Google has teamed up with RailTel Corporation of India to bring free Wi-Fi hotspots to more than 400 train stations. The state-run company already has a fiber network in place across the country, and the new venture -- which goes under the name of Project Nilgiri -- is set to roll out over the next four months.

TelecomTalk reports that hotspots will enable travellers to get online with a high-speed connection free of charge for half an hour, and then speeds will be reduced. SMS verification will be used to provide web users with the necessary passwords, and screenshots of the portal that will be used to get online have also leaked.

Continue reading →

Every year, automobiles get more and more high-tech. The problem, however, is that brand-new cars can be quite expensive. If you buy used cars, it can take a while for the latest and greatest technology to trickle down to you. One way to add tech to your car is by upgrading the stereo, which can give you improved media compatibility and Bluetooth.

Have you ever dreamed about having Wi-Fi in your existing car? Well, now you can. Even if you have a ten year old dented sedan, AT&T has a solution for you -- the ZTE Mobley Wi-Fi hotspot. While tethering from your smartphone or carrying a dedicated battery-powered hotspot has been available for a while, this device is very unique -- it is powered by the car's OBD II port.

Continue reading →

What price is free? In the case of Windows 10, many argue that it means giving up a little of your privacy, and it seems that AT&T's free Wi-Fi hotspots also come with a hidden payload. Whilst visiting Dulles Airport, computer scientist Jonathan Mayer noticed that "the web had sprouted ads. Lots of them, in places they didn’t belong".

With time to kill waiting for a flight, Mayer set about investigating where these extra ads were coming from. It didn’t take long for him to discover that the AT&T hotspot he was connected to was the problem. He found that the hotspot was injecting a stylesheet which in turn pulled in advertising. But it didn’t end there...

Continue reading →

People worry about everything these days, and new technology is often a big cause for concern. Wireless charging, which is starting to appear in appliances, cars, and furniture, has some people fretting that it will microwave their internal organs while they sleep, and it wasn’t that long ago that people were stressing over the possible side effects of Wi-Fi too.

A BBC investigation a few years back found that RF radiation levels in some Wi-Fi-enabled schools were up to three times higher than the levels emitted by a typical mobile phone mast, leading to suggestions that Wi-Fi should be banned in places of education in the UK until its possible dangers had been fully investigated. Of course Wi-Fi hasn’t been banned in schools, or anywhere else for that matter, and it’s become far more ubiquitous. A new iPad app by Dutch designer Richard Vijgen uses augmented reality to visualize the network of radio waves that surround us, and it provides a truly fascinating glimpse into the invisible world that we now rely so much on.

Continue reading →

Wave 2 Wi-Fi -- otherwise known as 802.11ac -- brings a number of advances to help wireless networks keep up with the increased demand from mobile devices.

Wireless network specialist Xirrus is aiming to make Wave 2 more accessible for business by introducing the industry’s fastest and only customizable Wave 2 Wi-Fi solution.

Continue reading →

Video streaming is one of the quickest ways to max out a data plan. This is especially true for high-definition videos, which are the commonplace on websites like Netflix and YouTube and, understandably, the obvious quality choice for many mobile viewers. Since not everyone can afford or have the option to use an unlimited data plan, we often have to sacrifice how much content we watch to not pass the traffic limit.

However, an update to Opera Max for Android promises to let us watch more videos without sacrificing much in terms of quality. The app can achieve such results through compression, and the feature is now enabled for Netflix and YouTube.

Continue reading →

We all know that using public wireless hotspots can be risky, but is seems that some places are more of a threat than others.

Mobile threat defense company Skycure has put together a study into the most dangerous tourist destinations to use your mobile device, the type of threats you might encounter, and offers some tips on how to avoid falling victim to an attack.

Continue reading →

"UniFi is the revolutionary Wi-Fi system that combines Enterprise performance, unlimited scalability, a central management controller and disruptive pricing." That's the pitch thrown by Ubiquiti Networks right off the homepage for their popular UniFi line of wireless access point products. In many respects, that statement is right on the money.

But as the old adage goes, sometimes you truly do get what you pay for. And when it comes to UniFi, that tends to be my feeling more and more, seeing the gotchas we have had to deal with. We've continued to choose their access points, primarily in situations where cost is a large factor for our end customer. Who wouldn't want Enterprise level features at a Linksys level price?

Continue reading →

More and more of the devices we use these days rely on wireless signals for their connectivity. If you're male you quite likely carry your smartphone in your trouser pocket or use your laptop or tablet on your knee, which means these signals are being transmitted in close proximity to your gentleman's area.

Should you worry about this? A 2014 study by the University of Exeter suggests that just one hour's exposure to radiation from a mobile phone can reduce in vitro (outside the body) sperm motility to 49 percent and viability to 52 percent. In addition the World Health Organization has classified electromagnetic radiation in the same category of harmfulness to humans as petrol exhaust fumes.

Continue reading →

A new survey from Global Wireless Solutions has shown the state of Wi-Fi in homes across the UK, and the picture is a bleak one for some folks.

Of the 2000 UK adults who were questioned, 40 percent said they used their 3G or 4G data connection even when they were at home, because their Wi-Fi wasn’t fast enough. Indeed, a quarter of respondents said they were "forced" to use their mobile data allowance due to substandard Wi-Fi.

Continue reading →

The Internet of Things -- or IoT if you will -- is much more than just a buzzword. It's also much more than 'the next big thing'; it could be fundamental to the future of technology and how we interact with it. When we talk about the Internet of Things, we tend to do so in reference to the home and business -- but there is more to it than that.

There's a lot to consider when it comes to working with data gathered by various sensors built into smart devices, and the most recent game-changer has been unveiled by the Wi-Fi Alliance. Wi-Fi Aware certification has just been opened up with a view to enabling the creation of smart devices that can wirelessly exchange data directly, react to location, and discover other devices. This, rather than a connected fridge or oven, is what is exciting about the Internet of Things.

Continue reading →

We use Wi-Fi almost without thinking about it, but a new survey of users in the US and Europe reveals just how big an impact it has on our daily lives and what we're willing to do to stay connected.

Network company Xirrus polled hundreds of people about their Wi-Fi habits and expectations. The results reveal the far-reaching impact Wi-Fi has on users' lives, as well as its importance to the future.

Continue reading →

Most home or small business users never even think about upgrading the router that was supplied by their internet service provider. But by simply sticking with the default box you may well be missing out on the extra features and performance of a more sophisticated router.

The Archer D9 from TP-Link offers a smart design and decent performance but at a price that undercuts much of the competition. So, is this a good choice or a budget manufacturer trying to punch above its weight?

Continue reading →

Pitiful Wi-Fi implementation is so prevalent these days that people take it for granted. From the hotels we visit, to the cafes we frequent, down to the offices we call home 9-5 daily. And that's unfortunate, because when done right, Wi-Fi is an enabler for connecting us wherever, whenever.

Why can't most organizations get Wi-Fi right?

Continue reading →

Google's Chromecast has gained quite a following of people looking for a cheap, simple way to stream content to their TVs. Part of the device's appeal is its ease of use and extensibility through the use of apps, but it is reliant on a steady Wi-Fi signal. If this represents a problem in your home, there's now a solution.

The new Ethernet Adapter for Chromecast does very much what you would expect -- it adds a wired Ethernet port to Google's streaming dongle. This is great news for anyone with a flaky Wi-Fi signal, or those looking to use Chromecast beyond their router's normal range.

Continue reading →