Wi-Fi gets more secure

PC World - Tools and services to help wireless technology get down to business were among the highlights of new product announcements at the Wi-Fi Planet Conference and Expo in San Jose, Calif., last week.

While home users have embraced wireless networks, businesses of all sizes are wary because of stability and security issues, many exhibitors noted. Products designed to make wireless networks safer and more stable took center stage among the new offerings.

Blocking interlopers

Up-to-date antivirus software and a sturdy firewall may be all that is required to protect your home wireless network, but a business of any size needs more.

Network Chemistry, a division of Tazmen Technologies LLC, introduced a new Wireless Intrusion Protection System that identifies all attempts to breach any 802.11a, 802.11b, or 802.11g network by monitoring all channels in both the 2.4-GHz and 5-GHz bands. The system can also be used to enforce the organization's security policies and to monitor the network's performance. The company offers two Pilot Packages at introductory rates of $495 for a single sensor and $1,995 for four sensors.

Double duty

Wireless networks can get in on the multifunction trend with PCTEL Inc.'s Segue Soft Access Module (SAM), software that enables compatible network adapters to work as wireless access points.

SAM is intended to make it easy to set up and manage a wireless network, the developer says. The program scans your PC and configures itself automatically. When you plug your SAM-enabled PC into a broadband connection, it becomes a wireless access point supporting 802.11a, 802.11b, or 802.11g networks, depending on the chip set used in the adapter.

SAM is being licensed to adapter manufacturers, ISPs, and vendors of 802.11 client hardware. The first SAM-capable systems are expected to hit the market early next year.

Fill the gaps

Nothing will frustrate a wireless network user like being stuck in a coverage dead spot.

Netopia Inc. has improved the range of its 3347W Wi-Fi ADSL Gateway and 3387W Wi-Fi Ethernet Gateway, designed for wireless hot spots, by applying the company's new 3-D Reach technology. Along with improving the sensitivity of the gateways' wireless receivers, 3-D Reach also uses dual-tuned antennas, which Netopia claims provides the best coverage available.

The company commissioned News IQ Labs to test the 3347W and found that it was the only ADSL Wi-Fi gateway whose range exceeded 100 meters.

Hot spot helper

There's nothing like the convenience of wireless Internet access in airports, hotels, coffee shops, and fast-food restaurants, but who wants to dash from place to place looking fora connection? Geographic information service provider MapInfo is preparing a sophisticated hot-spot finder to ease the pain.

MapInfo Corp.'s new HotSpotInfo service combines Jupitermedia Corp.'s Wi-Fi HotSpot List database with MapInfo's mapping technology to map the location of wireless hot spots in all 50 states.

The database will be updated monthly. Information provided includes the street address, telephone number, type of establishment, type of network, and protocol used. Versions of the service cover the entire U.S. and each state.