Wi-Fi

Google released information today that the U.S. Justice Department investigation into the company's use of wireless networks while working on the Street View project closed as of last May.

This information comes within a report that the Internet giant filed with the Federal Communications Commission today, according to Bloomberg. The Justice Department decided, "it would not pursue a case for violation of the Wiretap Act," Google said in the filing.

There have been a handful of government investigations into how Google's Street View cars collected the personal and private data of individuals via wireless networks … Read more

Nokia's Lumia 710 and 800 phones may be one step closer to gaining the ability to act as Wi-Fi hot spots, though the company itself isn't confirming or revealing any details on the matter.

A changelog of the latest update posted by Nokiapoweruser seems to reveal that the tethering feature will be rolling out for phones in Belgium, the Netherlands, and Vietnam. Screenshots of the update point to the 710 and 800C (the Chinese variant of the 800) as the recipients of the update.

No specific date was listed as to when the update would actually launch. Nokiapoweruser … Read more

Smartphone users now face another way of being located.

Navizon I.T.S. (Indoor Triangulation System) is a new system from the location services company that can track the whereabouts of people in public places through their phones and other Wi-Fi devices. Geared toward retail stores, shopping malls, museums, office buildings, and similar spots, the technology can be used for security and surveillance or just to measure the traffic patterns in a certain area.

The company poses a few specific ways in which the system can come into play, including monitoring approved Wi-Fi devices in a secure area, locating Wi-Fi … Read more

A few years ago, digital cameras with built-in Wi-Fi didn't make that much sense. It was basically no better than using a USB cable, and a really slow one at that.

Now, though, the time is right. With more people packing smartphones and mobile hot spots, a camera with Wi-Fi will give you the control, flexibility, and quality of a dedicated camera with the capability to back up to cloud services, computer, or mobile device while you shoot, or share shots online without offloading to a computer first.

It's a golden opportunity to combat some of the drop-off caused by smartphones and households that already have one or more cameras. And most camera manufacturers do have at least one Wi-Fi camera in their lineups this year or increased support for Eye-Fi wireless SD cards.

However, it seems like they still don't understand how to sell Wi-Fi to consumers and make it a compelling reason to buy a camera.

Here's a brief list of what I see is going wrong and what camera makers need to do.… Read more

A U.S. congressman and an Internet privacy group are calling for further scrutiny of Google's Street View street-mapping service, which collected and stored data from unencrypted wireless networks.

Google's Street View cars, which were supposed to collect the locations of Wi-Fi access points, also inadvertently collected data about people's online activities from unsecured Wi-Fi networks for four years.

"The circumstances surrounding Google's surreptitious siphoning of personal information leave many unanswered questions," Rep. Edward J. Markey, a Massachusetts Democrat, said in a statement today. "I believe Congress should immediately hold a hearing to … Read more

Apple is investigating Wi-Fi connection issues on the new iPad, according to a report at 9to5Mac.

The Apple-centric Web site has posted what it says is an AppleCare internal document citing "intermittent connectivity...slow Wi-Fi speeds...[and] Wi-Fi network not seen."

At the top, the document states in red, "Issue/Investigation in Progress" and, under that, "Products Affected, iPad (3rd generation)."

Retail stores and "contact centers" are instructed to "capture" third-generation iPads if they exhibit any Wi-Fi issues, according to the document. In this case, capture refers to picking up … Read more

While Netgear and D-Link introduced their approaches to app-supporting and cloud-enabled networking products at CES 2012, Cisco, which didn't have anything to announce at CES, turns out to be the first to materialize the new concepts.

Cisco today unveiled a line of Linksys Smart Wi-Fi routers that promises to change the face, and the body, of home networking.

The Linksys EA4500, EA3500, and EA2700 -- the "A" designation being short for "app-enabled" -- look like models in the earlier E Series but have more-powerful hardware and support Cisco Connect Cloud, the next generation of Cisco … Read more

For frequent and infrequent travelers alike, nothing beats the convenience of a mobile hot spot.

Folks who travel a lot will probably want something with unlimited data and 4G service, but occasional users may want to consider a more affordable solution.

Here's one: DataJack has the MiFi 2200 mobile hot spot for $49.99, plus around $10 for shipping, when you use coupon code DEALNEWS1.

That purchase also entitles you to a free month of service, albeit with DataJack's low-end, 200MB data plan. Thankfully, there's no contract here, so you can let your service expire if you … Read more

Besides basic divisions in hardware and software, there are some major differences in the way iPhone and Android platform smartphone users ingest data, a new study says.

According to market research firm ComScore, iPhone owners in both the U.S. and the U.K. consumed more of their data over Wi-Fi and their carrier's wireless signal than smartphone users on Google's Android platform during the month of February.

As part of its Device Essentials study released today, ComScore said that 71 percent the U.S. users on iPhones use both cellular and Wi-Fi networks, versus 32 percent of … Read more