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January 21, 2007
All Technology and Politics are Local: Wi-Fi in the Home, Part Two
For all intents and purposes, the Wi-Fi revolution started in the home, rather than in the office (some would say it started in the supply chain industries, but it was a pretty niche technology in terms of numbers). Propelled by a very rich Intel Centrino marketing budget, the avalanche of wireless-enabled laptops and available hotspots, propelled the much connected wireless lifestyle. According to the Yankee Group, Wi-Fi hot spots will grow to over 70,000 in 2007, a 2300% increase from 2002.
As we move to the ratification of 802.11n, we are now beset by a rich variety of “pre-N” home Wireless LAN options. While it is unwise to select a pre-standard Access Point for use in the office – large scale, forkliftable incompatibility is a bad thing – there is lots of room for experimentation at home.
There are 2 key elements to emerging technology worth looking at:
- Faster air-link speed
- Better performance through the use of Multiple Input, Multiple Output (MIMO) antennas.
While your home DSL or Cable Modem connection is not going to take much advantage of this kind of speed – think about it as a new 300 HP Mustang creeping along during rush hour -- this second area, better performance, is particularly interesting, as beam steering/switching approaches turn traditional wireless negatives such as multi-path into more reliable, robust signal around your place. Streaming video from your set-top or home router to your experience devices (TV, music system, PC, gaming platform) does open up a world of possibilities.
My prediction is the devices that come to your home this year and beyond will reset expectation for wireless and work, driving the next generation of business-class wireless to then make it scaleable, manageable, and of course, secure. Look to a 2008/2009 for this push into the Enterprise, just proving that history does repeat itself.
The other key trend here is that the growing individualization of technology (some would call it consumerization) is upon us, reversing the traditional business-home technology migration curve that we saw in the computing industry. Or to borrow a little from former U.S. House of Representatives Speaker Thomas P (TIP) O’Neill: “all technology is local.” At least now it is.
Posted by Alan Cohen at 09:18 AM Permalink | Comments (1) | TrackBacks (0)
January 11, 2007
In the Human Network, A Picture is Worth a Million Bytes
Photographs and memories
Christmas cards you sent to me
All that I have are these
To remember you
- Jim Croce, Photographs and Memories
Welcome to 2007 fellow bloggers. For many of us, holidays are a time of family get togethers, of remembrances of things past. Another year passes and we remember old friends and loved ones.
Thanks to a tip from fellow Wi-Fi Blogger, Glen Fleishman http://wifinetnews.com/, I have just learned that Kodak, has released a Wi-Fi enabled picture frame, where you can stream pictures via that trusty 802.11 protocol from your computer to any where you want in the house or office. http://www.kodak.com/eknec/PageQuerier.jhtml?pq-path=10554&pq-locale=en_US
Not only does this mean that you entire digital library is now fair game, I hope over time, your can connect some kind of RFID or identity system. Think of it: when my brother visits, all the frames in the house can automatically change to pictures of his (we agree) adorable kids.
It is over 125 years ago since, George Eastman set up his first factory, having perfected the dry plate process for photography. It was a revolution in being able to communicate on a mass market basis through pictures. He would have loved the Wi-Fi-enabled frame. Eastman was a lifelong bachelor, a tinkerer and a restless soul. He did give us one of more memorable quotes about work and life:
"What we do during our working hours determines what we have; what we do in our leisure hours determines what we are."
Posted by Alan Cohen at 05:19 AM Permalink | Comments (0) | TrackBacks (0)
