The following list summarizes the main benefits of using wireless technologies:

1. Completes the access technology portfolio: customers commonly use more than one access technology to service various parts of their network and during the migration phase of their networks, when upgrading occurs on a scheduled basis. Wireless enables a fully comprehensive access technology portfolio to work with existing dial, cable, and DSL technologies.
2. Goes where cable and fiber cannot: the inherent nature of wireless is that it doesn’t require wires or lines to accommodate the data/voice/video pipeline. As such, the system will carry information across geographical areas that are prohibitive in terms of distance, cost, access, or time. It also sidesteps the numerous issues of ILEC colocation.
3. Involves reduced time to revenue: companies can generate revenue in less time through the deployment of wireless solutions than with comparable access technologies because a wireless system can be assembled and brought online in as little as two to three hours.
4. Provides broadband access extension: wireless commonly both competes with and complements existing broadband access. Wireless technologies play a key role in extending the reach of cable, fiber, and DSL markets, and it does so quickly and reliably. It also commonly provides a competitive alternative to broadband wireline or provides access in geographies that don’t qualify for loop access.

Radio-frequency identification of products is one possible tool to combat theft, and the technology performed well in a new feasibility study on its use as a potential sales-floor theft-deterrent system. The study, conducted by researchers in the RFID Research Center at the University of Arkansas, demonstrated RFID’s usefulness in several shoplifting scenarios, including many items moving through a security/reader portal at a high rate of speed and many items stuffed into a “booster bag,” a traditional shopping bag lined with aluminum foil.

Bill Hardgrave, director of the research center and professor of information systems in the Sam M. Walton College of Business, announced the findings Sept. 10 at a two-day forum on item-level RFID hosted by the research center, the Voluntary Interindustry Commerce Solutions Association and the Council of Supply Chain Management Professionals.

“The most interesting data came from scenarios involving the booster bag and testers running through portals with many items,” Hardgrave said. “These scenarios included many multiple RFID tags, and we were able to obtain a great deal of information at the entry/exit portal.”

Researchers tested two types of ultra-high frequency, generation 2 RFID tags in various baseline and shoplifting scenarios. The tests involved comparisons to two conventional systems, acousto-magnetic and low-level radio-frequency electronic article surveillance, currently used in many retail stores.

In the baseline tests, the researchers experimented with various tag locations and orientations as the tags moved through portal readers. In each test, the RFID system performed as well as or better than the conventional systems. The specific strength of RFID, as demonstrated in the baseline tests, was its ability to capture individual tags at various locations and orientations. Perhaps more importantly, the RFID technology recorded the total number of individual tags, while the other technologies simply noted the presence of any tag in the read field.

“Because RFID can uniquely identify individual tags, it can provide information on the number of stolen items within a bag or the number of items held by a shoplifter,” Hardgrave said. “Conventional systems cannot uniquely identify individual tags, which means they can report only one item in a bag that may have 20 or 50 stolen items.

Advanced wireless LAN (WLAN) chipsets supplier Atheros Communications, Inc. announced that two of its WLAN reference designs have been Wi-Fi-certified for Wi-Fi Multimedia (WMM) by the Wi-Fi Alliance. Atheros’ dual-band access point and Universal 802.11a/b/g wireless network adapter reference designs have also been chosen for inclusion in the WMM certification test bed. WMM is the Wi-Fi Alliance’s new program that is based on a subset of the 802.11e standard, which provides Quality of Service (QoS) for wireless networks.
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“WMM is a core technology for interoperable QoS and support for enhanced multimedia capabilities. Organizations like Atheros that support this initiative are clearly committed to standards that benefit the industry. We look forward to their support in further deploying WMM solutions,” said Wi-Fi Alliance managing director, Frank Hanzlik. Atheros’ 802.11a/b/g client and access point reference designs will be used to test 802.11b, 802.11b/g, or 802.11a/b/g products that are submitted for certification of WMM. The Wi-Fi Alliance will indicate which products pass the interoperability tests. Wi-Fi-certified for WMM products ensure the ability to support high-bandwidth video, voice and data applications on the same wireless network. Additionally, these products transparently optimize the way shared network resources are allocated among two or more competing applications.

“We believe the Wi-Fi Alliance is laying an important foundation for the wireless industry to ensure QoS interoperability between different vendors’ products,” said Colin Macnab, vice president of marketing and business development of Atheros Communications. “By certifying products, the Wi-Fi Alliance will help people find wireless products that offer interoperable capabilities for audio and video delivery. Atheros fully supports the latest QoS features and the company will continue to innovate in areas that help us to deliver a better wireless user experience.

We first heard about Huawei’s E583X wireless modem back in February, and now the company has been showing it off at CommunicAsia in Singapore.  A MiFi rival, the E583X – also known as the i-Mo – packs an HSPA modem and WiFi router into a palm-sized battery powered box.

Runtime is tipped at up to 5hrs, after which the E583X recharges from a USB port.  You can also leave it plugged in and use it as a standard USB modem, though only with that one computer.  As with the MiFi it supports up to five simultaneous WiFi connections and has a microSD card slot, though the Huawei apparently only supports microSD access via direct USB connection, not by any WiFi client as on the MiFi.

Still, it looks to be a little smaller than the MiFi, which may sway some users who are short on space.  We’d say this one will come down to which carriers offer the Huawei and which plump for the Novatel rival; the E583X is set to land in Europe come July, though there’s no word on which networks have signed up.

The E583X does it differently because it’s able to send out a Wi-Fi signal that you connect to wirelessly (like at a hot spot) from your notebook. This means you can leave the device out of sight and not have something dangling from your slim, fashionable Netbook. A 1,500mAh battery powers the device, giving about five hours of wireless productivity. It charges via USB, and if you prefer, you can also use it plugged in to your notebook like regular HSDPA modems.

Now, freeing up a single USB port may not seem like a fantastic reason to pick this product over a regular USB modem. What’s more, your notebook will probably consume more battery power with Wi-Fi turned on. But variations of this product will allow up to five users running a single cellular connection, perfect for situations when others around you need to share your Internet access.

Like all of Huawei’s products, this one will be sold through mobile operators. It will first appear in Europe come July. Below is a quick hands-on video of the E583X.

Clever Association recognises the relationship between work environment and business performance. With effective use of the very latest technology, Clever Association works closely with clients to integrate systems which satisfy all their audio-visual and communication requirements.

Clever Association offer continued maintenance and support throughout a project, from design and consultancy through to installation and maintenance.
These are just a few of the services Clever Association offers to the corporate sector; all technology is integrated seamlessly to create stylish and aesthetically engaging business environments for offices, retail outlets, warehouses and also leisure facilities such as hotels and gyms.

Light and Blind Control - Pre-programmed settings on custom-made keypads mean the right light level is available for every possible activity. Light is adaptable to your requirements and the right setting can be found at the touch of an engraved keypad. This also has energy-saving properties as only the lights you need come on and a simple ‘all-off’ feature means nothing will get left on unnecessarily.

AV systems - Revolutionise your business communications with an audio-visual system. Get your message across a whole corporation without having to call a meeting with a media distribution hub. Gain maximum audience interaction by combining computers, projectors, sound speakers and lighting to work together in your meeting room.
Control and Automation - Hold complete control over all aspects of a building including heating, lighting, door entry, TV’s, digital signage, projectors and computers, all from a user-friendly touch screen interface.

HVAC - Heating and air conditioning control at your fingertips: alter by room or area to create a comfortable working environment.
Digital Signage and graphics - An effective advertisement tool where content can be updated from anywhere in the world, quickly and inexpensively.

Energy Efficiency - Save on bills with sophisticated technology that tells you where the most energy is being wasted so that you can take action.

For any queries about Clever Association corporate installations, please contact us and we will be happy to guide you through your options.