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Wireless LAN Equipment Shipments Up

MrBounce writes "Worldwide shipments of wireless local-area network equipment increased by 120 percent in 2002 from a year ago. So who are the current market leaders in this field?"

185 comments

  1. So? by mrklin · · Score: 3, Funny

    Worldwide population is also up in 2003 and we don't want to know who the most prolific producer is either.

    1. Re:So? by Anonymous Coward · · Score: 2, Funny

      Worldwide population is also up in 2003 and we don't want to know who the most prolific producer is either.

      Utah

    2. Re:So? by Anonymous Coward · · Score: 0

      Worldwide population is also up in 2003 and we don't want to know who the most prolific producer is either.

      Mostly poor people who still live in the pre-takeoff stage of the Rostow model.

    3. Re:So? by Mononoke · · Score: 2, Funny
      Worldwide population is also up in 2003 and we don't want to know who the most prolific producer is either.
      Why, it's FB-, of course.

      --
      NetInfo connection failed for server 127.0.0.1/local
  2. Wireless by ikkonoishi · · Score: 4, Funny

    I wonder if the IP over avian carrier rfc would be included as a wireless protocol.

    1. Re:Wireless by lildogie · · Score: 1

      > IP over avian carrier

      You mean pidgeons copied the SCO code from AIX to Linux?

    2. Re:Wireless by ikkonoishi · · Score: 4, Funny

      Well... Maybe not pidgeons, Swallows though... What is the bandwidth of an unladen african swallow?

    3. Re:Wireless by Anonymous Coward · · Score: 0

      Yes but only until they come to rest.... (think the Pixar short with the birds).

  3. Good by Anonymous Coward · · Score: 0

    Will be real nice if/when wireless networks become the "standard"..
    Nothing more annoying than untangling 1km of CAT5 every time you have a LAN party :-)

    1. Re:Good by RumpRoast · · Score: 1

      Isn't wireless sort of bad for the first person shooter type games? I was always under the impression that it added some latency... probably not enough for us campers to notice, but enough to make my younger brother swear and complain.

      --

      My Ass hurts.
    2. Re:Good by Archfeld · · Score: 1, Informative

      u r correct, and a wireless hub with lots of folks, say a lan party with 50 people would be a nightmare of crossing and lost signals. I've seen some very funny things with that many people and wireless mice as well.

      Bottom line is 100 mb cat5e or if you are lucky Gigabit. I always borrow a cisco switch from work for the weekend to ensure some true thruput goodness.

      --
      errr....umm...*whooosh* *whoosh* Is this thing on ?
    3. Re:Good by Gherald · · Score: 1

      1000mbps does NOTHING for games (unless you are mounting ISOs over the network). Hell, the vast majority of games will play just as well on 10mbps ethernet.

      What is important for games is latency, and there ethernet beats wireless hands down.

    4. Re:Good by Archfeld · · Score: 1

      I dunno, having our servers gigabit to our T1 improved thru-put substantially, but yeah u r right as far as the average client goes. What I found giga useful for was streaming movies inside my network. Most peoples routers/gateway are dsl/cable and 10 mbps anyways.

      --
      errr....umm...*whooosh* *whoosh* Is this thing on ?
  4. Security? by Jucius+Maximus · · Score: 5, Insightful
    So what percent of them have WEP disabled and SSID-broadcast enabled by default? Can I now wardrive to find 120% more open APs? Ironically, Microsoft branded routers are some of the few that do have WEP enabled out of the box.

    But these shipment numbers made sense. I bought both a wireless router and AirPort card for my iBook this year.

    1. Re:Security? by thegameiam · · Score: 4, Interesting

      it's funny - there are two approaches to Wireless:

      1) try to create wired-equivalent security, with WEP, et. al.
      This usually results in "security" which can be cracked by a persistent teenager in a car in under about 20 minutes.

      2) leave everything "open" and make sure that all security is host/application based. Treat the network as "untrusted"
      Personally, this is where I stand: I think that it works better, and people don't get any unrealistic impressions about the security of their connections.

      So I run a WISP which is built upon the latter model, in Washington DC. If someone wardrives and snoops some internet for an hour, fine! pleas don't attack the network itself, but feel free to surf the web :)

      -David Barak

      --
      Need Geek Rock? Try The Franchise!
    2. Re:Security? by mhore · · Score: 3, Interesting
      So what percent of them have WEP disabled and SSID-broadcast enabled by default? Can I now wardrive to find 120% more open APs? Ironically, Microsoft branded routers are some of the few that do have WEP enabled out of the box.

      This is something I've been wondering ... I just don't know the answer. At home, I enabled WEP and disabled SSID-broadcast. I don't have much faith in WEP, but it's better than nothing, right? Anyway, with SSID-broadcast off, is my WLAN essentially invisible? Or could somebody "see" the packets still, and know something was there?

      Mike.

      --

      Mmmm......sacrelicious.

    3. Re:Security? by Anonymous Coward · · Score: 0

      Anyone know if the MS gear is linux compatible, especially the PCMCIA cards? Their gear is $100+ cheaper than most of the other stuff on the market. MS must be subsidising this to break into the market.

    4. Re:Security? by GreyPoopon · · Score: 1
      So I run a WISP which is built upon the latter model, in Washington DC.

      Have you considered doing both? Then, any teenager who is persistent enough to crack the security should feel free to surf the web.

      --

      GreyPoopon
      --
      Why is it I can write insightful comments but can't come up with a clever signature?

    5. Re:Security? by pantherace · · Score: 5, Informative

      Disabling SSID essentially only means that 100% listeners can't see it if someone isn't using it. However if someone is, then they can. SSID and WEP really have some big security holes. IPsec is very good compared to it. For SSID, if someone sees you (re)connect once it's lost, and can lead to breaking wep quite easily.

    6. Re:Security? by thegameiam · · Score: 1

      I'm not sure that I understand: are you saying that I should both run WEP etc and not run WEP?

      While I love the Godelian implications, I have not reached the state of enlightenment such that I can accept A and not-A together.

      -David Barak

      --
      Need Geek Rock? Try The Franchise!
    7. Re:Security? by Anonymous Coward · · Score: 1, Insightful
      This usually results in "security" which can be cracked by a persistent teenager in a car in under about 20 minutes.

      The rumor about bad WEP security keeps saying it's weaker. I've read the research papers and others about WEP and your statement isn't even close to true.

      I've also done my own war driving and I've had yet to see more than a couple weak keys. You need a good number on one network to break WEP.

      I wish this rumor would stop, WEP pretty good for low traffic networks. You just need to change your key every once and a while to make the odds of enough weak keys so close to zero it doesn't matter.

    8. Re:Security? by Anonymous Coward · · Score: 0

      that has nothing to do with godel fucknut. he's saying, secure your network and your hosts, surely your thick skull can grasp that most simple of concepts.

    9. Re:Security? by thegameiam · · Score: 3, Insightful

      But why? the added overhead and trouble involved in WEP and no-broadcast SSID would make a casual user think that it's "safe" and therefore would be more likely to transmit private data over the network than having it wide-open will.

      When a user signs on, all they have to do is install a card, and they're up. They understand that snoopers are out there, and that they will try to swipe their data.

      Do you really think that WEP would add anything at all? c'mon, really?

      Regarding Godel, he was a mathmatician who showed how any formal system must be either incomplete or inconsistent. Thus the A and Not-A comment. My assertion is that you can either secure the wireless portion or not. "securing" the wireless portion makes users think that they're getting something, which is not the case.

      -David Barak

      --
      Need Geek Rock? Try The Franchise!
    10. Re:Security? by thegameiam · · Score: 1

      but even good WEP only matters if you have something to protect: I'm running a public-access internet WISP for a condo building, where users don't have to pay (it's in their condo fees). What exactly am I protecting if I turn on WEP and make it harder for users to get onto the network? Changing keys regularly becomes a huge headache...
      -David Barak

      --
      Need Geek Rock? Try The Franchise!
    11. Re:Security? by GreyPoopon · · Score: 1
      I'm not sure that I understand: are you saying that I should both run WEP etc and not run WEP?

      You cited two methods for making wireless computing secure. The first was WEP, which most of us don't trust (and rightfully so). The second was at the application level. I was merely suggesting the possibility of employing both WEP and application-level security. WEP keeps the casual war-drivers from eating up your internet bandwidth, while application-level security puts a much larger stumbling block in front of the more persistent crowd.

      While I love the Godelian implications, I have not reached the state of enlightenment such that I can accept A and not-A together.

      Perhaps a controlled substance might help with this? :-) (Just a joke -- I don't want to be seen as advocating illegal use of controlled substances).

      --

      GreyPoopon
      --
      Why is it I can write insightful comments but can't come up with a clever signature?

    12. Re:Security? by GreyPoopon · · Score: 1
      But why? the added overhead and trouble involved in WEP and no-broadcast SSID would make a casual user think that it's "safe" and therefore would be more likely to transmit private data over the network than having it wide-open will.

      Interesting point, but I disagree. I think the casual user will transmit private data over the network without thinking, regardless of security measures. Although, there's probably a smaller subset of the John Q. Public that would be intelligent enough to realize that they should be careful about what they send.

      When a user signs on, all they have to do is install a card, and they're up.

      I agree that it's certainly easier if the user doesn't have to mess around with their WLAN settings.

      Do you really think that WEP would add anything at all? c'mon, really?

      Absolutely. It's kind of like a home security system. You can certainly defeat one if you try, but there are plenty of other houses with no security systems (and no large dogs) that would be much easier targets. Plus, bypassing WEP security will probably make snoopers who are just interested in browsing the web move on to other targets rather than camping out and eating up your bandwidth.

      --

      GreyPoopon
      --
      Why is it I can write insightful comments but can't come up with a clever signature?

    13. Re:Security? by Anonymous Coward · · Score: 0

      its not ANY formal system, just those strong enough to describe elementary number theory. there are plenty of formal systems (many trivial) that can by shown internally consistent.

  5. Re:slashdotted by ikkonoishi · · Score: 1

    Really and did the cheap whore increase their market value?

  6. Rhyming headlines by donutz · · Score: 3, Funny

    Equipment Shipments?

    What other rhyming headlines can we expect?

    Stouter Routers available soon
    Software Can Plan your WLAN
    Take a look at this notebook?

    Name your suggestions!

    1. Re:Rhyming headlines by dr_dank · · Score: 2, Funny

      Hey, don't mocko taco.

      --
      Where does the school board find them and why do they keep sending them to ME?
    2. Re:Rhyming headlines by azaroth42 · · Score: 1
      That would be, I suppose, instead of:

      Taco fed to Mako for a lark, oh!

      --Azaroth
    3. Re:Rhyming headlines by macshune · · Score: 1

      SCO is a ho

    4. Re:Rhyming headlines by kin_korn_karn · · Score: 1

      The Torvalds Interview:

      His Royal Highness Linus Overcomes His Shyness

    5. Re:Rhyming headlines by nelsonal · · Score: 1

      No more rhymes and I mean it!

      --
      Degaussing scares the bad magnetism out of the monitor and fills it with good karma.
    6. Re:Rhyming headlines by Anonymous Coward · · Score: 0

      Anybody want a peanut?

    7. Re:Rhyming headlines by NanoGator · · Score: 1
      "Equipment Shipments?

      What other rhyming headlines can we expect?

      Stouter Routers available soon
      Software Can Plan your WLAN
      Take a look at this notebook?
      Name your suggestions! "


      Mozilla Blows-illa!

      The troll community must have fair representation too.
      --
      "Derp de derp."
    8. Re:Rhyming headlines by Bombcar · · Score: 2, Funny

      Anybody want a peanut?

    9. Re:Rhyming headlines by algernon7 · · Score: 1
      How about

      'New Tech Tool, so geeky-cool
      Somebody must-ah make a beowulf Clust-ah'

      ?

      With apologies, of course, to... anyone who reads this.

    10. Re:Rhyming headlines by prisoner · · Score: 1

      SCO is IBM's hoe

    11. Re:Rhyming headlines by Anonvmous+Coward · · Score: 1

      "Mozilla Blows-illa!"

      Ha! Watch it or you'll be modded down by a warrior evangelist!

  7. man, you guys don't even try anymore by Anonymous Coward · · Score: 0, Offtopic

    In March, Cisco announced an agreement to buy Linksys a cheap whore, which will significantly boost Cisco's position in the market this year, both on a revenue and shipment basis, Gartner said.

    Dumbass mods will fall for anything.

  8. Re:slashdotted by retto · · Score: 2, Funny

    Cisco announced an agreement to buy Linksys a cheap whore

    Why can't my company make agreements like that! We just get boring ol' stock and cash deals.

  9. "It's just gaming, really" by mgcsinc · · Score: 1

    I wonder just how much the proliferation of this technology, and that of the broadband Internet which makes it usefull for the household market, has been catalysed by free music's presence...

  10. Re:slashdotted by Anonymous Coward · · Score: 0

    "In March, Cisco announced an agreement to buy Linksys a cheap whore"

    Mods, this one was short. You have NO excuse this time. STOP MODDING CUT-N-PASTES UP!

  11. Details here .. by vivek7006 · · Score: 4, Funny

    "Worldwide shipments of wireless local-area network equipment increased by 120 percent in 2002 from a year ago."

    RIAA has attributed this increase to an increasing sharing of music by *thieves* on the internet. SCO is claiming that the increase in the sale of wireless LAN equipment is primarily due to linux. Ans since linux has SCO's IP, SCO is planning to sue all the manufactures of wireless LAN.

  12. Innovators pay the price of leadership by BWJones · · Score: 5, Interesting

    Boy, given that Apple was shipping wireless on their computers back in 1999, it is interesting to see that they don't seem to be represented here. It could be due to a small market share I suppose, but Apple has paid the price for leadership again and again by innovating and then everyone else jumping on board.

    --
    Visit Jonesblog and say hello.
    1. Re:Innovators pay the price of leadership by gfody · · Score: 1

      It could be due to a small market share I suppose

      ya think?

      --

      bite my glorious golden ass.
    2. Re:Innovators pay the price of leadership by Anonymous Coward · · Score: 1

      And given that wireless capabilities were avialable to PC users LONG BEFORE mac shipped with it built in what was your point? Oh right, as usual jobs clones have none, they just like to hear themselves talk.

    3. Re:Innovators pay the price of leadership by jafiwam · · Score: 2, Interesting

      Don't you mean "Apple purchasers have paid twice the price for leadership again and again"

      I sure wish I could modify my settings to never again see Apple-weenies prostelizing about their choice in computers. They, as a collective group irritate the piss out of me.

      Come to market at the wrong time, and it's still the wrong time. Even if it is ahead of everybody else.

    4. Re:Innovators pay the price of leadership by Anonymous Coward · · Score: 0

      given that Apple was shipping wireless on their computers back in 1999, it is interesting to see that they don't seem to be represented here.

      Maybe if they built hardware for the other 97% of computer users they would have a larger market share. 100% of 3% is still 3%.

    5. Re:Innovators pay the price of leadership by Anonymous Coward · · Score: 0

      No no no, you all have it wrong. Apple kit costs more and that is the reason for the small market share. I know, I have some of it. My latest wireless ap is (after rebates and coupons and sales) $30 and that includes a 4 port wired switch and decent firewall. The current Airport by Apple is many multiples of that. Even the Linksys kit is cheaper by more than half. If only I didn't need to move AppleTalk I could upgrade my entire network, but alas, alack, ah shit.

    6. Re:Innovators pay the price of leadership by FearUncertaintyDoubt · · Score: 1
      I paid $30 for a WLAN router and $20 for a wireless card a few weeks ago. Apple's Airport goes for $199 and the cards are $80-$100. Now, yes, the latest Airport goes to 802.11g, but, since you can't seem to get an 802.11b Airport anymore (at least directly from apple), so you're paying $199 whether you need 802.11g or not.

      Apple has paid the price for making their users pay their prices.

    7. Re:Innovators pay the price of leadership by djupedal · · Score: 1

      Given the lack of feature comparison between your $30 WLAN router $20 wireless card, and Apple goods, you'll allow me to further the logic (?) and consider the amount of labor involved.

      What you may or may not save in hardware, can easily be washed away in time. Finding an approriate set of drivers, etc. It all adds up, and as usual, easily overlooked. Not much benefit when those costs are factored in.

      Airport time to setup? Since the software is in the OS...insert card...cable to VDSL box..switch on...select network type...done.

    8. Re:Innovators pay the price of leadership by FearUncertaintyDoubt · · Score: 1
      Considering that there are no drivers needed for a router, and the SMC card came with drivers that installed fine on my laptop, your argument makes a nice bit of FUD, but doesn't work that way in real life. Nice try, though.

      As far as I can tell from the Apple site, there are no feature differences between my equipment and Apple's, except that my router will also run a LAN over ethernet as well as a WLAN.

    9. Re:Innovators pay the price of leadership by Anonymous Coward · · Score: 0

      Apples wireless products are also a lot better, I resently got a netgear wireless router for my home, but in a larger area I would definitly use Apples airport system because of the advanced features it offers. Does your new wireless router let you attach a USB printer?

      Compared to other 802.11g APs/Routers, the airport system is about the same price or mabey a little but more, but it also has more features and control then its competition.

      I also got a airport card for my iBook, sure it was $79 when I could have got a PC Card for $39, but it is nice having the anttena intergrated into the screen so I dont need to take out the card to put the laptop in the case.

      It does cost a little more, but it is better!

  13. Re:And we care because? by ikkonoishi · · Score: 1

    Not exactly the headline of the century, but it is good to know I guess.

  14. Are you suprised? by Sargeant+Slaughter · · Score: 1

    Running cat-5 sucks...

    --
    I hear and I forget. I see and I remember. I do and I understand. -Confucius
  15. In other news..... by acidrain69 · · Score: 2, Insightful

    Production of 2003 Volkswagon Beetles is up infinity% from last year! Incredible!

    Wireless is new. Since it didn't flop, of course they are going to manufacture more. Who cares if there was twice as much manufactured as last year? WHY IS THIS NEWSWORTHY??

    --
    -- Having a Creationist Museum is like having an Atheist place of worship
    1. Re:In other news..... by GreyPoopon · · Score: 4, Insightful
      WHY IS THIS NEWSWORTHY??

      Because in an economy where technology has been struggling until recently, it's nice to see increased demand and spending for something, even if it was widely expected. Plus, seeing Linksys rise to the top was a bit interesting, as well as the blurb on Cisco buying Linksys. Also, I appreciated the list of other "top" vendors, as it gives me some to compare in the coming months. And finally, everybody was complaining about the hourly SCO updates. /. editors had to put something else in. :-)

      --

      GreyPoopon
      --
      Why is it I can write insightful comments but can't come up with a clever signature?

    2. Re:In other news..... by mrmaster · · Score: 1

      Maybe wireless is really cool. I like being able to go to a park and still check what the weather is going to be like. I like sharing my broadband connection with the neighbors. The more wifi becomes mainstream. The more money will be spent on improving the technology. I don't like cables.

    3. Re:In other news..... by The_K4 · · Score: 1

      If your at the park, and need WLAN to check the weather, you have problems. With MOST ISPs sharing your connection with the neighbors violates the TOS.

    4. Re:In other news..... by Anonymous Coward · · Score: 0

      Gnutella violates my ISP's TOS as well. So what? Everyone does it.

  16. have a look at Nortel by SubtleNuance · · Score: 5, Informative

    Nortel has some really good product: here, their VOIP handsets/desktop phones and software-based-voip-phones are *very* cool... coupled with a 802.11x AP, it is VERY COOL. Ipaq + 802.11x CF Nic + Nortel Software == wirless phone in your office.

    1. Re:have a look at Nortel by maxume · · Score: 1

      $25 will do the same thing. And probably be somewhat more convenient to use. Or maybe I just don't see the advantages of what you are doing?

      --
      Nerd rage is the funniest rage.
    2. Re:have a look at Nortel by Ungrounded+Lightning · · Score: 2, Informative

      $25 will do the same thing.

      Nope.

      That device wireless links you to a POTS line.

      The Nortel (and related) boxes wireless link you to VoIP on an internet portal.

      Use the 802.11x handset anywhere you've got an access point that lets you hit the net.

      Plug the IP desk set in ditto with your wired LAN. Move offices by unplugging it and carrying it, rather than having the $400/hr consultant come reconfigure the PBX. Heck: Move to the branch office on the other coast, or take an "office phone" home and plug it into the hub on your DSL modem.

      Think "free long-distance" and "cellphone" and "no air-time", vs. "wireless extension phone" with an invisible cord to your phone jack.

      --
      Bantam Dominique roosters crow a four-note song. Once you've heard it as "Happy BIRTHday" you can't NOT hear it that way
  17. It's HERE! by nightsweat · · Score: 0, Offtopic
    OMG, the tech recovery is here! It's here! I want more money! I want more vacation! I want perks!!!

    --

    the major advances in civilization are processes which all but wreck the societies in which they occur - A.N. White
    1. Re:It's HERE! by nightsweat · · Score: 1

      Of course I could be jumping the gun...

      --

      the major advances in civilization are processes which all but wreck the societies in which they occur - A.N. White
    2. Re:It's HERE! by Anonymous Coward · · Score: 0

      In addition to spamming /. ?

    3. Re:It's HERE! by Anonymous Coward · · Score: 0

      Sadly, spamming /. doesn't pay very well...

  18. In related news.... by bflong · · Score: 5, Funny

    In related news, Pringles shipments were up by %110.

    --
    Why is it so hot? Where am I going? What am I doing in this handbasket?
    1. Re:In related news.... by Nom+du+Keyboard · · Score: 2, Insightful
      In related news, Pringles shipments were up by %110.

      Whomever unfairly moderated this Offtopic clearly doesn't understand wireless, yagi antennas, and/or humor.

      Of course, the original poster doesn't understand postfix notation either.

      --
      "It's the height of ridiculousness to say for those 9 lines you get hundreds of millions."
    2. Re:In related news.... by JUSTONEMORELATTE · · Score: 1

      In related news, Pringles shipments were up by %110.
      They might have some catching-up to do first.

      --

  19. Meanwhile... by macshune · · Score: 3, Funny

    Scientists are still trying to figure out how businesses can make money from selling access wi-fi networks.

    1. Re:Meanwhile... by Anonymous Coward · · Score: 0

      Thats easy. They don't tell people they are wiffy,

  20. The Future of Wireless by eniacx · · Score: 3, Interesting

    If you don't know what a Mesh Network is, you should read up on it. There are some very cool applications.

    You can fly in a helicopter at 300 mph+ and sustain an Internet Connection.
    City governments are also using this technology to deploy cameras around their cities.

    Any kind of technology is always scary when government gets ahold of it. However, I still have some questions about it's security though.

    http://www.meshnetworks.com

    1. Re:The Future of Wireless by Enraged_jawa · · Score: 1

      "You can fly in a helicopter at 300 mph+ and sustain an Internet Connection."

      Ummm, no you can not.

      The maximum forward speed of a helicopter is limited to about 250 mph (402 km/h).

      http://www.aerospaceweb.org/design/helicopter/velo city.shtml

    2. Re:The Future of Wireless by eniacx · · Score: 1

      The maximum forward speed of a helicopter is limited to about 250 mph (402 km/h).

      I stand corrected.
      You can fly an airplane at 300 mph+ and sustain an Internet Connection.
      :)

  21. And This Is Important Because... by Nom+du+Keyboard · · Score: 3, Funny
    And this is important to get posted to Slashdot because...?

    a) It's a nice break from SCO stupidity and bashing
    b) It's a nice break from Microsoft stupidity and bashing
    c) There was still a site in the world that hadn't been Slashdotted yet
    d) None of the above
    e) All of the above

    --
    "It's the height of ridiculousness to say for those 9 lines you get hundreds of millions."
    1. Re:And This Is Important Because... by Gherald · · Score: 1

      You forgot one:

      f) All of the above except 'd'

    2. Re:And This Is Important Because... by mhesseltine · · Score: 1

      One more:

      g) CowboyNeal is my wireless access point

      --
      Overrated / Underrated : Moderation :: Anonymous Coward : Posting
    3. Re:And This Is Important Because... by Anonymous Coward · · Score: 0

      You forgot:

      f) ???
      g) profit!!!

      aaaand...

      h) it doesn't involve Beowulf
      i) all your x are belong to us
      j) Dirk from Wisconsin making a net-enabled beer freezer out of a packet of fags and an old Sun workstation.

      I think it's proper news - i.e. boring and pointless - WE'RE NOT WORTHY!!! WE'RE NOT WORTHY!!!

    4. Re:And This Is Important Because... by RatBastard · · Score: 1

      f) Something to do with CowboyNiel

      --
      Boobies never hurt anyone. - Sherry Glaser.
    5. Re:And This Is Important Because... by Anonymous Coward · · Score: 1, Funny

      Who is that? -newbie

  22. Interference by Anonymous Coward · · Score: 3, Insightful

    A fellow grad student and I got talking about this at our university's wireless lab ...

    Most current wireless scheme assume sparse usage concentrations. As more and more people start using these devices, interference will increase markedly and reduce performance for all. Just think what would happen if every single person in your appartment or neighbourhood had a wireless network setup? We would see a 15-50% degradation in wireless bandwidth!

    Not to mention other devices operating in the 2.4Ghz unregulated spectrum like microwave ovens and those damn cordless phones!

    1. Re:Interference by SkewlD00d · · Score: 1

      Motion trackers and stuff all seem to operate in the pillaged 2.4GHz zone. Cell fones, and coreless really muck things up... and the EM dynamics of us salty bags of mostly water tend to block 2.4 like a cut-out of tin foil. How good can a dense network mesh of 2.4 be w/ all this other crap? Not to mention that all this packet relaying will give u a ridiculous ping and network congestion.

      --
      The biggest trick the devil pulled was letting lawyers become politicians so they can write the laws.
  23. Cost vs. Quality by melete · · Score: 1

    It's a sad state of affairs that Linksys is at the top of the heap...there are plenty of companies that make better products.

    I wish consumers would focus more of quality rather than cost...after all, if they did, we wouldn't have to deal with Wal-Mart anymore!

    1. Re:Cost vs. Quality by Nom+du+Keyboard · · Score: 3, Insightful
      Linksys is at the top of the heap...there are plenty of companies that make better products

      My Linksys 802.11b router does everything I need it to do, cheaply and reliably. What more can one ask for in a non-cricical home system?

      focus more of quality rather than cost...after all, if they did, we wouldn't have to deal with Wal-Mart

      Since Wal-Mart doesn't manufacture what it sells, uses their buying power to get lower prices on the same items, and doesn't force you to shop there, I don't understand your rant.

      This message sent out through a Linksys router.

      --
      "It's the height of ridiculousness to say for those 9 lines you get hundreds of millions."
    2. Re:Cost vs. Quality by GreyPoopon · · Score: 2, Interesting
      I wish consumers would focus more of quality rather than cost...after all, if they did, we wouldn't have to deal with Wal-Mart anymore!

      Educated consumers do, provided that there isn't a huge difference in cost. If I can pick up Linksys for $99 or pay $299 for a "better" product, I'm going to lean toward the cheaper option. Although, it depends on what I'm looking for.

      BTW, since you're concerned about choosing the quality WLAN, do you know of a good comparative review of wireless products? I may be in the market for some more wireless stuff myself.

      --

      GreyPoopon
      --
      Why is it I can write insightful comments but can't come up with a clever signature?

    3. Re:Cost vs. Quality by nadadogg · · Score: 1

      I personally(and professionally) don't have a single problem with Linksys products. I have used them religiously at home(cable router+switch, NIC), and at work (router for t1), and havent ever had a problem. When I used to work as a tech, we sold Linksys wireless routers/NICs, and the set up was quick, easy, and reliable. The stuff is cheap, and stable in my experience.
      So, unless you happen to have had a bad experience with Linksys as a child(clowns anyone?), there isnt much to legitimately gripe about.
      Sorry for the rant, I just love my damn router, better than the AOpen stuff that my old job used to stock as well.

      --
      i use linux and windows oh god how can i have an opinion
    4. Re:Cost vs. Quality by oneishy · · Score: 1

      I may be nieve, but i thought linksys had quailty products. What problems have people had that lend towards melete's statement?

    5. Re:Cost vs. Quality by Anonymous Coward · · Score: 0

      I set up my home network in 1998 with a Linux server and ADSL connection. At that time, Linksys was one of the few/er NICs that supported Linux.

      So I support Linksys! And I have -zero- gripes about the product.

    6. Re:Cost vs. Quality by Anonymous Coward · · Score: 0

      Because Linksys are cheap toys for home usage. For the same reason that USPS are not carrying heavy parcels across the country in Honda Civics. And that you wouldn't trust the supervision of your kids near a pool by a teen who learned CPR from watching Bay Watch.

    7. Re:Cost vs. Quality by _avs_007 · · Score: 1

      Linksys's 802.11g gear is a piece of crap. Its range sucks, and the signal booster is useless. I replaced it with a Netgear WGR614, based on the Intersil Prism GT chipset, and get MUCH MUCH better range and such. A coworker got a Dlink variety, also based on the same chipset, and works equally as well. (Everything was verified with Netstumbler, NetIQ, and various other tests. I tested in both a home and corp environment, with many different brands of APs and client cards)

      Linksys's B only AP were pretty good tho. Overall I found the best AP was the Netgear WAB102, because it's second genaration 802.11a Atheros Chipset was awesome. It actually got better range than 802.11b, and much much much better than the first generation 802.11a chipsets. Tomshardware got the same conclusion. Toms hardware says the Netgear AP is the only dualband A/B AP that uses 2nd generation 802.11a.
      The signal strength was not as great as B, but its throughput was still better at range. For example, with 802.11g even tho I got higher signal strength in my master bedroom, the signal dropoff from the computer room, still resulted in lowered throughput. My 802.11a did not suffer any drop in throughput in non-turbo mode, despite having a "weaker" signal than the B did. At work, both B and A covered the whole floor. But at the opposite end of the building, I was still able to get 14mbit/sec in turbo mode, and 4mbit/sec in non-turbo mode. With B, I was only getting 1mbit/sec at the same location. (These are throughput values)

      Anyways, I think his rant was that linksys outsources everything, and isn't consistent. They change chipsets every other day.

      For example:

      WUSB11 v2.5 uses a Prism 2.5 chipset
      WUSB11 v2.6 uses Atmel garbage.

      (You would think newer==better, but in this case, newer == worse)

      Linksys 802.11b cards used Intersil Prism, Prism2, Prism2.5, and Prism3 chipsets, depending on which version you buy.

      Their 802.11A/B dualband card used Atheros.
      Their 802.11B/G uses Broadcom
      Their 802.11A+G trimode uses Atheros.

      I heard Linksys TriMode AP uses Atheros for 802.11A, but Broadcom for 802.11B/G, even though the atheros chipset supports B/G as well. Though I won't give them too much heat about it, because my beloved Netgear WAB102, uses Atmel for B, despite the Atheros in it also supports B.

      But they aren't the only guilty party. I heard (unverified), that DLink did the samething. I think the original DWL-620 used an intersil prism2 chipset, but the current one uses Atmel.

      And to top it off, the better 802.11g solution offered by Netgear and DLink are both cheaper than Linksys's 802.11g solution. And my DualBand Netgear A/B AP, that is superior to Linksys Dualband A/B AP (which uses 1st generation A), is also cheaper than Linksys's solution.

      I also heard that Netgear's upcoming TriMode AP will also still be cheaper than Linksys's TriMode AP. And further, the Netgear TriMode AP, uses Atheros for all three protocols, wheras Linksys uses Atheros for A only, and Broadcom for B/G.

    8. Re:Cost vs. Quality by Yue · · Score: 1
      It's a sad state of affairs that Linksys is at the top of the heap...there are plenty of companies that make better products.

      Yeah? Like what?

      Since I'm not on a budget I tested all the wireless gadgets I could get my hands on. Linksys equipment was by far the best and the most stable.

    9. Re:Cost vs. Quality by melete · · Score: 1

      Without question 3com's products are better than Linksys, at least as far as access points go. I've had a lot more success with Compaq's APs as well, though not to the same level as with our 3com APs

  24. Scary... by clausiam · · Score: 5, Funny

    I just finished placing my online order for various Linksys Wireless equipment, then surf over to /. and the top story is "Wireless LAN Equipment Shipments Up...top vendor is Linksys". Man, those internet tracking and market analysis systems are getting too advanced now... :-)

    1. Re:Scary... by thegameiam · · Score: 2, Interesting

      It's funny - I built my WISP out of Linksys Wireless-G products largely because of cost, and I've been fairly satisfied. HOWEVER: there are two fundamental features missing:

      1) nothing acts like a repeater (grrrr)

      2) I want an AP/Bridge combo, where it can do both at the same time! (I guess that's really a lot like the first request, but dammit, it's needed!)

      Of course, just after I purchased everything, they came out with a WET54...

      -David Barak

      --
      Need Geek Rock? Try The Franchise!
    2. Re:Scary... by Anonymous Coward · · Score: 0

      I am so sick and tired of reading about the new wireless standard-of-the-month. CAT 5 is the way to go untill they come up with a more permanent 'standard.'

    3. Re:Scary... by mosch · · Score: 1

      If you want an AP/Bridge combo, I recommend the Apple Airport Extreme base stations. They work like a charm, and the more expensive model has the handy feature of offering PPP dial-in.

  25. RFC 1149 by intermodal · · Score: 1

    I don't believe this quite qualifies as no vendors produce hardware for this specific purpose.

    --
    In SOVIET RUSSIA... erm...NSA AMERICA, the Internet logs onto YOU!
  26. "like a cheap" by Anonymous Coward · · Score: 0

    they left out the words "like a"

  27. In other news... by Anonymous Coward · · Score: 1, Insightful

    In other news:

    - shipment of carburetors is down
    - shipment of 2400 baud modems is down
    - shipment of black and white televisions is down

    Duh!

    It is technology. It moves *forward*.

    1. Re:In other news... by Realistic_Dragon · · Score: 2, Funny

      It is technology. It moves *forward*.

      The hell it does - just look at Windows ME.

      --
      Beep beep.
  28. Re:slashdotted by Mysticalfruit · · Score: 3, Funny

    Would you really want a cheap whore? It's kinda like buying a high milage cheap car... there's no telling what you'll find under the seat... nevermind the gas tank or the tailpipe!

    --
    Yes Francis, the world has gone crazy.
  29. long distance wireless - much greater than 300 ft by leoaugust · · Score: 5, Informative

    This is probably a good time to create a current review of the long distance (>> 300 ft) Wireless solutions that are available in the market.

    Richochet is one http://www.ricochet.com/

    and another is Vivato http://www.vivato.net/

    What are the other ones in the market?

    --
    To see a world in a grain of sand, and then to step back and see the beach where the sand lies ...
  30. The real question... by matt-fu · · Score: 1
    So who are the current market leaders in this field?

    ..so which of these market leaders does the poster work for?

    1. Re:The real question... by Anonymous Coward · · Score: 0

      Dude, credit your sig to Dave Pirner please.

  31. Running Cat-5 doesn't have to suck... by Dareth · · Score: 0, Offtopic

    ... but tell that to my cat, because I stole her "cat toy", a flexible pole with a string and a mouse attached to run my wires thru the wall... worked great too!!

    --

    I only look human.
    My mother is a halfling and my dad is an ogre, so that makes me an Ogreling
    1. Re:Running Cat-5 doesn't have to suck... by Anonymous Coward · · Score: 0

      Lemme get this right. You had your cat running through the walls? Creepy.

  32. Not too hard to believe ... by SuperDuG · · Score: 4, Insightful
    I know a two years ago that wireless was "too slow" and had "too many bottlenecks" and was "too insecure".

    Well in the last few years two out of the three major issues with wireless have been fixed. Plus now there's more widespread applications for wireless technology is amazing. Cause everything to communicate without drilling holes and running wires and it's all portable.

    Wireless (especially 802.11b) is in major universities, businesses, and homes all across america. It's "the new craze" get broadband and a wireless router along with a laptop and surf the net while outside, in your room, or wherever.

    For what people need networking for wireless usually is it 9 times out of 10 and it is far more acceptable and eye appealing than drilling holes and running wire everywhere. Plus it's cool to have a laptop with no wires surfin the net, still has a cool "wow" factor.

    --
    Ignore the "p2p is theft" trolls, they're just uninformed
    1. Re:Not too hard to believe ... by RevMike · · Score: 1
      Well in the last few years two out of the three major issues with wireless have been fixed. Plus now there's more widespread applications for wireless technology is amazing. Cause everything to communicate without drilling holes and running wires and it's all portable.

      There is an additional factor - the continuing growth of laptops and palm-top devices. In the last several years laptops have become legitimate desktop/workstation substitutes for the vast majority of users. Sure, gamers, graphics artists, and a few others have continued to need the leading edge speed of a desktop, but most people are very well served by a modern laptop.

      I run Oracle 8i, BEA WebLogics 7.0 (Web/J2EE sever), and the standard productivity apps (Office, Email, browser) very well on an IBM ThinkPad T22. A few years ago I wouldn't even think of running server software on a laptop. Laptops were underpowered machines where you copied only what you needed for a trip.

      Powerful laptops have unchained people from their desks. Once mobile, however, people feel like they need the connectivity they had at their desk, hence WiFi.

      A few days ago, I needed to do a 3 hour training course to fulfill legal requirements for work. the training was provided through an intranet site. The Northeast USA had had a very cold and rainy spring, and this was the first nice sunny day in a month. I sat in the sun with my laptop, and thanks to the magic of WiFi, broadband, and VPN, I did the coursework.

      Linksys 802.11b WiFi broadband router slightly used from half.com - $40.00

      Orinoco 802.11a/b silver pcmcia card - $40.00

      Doing mindless work in the sunshine instead of a windowless office - priceless

  33. Booming by peripatetic_bum · · Score: 2, Interesting

    Let's just that wireless requires Big Company infrastructure. Make the Wireless big enough and perhaps it will be decentralized. Make it encrypted and everyone can/will use it.
    Make it so that no one wireless is the chokepoint and you will have redundancy that backbones can only dream about. And All this for FREE!

    --

    Sigs are dangerous coy things

    1. Re:Booming by RevMike · · Score: 1
      I like the idea, but there are a few issues...
      1. Routing is difficult (not impossible) in a totally decentralized infrastructure
      2. Sparsely populated areas have no coverage, thus densely populated areas become islands, or the few links in a moderately populated area between two dense areas become swamped with "backbone" traffic
      3. Quality of service is difficult to maintain - imagine being the Joe Shmoe living a few block between the rest of the world and the Victoria's Secret website - you're the bottleneck for half the world's traffic
      4. Who runs name-servers and the like

      While a completely decentralized network may not be feasable on the grand scale, WiFi can still be a practical and worthwhile part of achieving "Universal Service" in urban and suburban areas.

      I would envision a device like this:

      1. Start with a WiFi BroadBand Router plugged into your Cable/DSL/T3 - whatever.
      2. Add a second firewall to the LAN side - effectively creating a neutral zone for Wifi inside the internet firewall and outside the LAN firewall.
      3. Create a VPN capability to allow authenticated systems access to the LAN.
      4. Add some Quality of Service features to allow the owner of the hotspot the ability to throttle the bandwidth utilized by the public users of the hotspot
      5. Put the whole kit and kaboodle in a little box that is easy to plug in and set up - like most of the home broadband routers.
      6. Give broadband providers some money from the universal service fees and require them to allow their customers to give away reasonable amounts of bandwidth.
      For instance, I have a cable modem, and I have been getting bandwidth of about 1.5 Mb/s down and 300 kb/s up. I should be able to plug in a simple box, get secure access to my lan and the internaet at full or almost full speed, and allow my neighbors to share my connection at 256 kb/s down and 50 kb/s up. I think this is a fair compromise. My neighbors get something decent for nothing. The broadband provider still gets to sell bandwidth. I get best speeds for my own use - it is my connection after all.

      Perhaps the broadband provider gets some degree of control over the QoS for the public. As their excess bandwidth shrinks they could remotely throttle down the public speeds. (There would need to be an appropriate mechanism to prevent them from just throttling things down without cause, but they should be allowed to give priority to their paying customers. Maybe throttle-downs would reduce their fees from the Universal Service funds.)

  34. So really... by afidel · · Score: 3, Interesting

    Cisco is 28% of wireless lan revenue since they own Linsys now =) I find it interesting what this says about the overall market, Cisco/Aironet which is the large enterprise leader slipped behind Linksys in revenue even though the typical Cisco/Aironet product costs ~8X what the typical Linksys product does, so small companies and consumers must be outbuying enterprises by around 8X =)

    --
    There are 4 boxes to use in the defense of liberty: soap, ballot, jury, ammo. Use in that order. Starting now.
    1. Re:So really... by Anonymous Coward · · Score: 0

      Well as long as we're stating the obvious, those Cisco/Aironet products serve 8X users and provide 8X the range, security, and features as well.

      You get what you pay for.

  35. FPS latency. by Anonymous Coward · · Score: 0

    Yeah the latency does suck. It adds about 50 ms to the time from when you click the mouse button until the weapon actually fires in UT2003. Maybe not such a big deal for most noobs, but when you're running, jumping, dodging, and firing the t-loc up into the air, that extra 50ms throws off your aim enough that you'll miss even when you're firing point-blank range right into the center of your opponent's chest. You have to aim about 3 to 5 "virtual feet" in front of the opponent's direction of travel to "lead" the shot in order to compensate for the latency.

    UT2003 SSEN Clan: www.ssenclan.com

    1. Re:FPS latency. by shoor · · Score: 1

      I'm not much for playing shooter games, but having
      a latency so that you have to lead your target
      almost sounds like a feature rather than a bug
      to me.

      --
      In theory, theory and practice are the same; in practice they're different. (Yogi Berra & A. Einstein)
    2. Re:FPS latency. by Anonymous Coward · · Score: 0

      I play Day of defeat all the time on my laptop with wireless built-in and no lag....at least on the servers in my country of Germany.

  36. WPA on Linux? by Mistah+Blue · · Score: 1

    Not to be totally off-topic since I am asking a wireless related question...

    What is the state of WPA for Linux (in particular RedHat 9)? Any projects I should look at to be able to use it? I've got a Proxim 802.11b Gold card.

  37. Apple is just too small a player in wireless by sjbe · · Score: 4, Informative

    It could be due to a small market share I suppose, but Apple has paid the price for leadership again and again by innovating and then everyone else jumping on board.

    Not really. Remember Apple only has a small (5%) market share in computers to begin with and their wireless gear generally is only sold to people who have Macs. And not everyone who has a Mac uses the wireless so the population is even smaller. It's not really surprising they wouldn't be near the top given how popular 802.11b has become.

    Plus Apple doesn't make their own wireless gear. They OEM it from others. Lucent at one point (still?) was the maker of some of their stuff if I recall. They were innovative in using it but they never really were the technology innovators here. They were just smart enough to realize that it was useful ahead of almost everyone else.

    1. Re:Apple is just too small a player in wireless by mkldev · · Score: 1
      I was actually wondering how they deal with the fact that a heck of a lot of some companies' wireless hardware ends up shipping with someone else's name on it. Is that counted as being sold by company A, company B, or both? Could be fun if the answer were both, as it could explain a good part of the 120% increase. :-)

      --
      120 character sigs suck. Make it 250.
    2. Re:Apple is just too small a player in wireless by DustMagnet · · Score: 3, Informative
      Plus Apple doesn't make their own wireless gear. They OEM it from others. Lucent at one point.

      Lucent changed to Orinoco and now Proxim, which surprise surprise is on the list.

      BTW, these Orinoco/Proxim cards are some of the best. Great range, good drivers (wardriving patches) and an external connector for even better range.

      --
      'SBEMAIL!' is better than a goat!!
    3. Re:Apple is just too small a player in wireless by Gumber · · Score: 1

      I'm sure that whoever's name is on the box gets credit. So, Proxim/Lucent/Orrinoco isn't getting credit for the units Apple ships.

  38. Avian Carrier achttpd by macshune · · Score: 5, Funny

    SLASHDOT CITY--Slashdot.org has been brought up on animal cruelty charges because of an experiment involving the deaths of over 20,000 carrier pigeons.

    "We were just starting to test a new slashdot webserver using carrier pigeons. All of a sudden tens of thousands of anonymous cowards started posting, overwhelming the pigeons' bandwidth," said the Slashdot.org official on the condition of anonymity.

    The official said later that the pigeons somehow got malformed information (packets) and started crashing into each other, eventually resulting in their deaths.

    There were reports of a large, troll-like creature in the area as well, but so far those claims are unsubstantiated.


    1. Re:Avian Carrier achttpd by Anonymous Coward · · Score: 0

      As an Anonymous Coward, I'd just like to complain that I think my packet got dropped. He was called ACK - can someone confirm this? I miss him very much.

      SYN misses him very much.

  39. This is better suited for fark.com by Agent+Deepshit · · Score: 2, Insightful
    Under the 'Cool' tag.

    Or in a press release.

  40. Much, MUCH greater than 300 feet. by Anonymous Coward · · Score: 2, Informative

    Hell, I get my internet from a provider's tower over 4.5 MILES away from my house. I only have a lowly Linksys WET11 802.11b bridge too. Of course I also have a 24db parabolic reflector antenna on a 40 foot pole pointed back to the ISP's antenna, and good clear line-of-site between the two antennas. I generally get 11Mbps to their access point with 70% "signal quality" and 85-90% "signal strength".

    1. Re:Much, MUCH greater than 300 feet. by skaap · · Score: 1

      I recently (today) set up 3 point to point links, equipment made by Alvarion (ex BreezeCOM), the longest leg of it was 7.4miles, using 2 21db Parabolic antennas... Worked perfectly... -Rob

      --
      -Rob
  41. Fast IR? by phorm · · Score: 2, Insightful

    Maybe what you might want in this case is a "Fast IR" port/hub. I haven't seen anything much like this on PC's, but many brands of laptop have "Fast IR" (4Mbps) ports. I'm not sure what the latency on this is, but I'd imagine it might be better than WiFi. You can also build your own wireless serial adaptor, I used to have instructions for this but they are now lost.

    The trick would be connecting >2 persons via IR, which I guess would require an IR-hub of some sort - but I'm not sure where one could get something that. Maybe some enterprising /. geek could think of that.

    1. Re:Fast IR? by Anonymous Coward · · Score: 0

      "I used to have instructions for this but they are now lost"

      I always had reservations about IR reliability...

    2. Re:Fast IR? by Anonymous Coward · · Score: 0

      I had access to some free IR hubs at TOORCON in Sandiego last year. however it was old stuff and I had no real use or interest so i left it for the next geek to get for free. There was some other interesting stuff there but it was so old big and heavy I didn't want to carry it back to the parking garage that was a half mile a way. Should have gotten vallet but then I'd have to pay

    3. Re:Fast IR? by Anonymous Coward · · Score: 0

      troll! WiFi is better than IR in every respect, and doesn't requires LOS. IR is just cheaper and easy to implement... good for handhelds and sometimes laptops but not desktops. A "'Fast IR' port/hub" ? Stranger things have happened...

  42. lead the shot by Anonymous Coward · · Score: 0

    but having
    a latency so that you have to lead your target
    almost sounds like a feature rather than a bug
    to me.


    It is when you're the only one who knows about it, but playing against seasoned veterans who also know this, and are very adept at dodging back and forth constantly, it makes them too darned hard to hit B-}

    1. Re:lead the shot by Anonymous Coward · · Score: 0

      HEY!! That was an "Informative" AC post. Whats wrong with you?

  43. Compound words 101 by Gherald · · Score: 1

    It is relatively NEW. More than doubled sales are evidence that it has not flopped, so the products are WORTHY. Therefore, this is NEWsWORTHY.

  44. The future is not that bright by prostoalex · · Score: 4, Informative
    It is really hard for a newcomer to enter the Wi-Fi market right now. The wireless LAN market suddenly achieved saturation and started experiencing price wars even before it was fully developed and there was an 802.11 hotspot at every house.

    TechKnowledge claims that even though the shipment volumes will grow, the revenues from the wireless LAN sales will decline , since this market is currently experiencing oversupply.

    However, this is bonanza time for consumers and businesses, here are some quotes from the market report quoted above:

    The average price for a chip that enables connections for an 802.11b wireless LAN (WLAN), also known as Wi-Fi, was $16.06 in 2002, but that price will drop to $6.61 by the end of 2003.

    The price for chips based on the 802.11g standard is also expected to fall this year, from $18 per chip in 2002 to $9.68 by the end of 2003

  45. I'm wireless by jabbadabbadoo · · Score: 3, Funny

    My geek-wannabie of a neighbour just got WLAN installed. Time to cancel that xDSL subscription.

  46. YES! by weave · · Score: 1

    More.free.open.access.points.

  47. WPA status? by astrashe · · Score: 1

    What's the deal with the new WPA standard? Are there any cheap access points that are WPA ready? Will Linux support WPA?

    I have an old orinico residential gateway, and I'd like to upgrade to a faster system, but I want to wait for WPA.

  48. You are not as cool as you think I am by Anonymous Coward · · Score: 0

    booya!

  49. Standard practices by Anonymous Coward · · Score: 0

    The following list contains information regarding what types of encryption are used by specific security systems/functions/applications/protocols. Glaring security vulnerabilities with WEP are also listed.

    WEP (Wired Equivalency Protection) - Uses a shared key, RC4 Encryption at 40, 64, 128, or 256 bit. The key is shared. Authentication is one way. Due to the design of RC4 (intended to be used over a synchronous stream), WEP designers have to make RC4 change the key for each packet. This means that the keys are quickly reused, and thus a sinffer can eventually - and usually rather quickly in large networks - determine the key loop. The SSID (Service Set ID) is sent over the wire either unencrypted or encrypted using weak algorithims.

    VPN (Virtual Private Networking) - IPSec, PPTP, L2TP, SSH, and even SSL

    TACACS/+ (Terminal Access Controller Access Control System) - Uses kerberos style authetication that does not require keys to be sent over the wire. Uses two factor authorization (what you know and what you own, or what you know and what you are)

    SSH (Secure SHell) - RC4, 3DES, Blowfish, and AES-256. OpenSSH does not use any patented algorithims.

    IPsec (Internet Protocol Security*) - Diffie-Hellman key exchange between peers on a network. Public key cryptography is applied to the Diffie-Hellman exchanges to safeguard against spoofing and man-in-the-middle attacks. IPSec uses standard algorithims such as DES for data encryption. Keyed (HMAC) and non-keyed (MD5, SHA) hasing for packet authentication. Signed digital certificates are used to provide proof of identity. TCP control packets are authenticated, preventing DOS attacks (such as those used against PPTP) that rely on TCP control packets.

  50. Bastards! by Anonymous Coward · · Score: 0

    So this is why when I come home and connect to my secure wireless LAN, I friggin' find like NINE of the buggers in my locale.

    Thanks, a friggin million. Once upon a time I only had to hit 'OK'.

    Bloody technology. GO TO HELL!!!

  51. Y'all should be happy about this! by Infonaut · · Score: 1
    It'll give the "tech analysts" something to get excited about besides Oracle v. PeopleSoft and Microsoft v. World.

    Let's all fake them out by posting a whole bunch of comments about warchalking. I got a great laugh out of how the big media reported that one the first time around.

    They were fooled once; they can be fooled again!

    --
    Read the EFF's Fair Use FAQ
  52. Re:long distance wireless - much greater than 300 by interiot · · Score: 1

    GPRS... CDMA... many many 2.xG and 3G protocols...

  53. Shameless Plug by vtechpilot · · Score: 1

    Actually I have been selling products from www.2wire.com when I sign people up for DSL service. and I think the products are pretty sweet. DSL Modem, Wireless Access Point, HPNA, NAT Router, Packet Filetering Firewall..... Drool. All for $50 bucks when they sign up for the service. (After Rebate of course.) So if you want to signup for DSl and get your hands on one of these babies, call me at 1-877-672-

    No, Seriously If you are a Southwestern Bell Customer I'd love to hear from you.

    I feel so dirty.

    --
    Slashdot is an anagram for Has Dolts, and I am Dolt number 468543
  54. Ricochet is alive again? by sbeitzel · · Score: 1

    Damn! I remember when Ricochet first rolled out in San Jose (as Metricom, I think) back in the early 90s. In 1999, I had a Ricochet modem for my laptop, and it was great -- sending email from Caltrain at the station stops, working from the middle of Golden Gate Park...

    And then, what, just a couple years ago, they went tits up. Poof! They had rolled out infrastructure in New York, San Francisco, Chicago, and were working on spreading all over Los Angeles. They had money trouble and disappeared. And now, they're back, in San Diego and Denver?!

    I wouldn't get too excited about Ricochet, man. They'll hose ya.

    --
    Oh, go on, check out my job.
  55. how about IP based wireless music/video streaming by Anonymous Coward · · Score: 0

    Could you just broadcast whatever non-commercial music you want over your own wireless setup and have your neighbors repeat it so that you can get hte signal anywhere in your home town?

    Anyone have info on doing this with a combination of wireless, cable modems, and low power fm transmitters?

  56. but you're saying the BAD NEWS!! by morcheeba · · Score: 1

    It seems that production of 2002 Volkswagon Beetls is down inifity% to a year-long low of zero cars. If production continues at this rate, production will become negative, and in one year there will be NO MORE 2002 VOLKSWAGON BEETLES on the planet! If I owned one, I'd sell it a soon as possible before it self-destructs!

    In 2 years, we expect to ship the non-existant cars to other planets to create a negative quantity of 2002 BEETLES on our planet. This trend will continue, and 10 years, 90% of human effort on the planet will involve shipping these non-existant cars.

    That's, of course, if current trends continue.

  57. Alive but healthy or not ?? Re:Ricochet is alive by leoaugust · · Score: 1

    Richochet was back and written about in Slate about 6 months ago. But I wonder if they are doing well right now ....

    Here are the excerpts from the article

    The New Old Thing - Ricochet

    A wireless technology returns to become the Wi-Fi for suburbia.

    Dec 06, 2002

    Article location

    http://slate.msn.com/id/2074905/

    Ricochet's network was scooped out of bankruptcy court last year by Denver's Aerie Networks, which hopes to revive the service as a viable alternative to DSL or cable modems. The technology that drives Ricochet is devilishly simpleâ"a network of shoe-box-sized transceivers that ....

    The service has been reactivated in Denver and, just last month, San Diego. The Bay Area may be next. ....

    --
    To see a world in a grain of sand, and then to step back and see the beach where the sand lies ...
  58. I believe it may be... by Uncle+Gropey · · Score: 1

    ...Fb-.

  59. Innovators should get some credit by potuncle · · Score: 1

    Ok, so Apple wasn't the first to sell wireless networks, but they were the first to sucessfully market it to consumers. Once the consumers got it home then those consumers realize that wireless networks also could be awesome in a business environment. Apple make it affordable and easy enough for home users and small business owners to establish wireless networking and they deserve full credit for that.

  60. Ah, useless market research. No SMC on the list? by Anonymous Coward · · Score: 0

    How can they not even show up on the list?

  61. Are there any linux working 802.11b VPN routers? by rxed · · Score: 1

    Anybody knows if there are COMMERCIAL 802.11b VPN routers that have been tested and are known to work with Linux clients (freeS/WAN for example)?

    laptops ~~~> 802.11b VPN connection~~> Internet.

  62. Leave it open and use a VPN by Progman2000 · · Score: 1

    I agree. I've been setting up a WLAN at the office and have decided to leave the AP's wide open, no WEP, no MAC filtering, SSID broadcast on. Their only connection is to one Linux box running a PPTP VPN daemon (PoPToP) and a DHCP server. If you get past the VPN, you're on the LAN. Otherwise, you're stuck. Only drawback is the VPN's overhead (and having a PPTP client).

    1. Re:Leave it open and use a VPN by thegameiam · · Score: 3, Insightful

      Exactly. The overhead you spend on IPSec is probably about what you'd spend on WEP, and the difference is that IPSec actually works... :)

      -David Barak

      --
      Need Geek Rock? Try The Franchise!
  63. The (current) downside of mesh nets: Don't scale. by Ungrounded+Lightning · · Score: 2, Informative

    Unfortunately, the current implementations don't scale to the size of even the current internet - because they requre every node to know about every other (in case it needs to forward a packet).

    (Routing table explosions were what drove the switch from RIP to BGP in the first place.)

    They'll get there eventually. Meanwhile, imagine them as drops of mercury. When two touch they join. And when two equal-sized drops join, each "atom" (machine) in the big drop needs twice as much table space as it needed in the separate little drop.

    Now imagine them joining, and joining, and joining, until the whole world is covered by one big drop. Somewhere along the way the tables get too big for your handheld, VoIP phone, toaster, or what-have-you.

    --
    Bantam Dominique roosters crow a four-note song. Once you've heard it as "Happy BIRTHday" you can't NOT hear it that way
  64. Re:Cost vs. Quality (Linksys) by King_TJ · · Score: 1

    I don't see the real problem at all. Linksys and D-Link are two companies I have much respect for, because time after time, they've brought the price down to earth on networking equipment that the casual home user just couldn't justify purchasing before.

    When 100Base-T was still pretty new, network cards often supported it - but home users still ran at 10Base-T because the cost of a hub/router that handled the higher speed was prohibitive. Then Linksys (and D-Link) brought out those cheap 100Base-T routers. Shortly afterwards, prices plummeted across the board.

    They did it again with wi-fi adapters and gateways. (Residential gateways like the Lucent RG series were still in the $300-349 range until just after the Linksys stuff came out in the sub $200 price range.)

    Now they're doing the same for integrated wi-fi routers/print sharing boxes/Internet sharing boxes.

    Is it top quality stuff? Heck no... But it basically works, and at their prices, you can afford to throw one away and replace it if it does die on you after a year or two.

  65. Good choice for wireless by Anonymous Coward · · Score: 0

    Be confident in your purchase of Linksys Wireless equipment. Linksys rocks. Anyone that is thinking of buying D-Link, please save yourself the time and hassle. D-Link wireless products suck major donkey dick.

    If you think this is just a troll, read some comments on D-link wireless products, especially the DI-714. Pathetic.

  66. Sounds about right... by PureFiction · · Score: 1
    • In 2002, Linksys overtook Cisco Systems as the leading wireless equipment vendor, accounting for 14.1 percent of revenue. Cisco slipped to the No. 2 position with a 13.9 percent market share.

      Buffalo Technology was the No. 3 vendor in market share, followed in order by D-Link and Proxim.


    In war driving about 14,000 access points in the northwest the results are fairly consistent with the numbers the article mentions:

    Popular ESSID's:

    1. linksys 2051 (17.4%)
    2. default 967 (8.22%)
    3. Wireless 526 (4.47%)
    4. MSFTWLAN 374 (3.18%)
    5. WLAN 176 (1.49%)
    6. tsunami 131 (1.11%)
    7. IntelWLAN 124 (1.05%)
    8. 101 119 (1.01%)
    9. tmobile 118 (1.00%)
    10. SpeedStream 101 (0.85%)

    I'll let you figure out which default SSID is from which vendor :-)
    1. Re:Sounds about right... by davidstrauss · · Score: 1
      In war driving about 14,000 access points in the northwest the results are fairly consistent with the numbers the article mentions

      The problem with measuring some companies is that their access points come with unique default SSIDs. One is Proxim Orinoco. The default names on their APs are based on the serial numbers printed on the bottom. BTW, "tsunami" is usually Cisco in my experience.

    2. Re:Sounds about right... by PureFiction · · Score: 1

      The problem with measuring some companies is that their access points come with unique default SSIDs. One is Proxim Orinoco.

      Quite right. There are also some, like Buffalo, which use the MAC ID as the default ssid. This is a really bad measure of popularity, but even still, I was surprisec how close the results meshed. (I.e. linksys is only off a few percent)

  67. man 6 fortune by Anonymous Coward · · Score: 0

    Every four seconds a woman has a baby.
    Our problem is to find this woman and stop her.

  68. Might try this by mplex · · Score: 1

    I always found this picture interesting, projected world population growth in megacities from a CIA report called "Global Trends 2015." Check it out here. That picture never fails to blow my mind...

  69. 802.11b is great -- WITH the right card by hubbah · · Score: 1


    I've been suffering through the terrible performace of a DLink DWL-650 card for about 6 months. It has a miserable range that gets spotty through a singele wall at 10 feet, difficult at 30 feet and unusable at 50 feet. I finally ordered Proxim's Orinoco Gold card and found out why it's a cause celebre among those in the know. Seventy feet from the base station, sitting on my deck, my new card offers a high speed, uninterrupted connection, whereas my old card used to cut out every minute or so at that same spot-- rendering any internet use impossible. The Orinoco Gold takes a licking -- perhaps lowering its throughput a bit -- but keeps on ticking, never losing the connection.

    I used to think that the bad performance I experienced was a limitation of the 802.11b protocol, but I was mistaken -- it's only the implementation of the protocol on the DLink card that was terrible. I think your readers may want to know that before they plop down $$$ to dot their house with Airport stations a la Paul Butin's suggestion, they should give a quality WiFi card a shot.

    Hubbah

    1. Re:802.11b is great -- WITH the right card by rkhalloran · · Score: 1
      Similar problem with my kids' laptop using the Netgear card (MA401). Poor to no connection from her room. Broke down and got an Orinoco Gold Card and immediately jumped to good-to-marginal. Added the Chicken Wire Antenna on the SMC gateway and an extra 'reflector' square behind the Orinoco on her desk and got another 5-6 db gain.

      Can't recommend these cards enough, especially since you can get them for about $60 street price these days.

    2. Re:802.11b is great -- WITH the right card by hubbah · · Score: 1

      Cool. What's a reflector square, though? Thanks, Hubbah

    3. Re:802.11b is great -- WITH the right card by rkhalloran · · Score: 1

      Check out the gallery at the site in the previous post. The 'reflector' is a 4" square of wire screening bent into a basic parabola and then stood up behind the antenna pod hanging out of the card slot so the pod is roughly at the focal point. If nothing else, the mesh will direct the card's signal in the desired direction somewhat and reflect a little more incoming signal to the card's antenna. The bang/buck is incomparable; 15 min work with some scrap material for 5-6 db of gain.

    4. Re:802.11b is great -- WITH the right card by hubbah · · Score: 1

      Hey sounds good, thanks! I'll give it a shot.

  70. I bought 4 wireless routers this year! by bgarcia · · Score: 1
    I bought 4 wireless routers this year, one each from Microcenter, Amazon, Staples, and Circuit City.

    You want to know why shipments are up? I'll tell you why. It's because these companies are paying people to buy it! With all the rebates, coupons, and specials available the past few months, I am actually making money by buying this stuff!

    Now I just need to figure out what to do with my extra 3 wireless routers. I'm currently thinking "Christmas presents". ;-)

    --
    I'm a leaf on the wind. Watch how I soar.
  71. Re:Cost vs. Quality (Linksys) by Anonymous Coward · · Score: 0

    But who need more than 10Base-T for home usage? Are you sure you understand what Base-T stand for?