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802.11
is where it’s at Dec 2002 While the world waits with bated breath for
signs of life in the 3G cellphone marketplace, and especially
waits to see just how many punters are going to be happy to get
mugged by the network operators seeking to recoup their investment
as fast as possible with the rumoured £1+/minute call charges for
“high speed connections”, the USA has been swept by a wave of
wireless internet access using the 802.11 2.4GHz standard (aka
WiFi) Standard 802.11B 11Mbit connections can be
used by itinerant laptop users in many locations (airports,
hotels, waiting rooms etc.) in the US and increasingly widespread
in UK cities. With access points in places like coffee shops
(Starbucks was a trend leader in the US), and the need for
connections to the internet using cellphones at speeds that are
going to be realistically around 64kBit (the suggested 2Mbit
really isn’t going to happen), has been completely upstaged and
bypassed. 802.11 has its limitations of course. It’s
short range, 100m from an access point really is the very best
case, and 30m is more realistic. The 2.4GHz band competes with
many other devices ranging from cordless phones and Bluetooth
devices to Microwave ovens, and although the Ethernet link is
11Mbit best case, the actual internet access is obviously limited
to the onward bandwidth available. And for public access spots in
places like coffee shops, these are mostly DSL-fed, so don’t get
too excited about serious wideband access just yet. However,
although there are some valiant effort to devise access controls
built around billing and roaming solutions, most 802.11 access is
provided free for those who look for it. Security on many publicly
accessible access points is, of course, dire, although the
industry in providing security for 802 is thriving and there are
plenty of solutions for those of you who need another login and
password to remember. If you doubt the size of this phenomenon, then
just go along to Google and type in “802.11 public access” and
you will see why the telcos who have paid a lot of money for 3G
cellphone spectrum are wondering why they bothered. And just as
office workers tire of photocopying their bottoms for fun, so
picture cellphone users quite quickly get weary of what seemed so
funny for the first week – especially if they are picking up the
bill. So prolific is 802.11 in many US cities that
users can get a free ride just walking down most streets, and the
hobby of seeking out unguarded connections is getting
sophisticated, with a system of symbols written on walls to
indicate (inadvertent) 802.11 availability. This effect is also
becoming quite measurable around London streets as more and more
offices adopt 802.11 as an alternative to tethered network
connections – albeit it is a retrograde step in terms of overall
performance compared to a 100Mbit switched connection, convenience
frequently wins – but if the main reason to be on the LAN is
email and net access, then you are unlikely to have anything like
11Mbit onward bandwidth, anyway. The 802.11 service is “licence free” in
the UK for private and public area use in the Uk and most
countries. There are many specific projects in urban areas for
groups of user to get together and create community area networks
using 802.11 – especially in locations where ADSL is not
accessible. It’s possible to get 3kM range with a directional
antenna and beam in from an area where ADSL can be provided.
The question of the ultimate legality of letting the passing world
share your internet access is generally taken care of in the small
print of any ISP contract. And the general view is that “thou
shalt not” as usual, but the matter of enforcing this is
generally quite impossible. Established telecom providers such as Nokia
are hedging their bets in the 3G fiasco and starting to get behind
802.11 with various equipment offerings aimed at public access
solutions, and don’t forget that 802.11 is not just for laptops
and computers. There are some phones already available that will
look for and use a cheap internet connection with voice over IP
via 802.11, in preference to the local GSM service at 20 times the
price. The big push started in the US during Q2 2001,
and with unaccustomed alacrity, BT announced its plans in April of
2002 – even ahead (just) of the UK Radio Agency announcing
relaxation of the rules that had previously hindered (legitimate)
public deployment of 802.11. So why is BT – usually so reluctant
to get its broadband act together – so quick to make a mark on
802.11..? Might it have anything to do with the fact that BT
cleverly offloaded its 3G millstone along with the separation of
the 02 business..? Nice one. |