|
Everything You Need to Know About
Wireless Internet (Wi-Fi)
Wi-Fi Explained...
As this new wireless technology spreads
to every corner of the world, it's time that someone
ask the burning questions that are surely on everyone's
mind: "How does Wi-Fi work, and can it mess up
the molecular structure of my brain?" Experts say
not to break out the aluminum hats quite yet. But I
would keep them handy because no one's 100 percent sure
the low-intensity microwave radio waves aren't zapping
our brains.
The chalkboard at the local Coffee Bean
and Tea Leaf in Woodland Hills has sported a cryptic
message in recent weeks. Under all the usual promos
for double no-foam strawberry-mint Ice Blendeds was
this: "Wi-Fi coming March 7."
Wilfred Finnegan, live in performance?
No. For those of you still clacking away
on a Commodore 64, "Wi-Fi" stands for wireless
fidelity. It's the technology that allows people to
surf the Internet with no annoying plug-in phone lines
- at much faster speeds.
There's a quiet Wi-Fi revolution going
on in Los Angeles, and across the country. The only
indication for those not in the know are these small
signs popping up at coffeehouses, public libraries,
universities, airports and hotel rooms and even open
public spaces advertising "Wi-Fi available."
You may even live in a private Wi-Fi zone, as I do,
thanks to an unknowingly generous neighbor who hasn't
secured his or her Wi-Fi network.
Even the city is getting into the game
with a six-month trial of a free Wi-Fi zone at the Van
Nuys Civic Center around the Marvin Braude San Fernando
Valley Constituent Services Center, or the MBSFVCSC,
in conjunction with Woodland Hills company Aiirmesh
Communications. More city-sponsoredhot spots Latest
News about hot spot are planned downtown at Pershing
Square and Little Tokyo.
Los Angeles itself may become one big
hot spot one day soon. A panel of telecommunications
experts is expected to report this spring on the feasibility
of the city leading the creation of a citywide Wi-Fi
community network that every citizen in the city could
use for cheap or free.
It's already happening in Philadelphia,
which is launching the largest municipal hot spot in
a few weeks, and Chicago is toying with the Wi-Fi network
idea as well.
As this new wireless technology spreads
to every corner of the world, it's time that someone
ask the burning questions that are surely on everyone's
mind: "How does Wi-Fi work, and can it mess up
the molecular structure of my brain?"
Experts say not to break out the aluminum
hats quite yet. But I would keep them handy because
no one's 100 percent sure the low-intensity microwave
radio waves used by Wi-Fi networks aren't zapping our
brains. If the Wi-Fi technology does turn out to scramble
our memories or make us stupid, then we are already
doomed. Most of us are surrounded every day by things
that use the same technology, most notablycell phones
Latest News about cell phones, cordless phones and medical
devices.
As an Angeleno who lives with real threats
like smog, gang warfare, earthquakes, wildfires, landslides
and rush-hour traffic, I decided to fully embrace the
Wi-Fi movement. I wanted to be one of those happy people
plucking away on laptops at Starbucks Latest News about
Starbucks or Borders in between sips of cafe Americanos.
So I called up Terry Halberg, telecommunications
planner for the city of Los Angeles, to get me started
with a personal tour of the Van Nuys community Wi-Fi
zone. To prepare, I bought the cheapest wireless modem
card I could find for mylaptop Latest News about laptop
- $20 at Fry's.
The city's free Wi-Fi network itself is
not much to look at. It's as visual as radio. There's
not much to see other than the Wi-Fi routers placed
strategically inside meeting rooms and out on utility
polls on the streets surrounding the MBSFVCSC. The routers
are no bigger than a hardback Jackie Collins novel,
with two antennas on top and two on the bottom.
"It looks like a little robot guy,"
Halberg said. They beam the signal all around the area
and into the computers of anyone who wants to access
it.
Anyone with a laptop or PDA Latest News
about PDAs with wireless capability (such as my $20
card) can plop down anywhere around the Van Nuys Civic
Center/ Courthouse complex and log on for free to the
community network. Because the city is providing the
service, users must start at a registration page and
agree not to use the network to do illegal things such
as download child porn or sell unregistered firearms
to Third World countries, and not to sue if you get
hacked while online.
Logging into the Wi-Fi Community Network
hooks users up not just to the network but with anyone
else using it. This brings up more disturbing questions
such as, if my computer can pick up data from these
Wi-Fi waves, can data be sucked out of it the same way?
Yes, it can.
According to the nonprofit Wi-Fi Alliance's
Web site: "If your transmissions are not secure,
you take the risk of others intercepting your business
e-mails, examining your corporate files and records,
and using your network and Internet connection to distribute
their own messages and communications."
In other words, people can peek on what
you're looking at online as if they were looking over
your shoulder. That might not bother Net surfers who
limit their online travels to sites such as Howtoknit.com
or Allaboutmarsupials.net, but most people want their
Internet experiences to be private. If that's the case,
dial-up may still be the way to go until there's improved
security Latest News about Security for Wi-Fi networks.
That probably won't be too long. This revolution is
spreading in months, not years. And though it may not
be televised, it is definitely coming to a screen near
you.
|
