ScienceDaily: WiFi News

Making frequency-hopping radios practical

Wed, 15 May 2013 11:39:39 EDT

New hardware could lead to wireless devices that identify and exploit unused transmission frequencies, using radio spectrum much more efficiently.

Information technology: Improving the health of machines

Wed, 13 Mar 2013 11:17:17 EDT

Electronic engineers have developed and successfully tested a management system that increases the efficiency of wireless sensor networks for monitoring machine health.

Cloud-computing platform for robots launched

Mon, 11 Mar 2013 09:11:11 EDT

Researchers have developed a cloud-computing platform for robots. The platform allows robots connected to the Internet to directly access the powerful computational, storage, and communications infrastructure of modern data centers - the giant server farms behind the likes of Google, Facebook, and Amazon - for robotics tasks and robot learning.

Novel wireless brain sensor unveiled: Wireless, broadband, rechargeable, fully implantable

Thu, 28 Feb 2013 09:38:38 EST

In a significant advance for brain-computer interfaces, engineers have developed a novel wireless, broadband, rechargeable, fully implantable brain sensor that has performed well in animal models for more than a year.

A boost to your mobile signal

Fri, 25 Jan 2013 11:12:12 EST

When using your mobile phone, it doesn't take much to lose that precious signal - just turning a corner or riding on a train can be enough. New research is developing new technologies to eradicate those annoying 'black holes' in wireless coverage, while freeing up some mobile network capacity at the same time.

Wireless communication’s crystal ball

Wed, 05 Dec 2012 12:09:09 EST

By now, wireless connections like Wi-Fi and Bluetooth are just as commonplace in industry. Yet systems often interfere with one another as data is being exchanged. Now, "Awair" will not only detect available frequencies but will predict them, too.

Technology only a tool in search for solutions to poverty

Fri, 16 Nov 2012 16:10:10 EST

Technology can serve as a tool to bridge the digital divide, but it is unlikely to be a complete solution in helping people find jobs and escape poverty, according to a researcher.

Increasing efficiency of wireless networks: New method could have broad impacts on mobile Internet and wireless industries

Tue, 13 Nov 2012 15:13:13 EST

Researchers have developed a new method that doubles the efficiency of wireless networks and could have a large impact on the mobile Internet and wireless industries.

Is your utility meter getting personal?

Wed, 31 Oct 2012 11:07:07 EDT

As of 2010, more than a third of all utility meters in the United States used wireless automatic meter reading (AMR) technology -- 47 million in all. They make it a lot easier for the utility company to gather data on electricity, natural gas and water usage. But as a University of South Carolina research team has shown, it's possible for their unencrypted broadcasts to be intercepted, giving a sophisticated eavesdropper a window into household activities.

Wireless data at top speed

Mon, 08 Oct 2012 16:18:18 EDT

Whether it’s a wedding, birthday party or other celebration, these days the chances are you’ll have your camcorder with you to record the great occasion. But we often forget to bring the data cable along with us, so despite promising the hosts to transfer the images to their computer the morning after, we hardly ever do.

How to feed data-hungry mobile devices? Use more antennas

Thu, 23 Aug 2012 14:37:37 EDT

Researchers have just unveiled Argos, a new multi-antenna technology that could help wireless providers keep pace with the voracious demands of data-hungry smartphones and tablets. Argos aims to dramatically increase network capacity by allowing cell towers to simultaneously beam signals to more than a dozen customers on the same frequency.

Your wireless router could save lives in an emergency

Mon, 20 Aug 2012 09:36:36 EDT

An emergency communications system that could automatically piggyback on domestic wireless routers connected in urban locations could help first responders stay in touch even if cell phone towers and networks are down.

Smart wirelessly controlled power outlets

Thu, 02 Aug 2012 11:13:13 EDT

Many homeowners dream of being able to wash a load of laundry when the photovoltaic panels on the roof are delivering a maximum of electricity, even when they are not at home. A new Internet-enabled power outlet will soon allow users to control household appliances via their smartphone, and reduce their energy costs into the bargain.

Frog calls inspire a new algorithm for wireless networks

Tue, 17 Jul 2012 10:01:01 EDT

Males of the Japanese tree frog have learnt not to use their calls at the same time so that the females can distinguish between them. Scientists in Spain have used this form of calling behavior to create an algorithm that assigns colours to network nodes -- an operation that can be applied to developing efficient wireless networks.

Flexible channel width improves user experience on wireless systems

Mon, 04 Jun 2012 11:14:14 EDT

Researchers have developed a technique to efficiently divide the bandwidth of the wireless spectrum in multi-hop wireless networks to improve operation and provide all users in the network with the best possible performance.

Revolutionary chipset for high-speed wireless data transfer

Thu, 24 May 2012 12:29:29 EDT

Scientists have invented a revolutionary chipset for high-speed wireless data transfer, a new microchip that can transfer data the size of 80 MP3 song files (or 250 megabytes) wirelessly between mobile devices, 1000 times faster than Bluetooth.

Elusive capacity of networks: Calculating data network's total capacity notoriously difficult, but theorists making some headway

Tue, 15 May 2012 16:53:53 EDT

In its early years, information theory was dominated by research on error-correcting codes: How do you encode information so as to guarantee its faithful transmission, even in the presence of the corrupting influences engineers call "noise"? Recently, one of the most intriguing developments in information theory has been a different kind of coding, called network coding, in which the question is how to encode information in order to maximize the capacity of a network as a whole. For information theorists, it was natural to ask how these two types of coding might be combined: If you want to both minimize error and maximize capacity, which kind of coding do you apply where, and when do you do the decoding?

New twist on ancient math problem could improve medicine, microelectronics

Thu, 10 May 2012 13:27:27 EDT

A hidden facet of a math problem that goes back to Sanskrit scrolls has just been exposed by nanotechnology researchers.

Efficiency of multi-hop wireless networks boosted

Thu, 19 Apr 2012 10:25:25 EDT

Multi-hop wireless networks can provide data access for large and unconventional spaces, but they have long faced significant limits on the amount of data they can transmit. Now researchers have developed a more efficient data transmission approach that can boost the amount of data the networks can transmit by 20 to 80 percent.

Free apps drain smartphone energy on 'advertising modules'

Wed, 04 Apr 2012 14:43:43 EDT

Researchers have shown that popular free smartphone apps spend up to 75 percent of their energy tracking the user's geographical location, sending information about the user to advertisers and downloading ads.

Record-speed wireless data bridge demonstrated: Takes high-speed communications the 'last mile'

Mon, 27 Feb 2012 11:14:14 EST

Scientists have created a new way to overcome many of the issues associated with bringing high-speed digital communications across challenging terrain and into remote areas, commonly referred to as the "last mile" problem. The researchers developed a record-speed wireless data bridge that transmits digital information much faster than today's state-of-the-art systems.

Wireless power could revolutionize highway transportation

Wed, 01 Feb 2012 12:07:07 EST

A research team has designed a high-efficiency charging system that uses magnetic fields to wirelessly transmit large electric currents between metal coils placed several feet apart. The long-term goal of the research is to develop an all-electric highway that wirelessly charges cars and trucks as they cruise down the road.

New technology tightens cyber security

Fri, 06 Jan 2012 16:49:49 EST

A revolutionary new technology helps with cyber security.

The Internet Protocol IPv6: A universal language

Mon, 12 Dec 2011 09:27:27 EST

We are at the dawn of the age of IPv6, the Internet protocol that will succeed version 4, experts say. With 340 undecillion available addresses, IPv6 ensures that the Internet can continue growing and offers advantages in terms of stability, flexibility, and simplicity in network administration.

Reaching 99.999999999997 percent safety: Computer scientists present their concept for a wireless bicycle brake

Thu, 13 Oct 2011 08:51:51 EDT

Computer scientists in Germany have developed a wireless bicycle brake and demonstrated its efficiency on a so-called cruiser bike. Furthermore, they confirmed the brake system’s reliability through mathematical calculations that are also used in control systems for aircraft or chemical factories.

Smartphone battery life could dramatically improve with new invention

Thu, 15 Sep 2011 13:16:16 EDT

A new "subconscious mode" for smartphones and other WiFi-enabled mobile devices could extend battery life by as much as 54 percent for users on the busiest networks.

Shake, rattle and … power up? New device generates energy from small vibrations

Wed, 14 Sep 2011 12:26:26 EDT

Today's wireless-sensor networks can do everything from supervising factory machinery to tracking environmental pollution to measuring the movement of buildings and bridges. Working together, distributed sensors can monitor activity along an oil pipeline or throughout a forest, keeping track of multiple variables at a time. While uses for wireless sensors are seemingly endless, there is one limiting factor to the technology -- power. A new tiny energy harvester picks up a wider range of vibrations than current designs, and is able to generate 100 times the power of devices of similar size.

Breakthrough could double wireless capacity with no new towers

Tue, 06 Sep 2011 13:40:40 EDT

Engineering researchers have made a breakthrough that could allow wireless phone companies to double throughput on their networks without adding a single cell tower. The new "full-duplex" technology allows wireless devices like cell phones and electronic tablets to both "talk" and "listen" to wireless cell towers on the same frequency -- something that requires two frequencies today.

Simple security for wireless

Mon, 22 Aug 2011 11:17:17 EDT

Researchers have demonstrated the first wireless security scheme that can protect against "man-in-the-middle" attacks -- but doesn't require a password.

Ensuring reliable wireless alarm beacons for first responders

Wed, 17 Aug 2011 10:19:19 EDT

New tests are helping to ensure that wireless safety equipment such as alarm beacons for firefighters and other emergency responders will operate reliably in the presence of other wireless devices.

Power from the air: Device captures ambient electromagnetic energy to drive small electronic devices

Thu, 07 Jul 2011 13:15:15 EDT

Researchers have discovered a way to capture energy transmitted by such sources as radio and television transmitters and cell phone networks. By scavenging this ambient energy from the air around us, the technique could provide a new way to power networks of wireless sensors or other devices.

WiFi 'napping' doubles phone battery life

Thu, 30 Jun 2011 17:17:17 EDT

A graduate student has found a way to double the battery life of mobile devices -- such as smartphones or laptop computers -- by making changes to WiFi technology.

Greener disaster alerts: Low-energy wireless sensor networks warn of hurricanes, earthquakes

Mon, 27 Jun 2011 13:45:45 EDT

New software allows wireless sensor networks to run at much lower energy, according to researchers. The technology could improve efficiency for hurricane and other natural disaster warning systems.

Smartphone app helps you find friends in a crowd

Thu, 23 Jun 2011 13:09:09 EDT

Can a smartphone app enable meaningful, face-to-face conversation? Engineers are trying to find out, with software that helps people locate their friends in a crowd -- and make new friends who share similar interests.

'Ultrawideband' could be future of medical monitoring

Thu, 16 Jun 2011 19:37:37 EDT

New research has confirmed that an electronic technology called "ultrawideband" could hold part of the solution to an ambitious goal in the future of medicine -- health monitoring with sophisticated "body-area networks." Such networks would offer continuous, real-time health diagnosis to reduce the onset of degenerative diseases, save lives and cut health care costs.

Protecting medical implants from attack

Tue, 14 Jun 2011 15:45:45 EDT

A new system would jam wireless signals sent to medical implants by unauthorized users.

Nanotechnology circuits for wireless devices: First wafer-scale graphene integrated circuit smaller than a pinhead

Sat, 11 Jun 2011 08:20:20 EDT

Scientists have achieved a milestone in creating a building block for the future of wireless devices. Researchers have announced the first integrated circuit fabricated from wafer-size graphene, and demonstrated a broadband frequency mixer operating at frequencies up to 10 gigahertz (10 billion cycles/second).

Communicating in a crisis: Researchers devise new technique to help rescuers communicate after terrorist attacks

Thu, 09 Jun 2011 08:32:32 EDT

In the aftermath of the London bombings mobile phones and radios stopped working making the already tricky rescue operation even more difficult. Now experts have developed a solution to ensure breakdowns in communication are a thing of the past for emergency workers responding to disasters.

What's mine is virtually yours: Collaboration between mobile phone users can speed up communications

Wed, 23 Mar 2011 10:47:47 EDT

The problem of physically accommodating multiple antennas or multiple-input multiple-output (MIMO) technology in the latest consumer products is investigated in new research.

Bomb disposal robot getting ready for front-line action

Thu, 17 Mar 2011 13:14:14 EDT

The University of Greenwich has joined forces with a Kent-based company in the design and manufacture of a bomb disposal robot for use by security forces, including the British Army.

Student innovation transmits data and power wirelessly through submarine hulls

Mon, 07 Mar 2011 14:22:22 EST

Steel walls are no match for one doctoral student. He has developed and demonstrated an innovative new system that uses ultrasound to simultaneously transmit large quantities of data and power wirelessly through thick metal walls, like the hulls of ships and submarines.

Smartphones: Overcoming loss of connectivity

Mon, 28 Feb 2011 10:41:41 EST

New research has highlighted the problems of reduced sensitivity in wireless communications, along with developing new solutions to overcome the loss of connectivity.

Innovative SAW-less reconfigurable transceiver developed

Thu, 24 Feb 2011 09:17:17 EST

Researchers have developed a highly-linear reconfigurable transceiver, eliminating the need of surface acoustic wave (SAW) filters. The unique approach is a major breakthrough towards fully reconfigurable radios by relaxing the requirements of the antenna filters, which suffered today from limited flexibility due to the high filtering specs. The fully reconfigurable transceiver 'Scaldio' is compatible with multiple wireless standards including the fourth generation mobile broadband standard 3GPP-LTE.

Toward computers that fit on a pen tip: New technologies usher in the millimeter-scale computing era

Tue, 22 Feb 2011 12:19:19 EST

A prototype implantable eye pressure monitor for glaucoma patients is believed to contain the first complete millimeter-scale computing system.

3-D video without the goggles

Thu, 17 Feb 2011 08:30:30 EST

High-quality video communications capable of supporting flawless video conferencing and home entertainment without goggles could become a reality. Researchers in the UK are working on systems to support telepresence with the aid of three-dimensional 'Avatar-style' stereoscopic video and audio communications.

New wireless technology developed for faster, more efficient networks

Mon, 14 Feb 2011 15:55:55 EST

A new technology that allows wireless signals to be sent and received simultaneously on a single channel has been developed. The research could help build faster, more efficient communication networks, at least doubling the speed of existing networks.

Adapting technology to elderly people

Thu, 03 Feb 2011 08:14:14 EST

With the numbers of people aged 65 and over growing, the costs to the state to care for or assist them are set to continue rising across the European Union. With this backdrop, two companies have combined their differing expertise, to create a monitoring system with wireless touch screen devices that enables senior citizens to receive help and guidance at home and call for emergency assistance if required.

Engineers work to increase the speed and accessibility of future wireless systems

Mon, 24 Jan 2011 12:08:08 EST

Researchers have recently made great strides in the development of more reliable and efficient spectrum sensing techniques that will be needed to meet the ever-expanding demand for wireless technologies.

Looking for wireless? Try a local farm

Wed, 10 Nov 2010 11:30:30 EST

Wireless. For most, the word conjures images quaint coffee shops or busy airport lobbies -- places where people drop in to check on business or check in with other people. But increasingly "wireless" is showing up on the farm to help produce better crops, net more money for growers and land a superior product in stores for consumers, according to experts. Wireless agriculture is yielding benefits in rice and cotton.

Broadband coming wirelessly to Australia's bush

Wed, 03 Nov 2010 10:20:20 EDT

A major breakthrough in wireless technology designed to bring broadband to people living beyond the optical fiber network has been unveiled in Australia.

Lastest graphene research could lead to improvements in bluetooth headsets and other devices

Mon, 18 Oct 2010 13:14:14 EDT

Researchers have built and successfully tested an amplifier made from graphene that could lead to more efficient circuits in electronic chips, such as those used in Bluetooth headsets and toll collection devices in cars.

Monitoring your health with your mobile phone

Tue, 05 Oct 2010 08:55:55 EDT

Researchers in Belgium have developed a mobile heart monitoring system that allows to view your electrocardiogram on an Android mobile phone. The innovation is a low-power interface that transmits signals from a wireless ECG (electrocardiogram or heart monitoring)-sensor system to an android mobile phone.

Health care using telephone and telemonitoring technology benefits heart failure patients

Sun, 08 Aug 2010 21:28:28 EDT

Providing patients with chronic heart failure access to remote monitoring, for example by telephone or telemonitoring using wireless technology, reduces deaths and hospitalizations and may provide benefits on health care costs and quality of life. These are the conclusions of a new review by an international team of researchers.

Wireless vs. wireless

Tue, 22 Jun 2010 14:25:25 EDT

3G and Wi-Fi are the two main mobile communications technologies today, but until recently they have been complementary services, the former offering users network access through cellphone masts forming a wide-area network (WAN), the latter based on hot-spot connections through a local-area network (LAN). Both then provide connectivity to the web, email and other services.

Cognitive baseband radio to support 4G and broadband access to multiple services

Wed, 09 Jun 2010 09:46:46 EDT

A cognitive baseband radio (COBRA) architecture has been introduced targeting 4G requirements at up to 1Gbit/s throughput and multiple asynchronous concurrent streams (for instance simultaneous digital broadcasting reception and high-speed internet access). The low-cost, flexible architecture answers a new trend in wireless communication where terminals give their users ubiquitous broadband access to a multitude of services.

Interoperability: A revolution in personal telecommunications

Mon, 31 May 2010 08:26:26 EDT

Homes no longer need to be riddled with cables, nor do we need to battle with complicated technological devices anymore. This thanks to EnComPas-2, a European research project developed through the EUREKA initiative for innovation and providing a pioneering solution to manage our communications needs and anticipate the future of telecom technologies.

Wireless monitoring of patients

Wed, 26 May 2010 11:13:13 EDT

A wireless monitoring system for people with debilitating conditions such as Parkinson's disease or chronic obstructive pulmonary disorder could allow health-care workers to assess a patient's health and the development of their disease without hindering their movements.

Danger in the internet cafe? New computer security threat for wireless networks: Typhoid adware

Fri, 21 May 2010 19:14:14 EDT

There's a potential threat lurking in your internet café, say computer science researchers. It's called Typhoid adware and works in similar fashion to Typhoid Mary, the first identified healthy carrier of typhoid fever who spread the disease to dozens of people in the New York area in the early 1900s.

Wireless health care for diabetes

Thu, 01 Apr 2010 10:09:09 EDT

Online communities could easily be used to offer people with chronic illnesses, such as diabetes , wireless health care services via mobile phones and the Internet. The approach would reduce health care costs and empower many patients to manage their condition more effectively.

Piping wireless into the home

Mon, 15 Mar 2010 23:00:00 EDT

Besides carrying digital data, optical fibers can also transmit radio signals for wireless communication. So-called "radio-over-fiber" technology has been used to provide access to radio dead zones, but new research is looking into using this technology to broadcast wireless closer to home.