carriers will pay quite a bit (but not too much) for access to these networks, since most of what they currently do is have the truck driver phone a representative who keys in the data (cellular service/equipment tends to be too expensive or nonreliable).By using these networks they can eliminate the rep (and the keying errors).

I'll help with a FREE site ....

[mustangdavis]

If anyone wanted to make this web site, I'd provide free hosting for it! (provided that it was TOTALLY FREE for everyone to use ... and that it doesn't suck down ubber-bandwidth (more than a T-1's worth)

That is B.S. that you have to pay to use their logo and to essentially get listed on their site ... where is their community spirit??

Roaming (GSM-like)

[dago]

I can see one main advantage of this 'wi-fi zone', but I fear that it will not be implemented is roaming, so that you can just have a contract with your 'main' provider, use other hotspots and be billed on your normal contract. That would be nice.

I also hope that the requirement states that there's not f*cking additionnal software to install. I can also dream of requiring easy access from other OS than windows.

Re:Or...

[filtrs]

You mean like this? Free international listing of public / open wireless internet nodes ...

Re:Forging ahead with out an ounce of caution

[glesga_kiss]

How many times does it have to be said, "WEP IS BROKEN"?

You don't understand the point of WEP. It is an encryption standard to get you onto the wireless network segment. If you are using a shared access point, you must either have no WEP enabled, or everyone uses the same WEP key. How easily it can be broken is completely irrelevant in any discussion about shared access points. It's like being on a normal CAT-5 shared network segment (hub, not a switch). With the WEP key in place, all traffic is available to you. No different to being in a internet cafe, would you trust your packets in that enviroment?

WEP can be used by private firms or home users to lock down access to their own network. It is here that the weakness lies.

The net is an unencrypted and completely insecure network. Just because the last mile is suddenly insecure, it's no reason to suddenly start to panic. If you are concerned, get some good VPN software, or stick to encrypting by protocol. It's the only way to limit access to your communications. Oh, and avoid using the phone as well.

Personally, I'm more concerned that POP/IMAP over SSL is as rare as it is currently, especially given how easy it is to configure. You want something to worry about? Who's holding this back? Where's my tinfoil hat?

Couple of problems (at least):

[uradu]

1. Stupid symbol. It contains no symbology suggesting wirelessness or radio, and it contains English words (and parts thereof). This is supposed to be an international symbol, so it should use graphics only. Just look at simple symbols like those for radioactivity or biohazards, they're extremely simple and to the point. What's wrong with an idealized graphic of an antenna and radio waves, plus some sort of hint that it's digital?

2. If it's supposed to encourage more widespread adoption of WiFi, the fee will be a super-major downer for a lot of providers (especially in parts of the world where $100 still means something). Plus it sends the wrong signal (no pun intended), charging for something that is supposed to spread the gospel.