Getting More From Your 802.11n WiFi Network

Web Worker Daily blogger Samuel Dean in a recent post suggests 4 ways to get more from your 802.11n wireless network. All four suggestions make good sense to me and I would say are applicable to all wireless networks, even those of the b and g varieties. An obvious one that I'd also add is to ensure your network is locked down, while it may seem like you need a network administrator to do this, most manufacturers have done a decent job of making their devices easy to configure and with a little knowledge you can save yourself a lot of headaches. There are some good wireless network and network security resources freely available online, your router's manufacturers site is always a good place to start but you might also try a trusted site like grc.com and their newsgroups. Besides securing your network, consider moving off of the default channel that your network broadcasts on. By default most WiFi routers come out of the box set to channel 6 and chances are 90% of your neighbours will also be broadcasting on that channel. By moving off of the beaten path you'll save yourself a lot of dropped connections and improve your throughput. By no means am I an expert on the subject, just experience talking... so there you have it, 6 ways to get more from your network ;-)

Intel promises WiMax embedded chips this summer

According to this CBC report, "Intel Corp. announced at the Consumer Electronics Show in Las Vegas that it will ship computer chips embedded with WiMax receivers beginning this summer." The announcement was met with optimism by broadband provider Rogers, "That's a very favourable sign for WiMax," said David Robinson, vice-president of new business planning for Rogers Wireless. The article goes on to say "the technology is expected to be able to deliver Internet speeds of about 15 megabits per second within three kilometres of a transmitter." This sounds very promising, I hope the Disney folks invest in a few transmitters... my blogging was stymied last week by a bad NIC card and no WiFi, at least at Coronado Springs!

McDonald's restaurants in UK to serve free WiFi

With 1200 restaurants in the United Kingdom, McDonald's is poised to become the largest provider of free wireless Internet access in the country. The company is preparing to roll out free WiFi in all of it's outlets as an attempt to draw in the business crowd and better serve it's current youthful clientèle. WiFi, a more muted colour scheme, designer furnishings, and a healthier menu are all part of the strategy to compete with the likes of Starbucks and shift the brand into a higher-end market. As long as they don't brand it as WiFry or McConnected... it might just work. c|net's news.com has more.