First Watch Restaurants, which operates a chain of breakfast and lunch eateries, said today it has launched a free Wi-Fi service at all of its restaurants including its four locations in Central Florida.

Restaurant management said the service was put in place to accommodate the growing number of business customers that patronize the restaurants.

Dash Navigation, WAAV Inc. and Autonet Mobile Inc. offer new devices for wireless access on the interstate.

Surfing the Web, real-time traffic updates, downloading movies or music, even remote game-playing are now possible from the road thanks to new Internet devices that can turn a car into a moving high-tech hub.

The car will be home to "the fourth screen," said Paul Lego , chief executive of Dash Navigation Inc. "First screen is the TV; second, the PC; third, the phone; and the fourth logical place for a screen is the car."

WAAV's and Autonet Mobile's boxes create in-car WiFi, allowing driver and passengers to connect to the Internet with all kinds of devices, from laptops to Sony's PlayStation Portable to the new generation of Skype phones.

The Dash Express brings Internet to the car, but on a single screen that has limited offerings.

All the devices use the data networks that wireless carriers have spent billions to build.
Full Story...

These days, you often don't have to travel far to find wireless Internet access. But some hot spots carry steep prices, and you can't always count on finding one when you need it.

So, if you need Internet access on the go, try cellular service. All major cellular providers offer Internet cards for your laptop. They slide into a PC Card slot, much like a Wi-Fi card.

The cards give you Internet access anywhere you have cellular coverage. The concept is simple, but deciphering the pricing and technical details can be confusing.

These days, cellular providers tout broadband-like speeds. Certainly, the cards are far faster than dial-up. They fall short, however, when compared with cable and DSL speeds.

Some networks are faster than others. So it helps to understand the differences.

First, there is EDGE (Enhanced Data rates for GSM Evolution). EDGE is a high-speed Internet service that is considered to be 2.5G, that is, between second- (2G) and third-generation (3G) cellular broadband services. It is provided by wireless phone companies that use GSM (Global System for Mobile Communications) technology. Users typically experience speeds of around 200 kilobits per second for both downloads and uploads, although its theoretical limits are higher. This average speed falls shy of the 256Kbps.
Full Story...

FOUNTAIN VALLEY, Calif., Feb. 5 PRNewswire — D-Link, the end-to-end networking solutions provider for consumers and business, today unveiled a family of 3G mobile broadband wireless routers designed to make it even easier for on-the-go consumers, field technicians and mobile professionals to access and share an Internet connection virtually anywhere by blending Wi-Fi(TM) networking technology and a wireless broadband network.

The D-Link 3G Mobile Wireless Routers allow users to create a 802.11g/b-compatible wireless hotspot anywhere within range of a cellular network.

By plugging a compatible 3G notebook adapter into the D-Link 3G Mobile Router's built-in card bus slot, users can get immediate access to EV-DO, UMTS or HSDPA networks. The D-Link router can then share this signal via 802.11g/b Wi-Fi technology to notebooks, PCs or other Wi-Fi-enabled devices. The D-Link routers are available in two versions: the DIR-450 (EV-DO) and DIR-451 (UMTS/HSDPA).

"These routers are ideal in situations where a wired broadband connection, such as T1, cable or DSL, is not available," said Brian Larsen, associate vice president of product development for D-Link Systems, Inc. "For instance, once users insert a notebook adapter into their D-Link 3G Wireless Mobile Router and create a wireless 'hotspot', they can then check their email, browse the Web, access their company network and share information with colleagues in 'virtual meetings'. This solution is significant to the market by enabling communications at temporary work sites such as construction or disaster areas, concerts and others."

For security, both versions of the 3G mobile routers support the latest wireless security features to prevent unauthorized access, including WEP, WPA and WPA2 that ensure a secure Wi-Fi network regardless of the connected devices. They also employ dual active firewalls (SPI and NAT) to prevent potential Internet attacks.

The D-Link Mobile Wireless Routers can be installed as a wireless network in minutes, and it can easily configure the user's Internet Service Provider (ISP) settings to quickly establish high-speed Internet connectivity. The built-in 4-port full-duplex 10/100 switch allows seamless connection of Ethernet-based devices. In the U.S., compatible ISPs for the DIR-450 include ACS Wireless, Alltel, Cellular South, Embarq, Sprint and Verizon Wireless. For the DIR-451, UMTS carriers include Orangenet, Vodafone, Exelcom and Maxis, and Cingular, T-Mobile, Exelcom, Maxis, Vodafone, Celcom and Globe for HSDPA formats.*

Small-to-medium-sized businesses can maximize their investment in a mobile Internet access subscription by using the D-Link 3G Mobile Wireless Router in place of a fixed broadband Internet solution that requires paying additional fees for cable or DSL. The 3G routers not only give additional communications freedom to the mobile user, they also offer the carriers increased value-added revenue opportunities.

The DIR-450 (EV-DO) is compatible with the Kyocera KPC 650, Novatel V620 and Sprint PC-5740 notebook adapters, and the Audiovox 8940, Kyocera KX18 and Samsung A890 cell phones. Compatible notebook adapters for the DIR-451 are the Novatel Wireless Merlin U530 and U730, Option Wireless GT 3G Quad, Sierra Wireless AirCard 860 and Sony Ericsson GC89.

Advanced firewall features include Network Address Translation (NAT); Media Access Control (MAC) and Internet Protocol (IP) addresses and Website filtering; scheduling and Virtual Private Network (VPN) pass-through via Point-to-Point Tunneling Protocol (PPTP) and Layer 2 Protocol Tunneling (L2PT) and IP Security (IPSec).

Other Key Features: — Built-in 10/100Mbps switch that allows users to connect up to four wired Ethernet-enabled networking devices. Auto MDIX detects use of crossover or straight cables. — Integrated 802.11g access point (AP) for wireless LAN support. — 16/32-bit PCMCIA slot WAN interface for mobile broadband connection. Hot insertion protection provided for safe adapter installation. — Integrated 802.11b/g wireless access point with detachable antenna allows connection of booster antenna. — Static and dynamic routing simplifies IP addressing on local network. — Supports Universal Plug and Play (UPnP) for easy device discovery on local network. — Integrated web interface allows configuration through PC web browser. — Supports Network Time Protocol (NTP) for synchronizing with a real-time server to keep accurate time.

Without a mobile broadband connection data card, the DIR-450 and DIR-451 work as standard 802.11g wireless routers, such as the popular D-Link RangeBooster G models.

Price and Availability

The DIR-450 model of the D-Link Mobile Wireless Routers is available now for the suggested retail price of $299.99 through D-Link's network of retailers, online retailers and at the D-Link online store, www.dlinkshop.com. The DIR-451 is targeted to begin shipping later this quarter with pricing to be announced at that time.

Q. I’m on the road a lot and am constantly in search of a wireless Internet connection that I can use. Some of them say “Free Wi-Fi,” but I can’t seem to get connected. I am fairly new to wireless on the road, so what am I doing wrong? — Patricia

A. Users of wireless networking technologies can often get confused about how and when this technology is supposed to work.

At home, it works because it is specifically set up to connect to a “preferred” network, but when you are on the road, you are essentially “knocking on doors” electronically to see who will let you in.

Airports, hotels, coffee shops and restaurants are common gathering points for “road warriors” to get online wirelessly, but there are a number of reasons why you might not be able to connect.

The most common is that you may need an account with a specific provider. The best example is the relationship Starbucks has with TMobile, where only T-Mobile customers can connect to the wireless network.
Full Story...