Mobile infrastructure must catch up with user needs and demands. Ubiquitous mobile computing is all around us. Some time in the next six months, the number of smartphones on earth will pass the number of PCs. As the power and capability of many mobile devices increases, the increased demand on networks. We watch more videos, and listen to music on our phones. Mobile Data Traffic To Grow 300% Globally By 2017 Led By Video, Web Use. Mobile network operators would have had an easier life if it wasn’t for smartphones and the flood of data traffic they initiated, and soon there will be also very many Internet of Things devices. Businesses and consumers want more bandwidth for less money.
More and more network bandwidth is being used by video: Netflix And YouTube Account For Over 50% Of Peak Fixed Network Data In North America. Netflix remains the biggest pig in the broadband python, representing 31.6% of all downstream Internet traffic in North America during primetime. In other parts of the world, YouTube is the biggest consumer of bandwidth. In Europe, YouTube represented of 28.7% of downstream traffic.
Gartner: Top 10 Strategic Technology Trends For 2014 expects that Software Defined Anything is a new mega-trend in data centers. Software-defined anything (SDx) is defined by “improved standards for infrastructure programmability and data center interoperability driven by automation inherent to cloud computing, DevOps and fast infrastructure provisioning.” Dominant vendors in a given sector of an infrastructure-type may elect not to follow standards that increase competition and lower margins, but end-customer will benefit from simplicity, cost reduction opportunities, and the possibility for consolidation. More hype around Software-Defined-Everything will keep the marketeers and the marchitecture specialists well employed for the next twelve months but don’t expect anything radical.
Software defined technologies are coming quickly to telecom operator networks with Network Functions Virtualisation (NFV). Intel and rather a lot of telcos want networks to operate like data centres. Today’s networks are mostly based around proprietary boxes designed to do very specific jobs. It used to be that way in the server business too until cheap generic x86 boxes took most of the market. The idea in NFV is that low-cost x86 servers can successfully many of those those pricey proprietary boxes currently attached to base-stations and other parts of the network. This scents a shift in the mood of the telcos themselves. This change is one that they want, and rather a lot of them are working together to make it happen. So the future mobile network will have more and more x86 and ARM based generic computing boxes running on Linux.
With the introduction of Network Functions Virtualisation base stations will have new functions built into them. For example NSN has announced a mobile edge computing platform that enables mobile base stations to host data and run apps. Think of this as an internet cloud server that’s really close to the customer.
Hybrid Cloud and IT as Service Broker are talked about. Telecom companies and cloud service providers are selling together service packages that have both connectivity and cloud storage sold as single service. Gartner suggests that bringing together personal clouds and external private cloud services is essential.
The type of device one has will be less important, as the personal or public cloud takes over some of the role. The push for more personal cloud technologies will lead to a shift toward services and away from devices, but there are also cases where where there is a great incentive to exploit the intelligence and storage of the client device. Gartner suggests that now through 2018, a variety of devices, user contexts, and interaction paradigms will make “everything everywhere” strategies unachievable, although many would like to see this working.
“Internet of Things” gets more push. The Internet is expanding into enterprise assets and consumer items such as cars and televisions. The concept of “Internet of Things” will evolve a step toward The Internet of Everything. Gartner identifies four basic usage models that are emerging: Manage, Monetize, Operate, Extend. The Internet of Things (IoT) will evolve into the Web of Things, increasing the coordination between things in the real world and their counterparts on the Web. The Industrial Internet of Things will be talked about. IoT takes advantage of mobile devices’ and sensors’ ability to observe and monitor their environments
Car of the future is M2M-ready and has Ethernet. Many manufacturers taking an additional step to develop vehicle connectivity. One such example is the European Commission’s emergency eCall system, which is on target for installation in every new car by 2015.
Smart Home Systems Are on the Rise article tells that most automated technology is found in commercial buildings that feature automated lighting that changes in intensity depending on the amount of sunlight present. Some of these buildings have WiFi incorporated into their lighting systems. There will be new and affordable technology on the market, but people today are still reluctant to bring automation to their homes.
1,803 Comments
Tomi Engdahl says:
AT&T expands GoPhone prepaid plans to tablets, iPad mini and iPad 3 supported
http://9to5mac.com/2014/06/06/att-expands-gophone-prepaid-plans-to-tablets-ipad-mini-and-ipad-3-supported/
and iPad 3 supported
Apple-iPad-event-2013 2013-10-22 at 2.06.20 PM
In addition to announcing a trio of new Android tablets, AT&T has also announced that it is expanding its GoPhone prepaid plans to support a handful of tablets, including the iPad mini and iPad 3. The GoPhone plans work by purchasing a $10 GoPhone SIM Kit then choosing a pre-paid data plan for your device.
Tomi Engdahl says:
Where Personal Computing is Morphing Into the Age of Smart Things
Innovative Technology
http://iq.intel.com/where-personal-computing-is-morphing-into-the-age-of-smart-things/
If Twitter is an indication, the Internet is getting a lot more action from people living in the Asia-Pacific region. It’s something that many believe reflects the region’s influence on the global pace of technology innovation, ranging from mobile devices to smart cities.
This shift could be analogous to Asia’s rising role in the future of the Internet and devices that connect to it. This region, which for decades has played a key role in the proliferation of personal computing, is rapidly moving into the creation and distribution of technology behind the success of Twitter and so many things on the Internet
“There’s an explosion of mobile devices here similar to rest of the world,” said Bryant, but he sees Asia reacting more quickly than other regions.
Asia Pacific is the world’s most exciting mobile market because of its young population, economic growth and how mobility is central to the lives of people living there, according to Charles Reed Anderson, head of Telecoms & Mobility, IDC Asia-Pacific.
“We are in the midst of an amazing transformation,”
“In the Associate of South East Asia Nations, we are seeing a huge growth in mobile commerce, with some leading eCommerce vendors reporting that between 20% – 40% of all their transactions come from mobile devices.”
Demographics throughout the region skew toward younger people, said Bryant.
“They are extremely mobile, very social, like to share information, photos and content with family and friends. They are very, very active on the Internet.”
For many living in those regions, their first Internet experience is on a mobile device, and increasingly it’s on a phablet.
“Often their first Internet capable device has all broadband and voice with a larger screen. It becomes a decent tool for social, browsing and sharing,” said Bryant.
Innovation in Asia is not all about smartphones, laptops, tablets and phablets. Bryant is seeing a sudden rise new wearable devices, including some prototypes that pop into his view while visiting parts of his region.
“I’ve seen some pretty amazing watches,”
Asia is home to the most mega cities and is experiencing the fastest urbanization process in the world
Tomi Engdahl says:
Samsung Joins Medical Revolution
http://www.eetimes.com/document.asp?doc_id=1322646&
Young Sohn has joined the digital medical revolution. He is building a platform for devices and apps that let consumers manage their fitness and ultimately, he hopes, their healthcare.
At a developer conference in San Francisco this fall Sohn will publish hardware interfaces for Simband, an open specification for a bracelet that can accommodate a wide array of fitness and medical sensors. At the event he also will release software interfaces for writing programs and cloud services for the platform.
An alpha version of the Simband is already in the hands of about ten developers, mainly startup companies. Sohn is also courting giants such as sensor maker Bosch whom he planned to visit on a swing through Europe.
“Think of it as Google Glass, our view of a wearable platform,” said Sohn.
Of course, Google already has its own recently announced platform called Android Wear. Sohn says Simband is not specifically tied to Android but will use Tizen and other mobile Linux variants including one developed by a software partner in England called TicTrac.
Samsung formally launched its initiative just days before Apple launched HealthKit and HomeKit, medical and home automation APIs in its iOS version 8.
Samsung may be a bit late to the revolution but it brings big guns and will attract followers
Tomi Engdahl says:
SIMBAND
http://www.samsung.com/us/globalinnovation/innovation_areas/
Samsung Simband is not a product. It’s a reference design. It’s our concept of what a smart health device should be. Devices based on the Simband platform will be able to gather vital diagnostic information – from your heart rate to your skin’s electrical conductivity, 24 hours a day, seven days a week.
We’re Opening the Ecosystem
Samsung Architecture Multimodal Interactions (S.A.M.I.) will be a data broker that will enable wearable devices like those based on Simband to upload information to the cloud. From there, developers can access the data and leverage it to create entirely new applications. S.A.M.I. will be the first truly secure, open, diverse data platform of its kind.
Tomi Engdahl says:
Ayla IoT Design Kit with MuRata WiFi
http://www.eeweb.com/company-news/mouser/ayla-iot-design-kit-with-murata-wifi/
Mouser Electronics, Inc announce the new Ayla Design Kit with MuRata Wireless WiFi connectivity. The new DevKit and design allows designers and developers to securely connect their devices to the internet anywhere with an internet connection.
Wireless connectivity is supported by a powerful Murata Type-YD 2.4GHz 802.11b/g/n radio module supporting WEP, WPA-PSK, and WPA2-PSK encryption. The Murata Type-YD module includes a TCP/IP stack, security firmware, and other network application features. Murata’s Wi-Fi module mounted on Ayla’s design kit allows devices to be securely controlled using OAuth-based authentication from anywhere in the world. Developers can use these technologies to provide interactive control of industrial systems, lighting applications, HVAC, and more, all with minimal modifications to existing systems.
“The rapidly expanding IoT market offers significant opportunities, particularly when it comes to Cloud connectivity,”
“Today’s internet connects our homes, computers, and mobile devices,”
“Tomorrow’s internet has the potential to connect us in ways that will enhance our lives while bringing us closer.”
Tomi Engdahl says:
Bechtolsheim’s baby Arista Networks soars in stock market debut
Networking firm mints big bucks as Cisco execs stare in blank terror at stock screens
http://www.theregister.co.uk/2014/06/06/arista_networks_ipo/
Arista Networks has gained in its stock market debut, likely causing some employees at networking giant Cisco’s competitive intelligence team to put together some slides on what the implications of a wealthy, publicly-listed competitor are for networking incumbents.
Arista’s stock increased 33 per cent on its debut day to $57 per share from an opening price of $43 per share, bringing in $225.8m dollars for the company.
Arista Networks makes networking equipment that is used by choosy, technically sophisticated customers such as Facebook, Equinix, Rackspace, and others.
It represents a threat to traditional network companies like Cisco, Juniper, and Brocade because it has always specialized in developing the software for its products independently of its hardware
Tomi Engdahl says:
Internet access for all
Google’s satellites aim to put the whole world online
http://www.electronicproducts.com/RF_and_Microwave_Components/RF_and_Microwave/Internet_access_for_all.aspx
Google reportedly plans to launch 180 low-flying satellites, at an estimated cost of up to $3 billion, in order to bring Internet access to all parts of the world.
Undoubtedly, this project’s success would help Google both financially, as they will possibly be able to double their traffic with the success of this project, and with their public image, as they would be the company providing Internet connectivity to previously unconnected places. There is no guarantee, however, that this project will be as successful as Google hopes, or that it will succeed at all.
Roger Rusch, from TelAstra, Inc., a satellite-industry consulting firm, believes that Google’s project will cost them far more than their current estimate of $1 to $3 billion. After all, ideas like this one have failed in the past. For example, Teledesic LLC attempted a very similar satellite project in the 1990s. It ended up costing more than $9 billion, and the company eventually stopped assembly in 2002.
Despite these caveats, Google does have reason to be confident in its project. They are currently in the midst of their fairly successful Project Loon, which was started in 2013 and aims to establish a “ring of uninterrupted connectivity around the 40th southern parallel so that pilot testers at this level can receive continuous service via balloon- powered Internet.” Google also recently bought Titan Aerospace, a company that uses drones to provide connectivity,
Google has also invested in satellite-communications startup O3b Networks Ltd
Tomi Engdahl says:
Wi-Fi G Demo Board
http://www.microchip.com/Developmenttools/ProductDetails.aspx?PartNO=DV102412&utm_source=Hearst_Electronic+Products&utm_medium=300×250&utm_term=DisplayAd&utm_content=MCU32&utm_campaign=Wi-Fi+G+Demo+Board
The Wi-Fi® G Demo Board is a compact demonstration platform for customers to easily evaluate and configure Microchip’s new MRF24WG0MA Wi-Fi module. The demo board is a fully-functional standalone web server powered by 2 AAA batteries. It comes with a PIC32 pre-programmed with the Microchip TCP/IP stack, connected to an onboard, fully-certified MRF24WG0MA Wi-Fi module.
Tomi Engdahl says:
Florida DoT picks Moxa Ethernet switches for intelligent traffic systems
http://www.cablinginstall.com/articles/2014/06/florida-dot-picks-moxa-ethernet.html
Moxa (Brea, CA) announced that, following extensive site performance reviews and environmental testing, the Florida Department of Transportation (FDOT) has added the company’s EDS managed field Ethernet switches to the state’s Approved Product List (APL). By adding the Moxa EDS Series to its APL, the FDOT has approved the switches’ use for Intelligent Transportation Systems (ITS) on the streets and highways of Florida.
With EDS Series Ethernet switches, the state of Florida and its counties, cities and departments will aim to improve the efficiency and safety of the region’s transportation infrastructure, including signal control systems, electronic toll collection, advanced parking systems, automatic vehicle identification, and video surveillance systems.
Tomi Engdahl says:
Report: WLAN infrastructure sales sputter as 802.11ac takes hold
http://www.cablinginstall.com/articles/2014/06/delloro-wlan-sputters-under-11ac.html
A recently published report by networking and telecommunications industry analyst Dell’Oro Group reveals that the wireless LAN (WLAN) market grew six percent in the first quarter 2014 versus the year-ago period.
“We expect that as the 802.11n, 3G offload and smartphone and tablet-driven cycles that drove growth in previous years fade, new drivers will emerge such as 802.11ac, the Internet of Things (IoT) and new service provider initiatives,”
“While 802.11ac-based devices are experiencing significant growth, these represent too small a percent of total units to drive the industry faster than in prior quarters,”
Tomi Engdahl says:
Industrial Internet Consortium expands
http://www.cablinginstall.com/articles/2014/05/industrial-internet-consortium-expands.html
Moxa, Inc. (Brea, CA), a manufacturer of industrial networking, computing, and automation systems, announced its membership in the Industrial Internet Consortium (IIC). The IIC is a non-profit partnership of industry, government and academia formed to accelerate the global use of interconnected devices, intelligent analytics and people. Moxa is one of the first industrial automation companies to join the consortium.
AT&T (NYSE: T), Cisco (NASDAQ: CSCO), GE (NYSE: GE), IBM (NYSE: IBM), and Intel (NASDAQ: INTC) formed the IIC earlier this year with the stated goal “to support better access to data with improved integration of the physical and digital worlds.”
Tomi Engdahl says:
Report: Ethernet Switch market drops nearly $1 billion
http://www.cablinginstall.com/articles/2014/06/delloro-ethernet-switch-market-drops.html
According to a recent report by the telecommunications and networking industries analyst Dell’Oro Group, the Layer 2-3 Ethernet switch market declined nearly $1 billion sequentially in the first quarter of 2014 to just over $5 billion.
“Several factors caused 1Q14 to deliver the second worst first quarter on record for the Ethernet Switch market,” explains Alan Weckel, vice president of Ethernet Switch market research at Dell’Oro Group. “Campus switching continues to struggle as many customers look towards wireless connectivity; data center switching paused as Cisco’s Nexus 9000 product transition continued; and stronger than usual seasonality all caused the market to weaken.”
Tomi Engdahl says:
Could POF be ‘disruptive technology’ for high-speed data, video?
http://www.cablinginstall.com/articles/2014/06/igi-disruptive-pof-report.html
IGI Consulting, Inc. (IGI) has announced a major update of its widely accepted report on the plastic optical fiber (POF) market. The researcher’s Plastic Optical Fiber Market & Technology Assessment Study – 2014 Edition claims that developments in the past several years have propelled POF as a leading contender with copper wire for high speed data and video applications.
Based on recent developments in the industrial controls, consumer electronics, and automotive applications, IGI forecasts major growth and opportunities in the POF market.
According to IGI, major factors behind this sharp increase in market demand are the need for lower-cost interconnections, increased performance requirements (higher speeds), introduction of digital electronics, electromagnetic noise and interference, and the development of standards.
Tomi Engdahl says:
Apple’s smart home plan rumored to be a boring certification program
http://www.engadget.com/2014/05/29/apples-smart-home-program-meh/?ncid=rss_truncated&cps=gravity
When rumors of Apple’s smart home efforts broke Monday, expectations for the future of home automation began to soar.
It seems that the focus of the program is to certify those smart devices that are scattered around residences rather than building automation controls into iOS or some such.
Tomi Engdahl says:
A tiny technical change in iOS 8 could stop marketers spying on you
http://qz.com/218437/a-tiny-technical-change-in-ios-8-could-stop-marketers-spying-on-you/
Whenever you walk around a major Western city with your phone’s Wi-Fi turned on, you are broadcasting your location to government agencies, marketing companies and location analytics firms.
In shopping malls, for instance, a firm called Euclid Analytics collects, in its own words, “the presence of the device, its signal strength, its manufacturer (Apple, Samsung, etc.), and a unique identifier known as its Media Access Control (MAC) address.”
At the core of such tracking is the MAC address, a unique identification number tied to each device.
Even though stores may not mine this data to try to identify individuals, there are plenty of legitimate privacy concerns about the data collection, especially since people tend to be unaware that it is happening.
Apple’s solution, as discovered by a programmer, is for iOS 8, the new operating system for iPhones which will be out later this year, to generate a random MAC addresses while scanning for networks. That means that companies and agencies that collect such information will not necessarily know when the same device (i.e., person) visits a store twice, or that the same device pops up in stores across the country or the world, suggesting a much-travelled owner.
But while Apple’s move is good for its customers and for their privacy, it is not an invisibility cloak.
Tomi Engdahl says:
Netflix to suspend its controversial ISP error messages
http://gigaom.com/2014/06/09/netflix-to-suspend-its-controversial-isp-error-messages/
No more finger-pointing from Netflix, at least not within its apps: The streaming service is suspending a controversial congestion notice program.
Tomi Engdahl says:
Bluetooth Low Energy Wireless Network Processor
http://www.eeweb.com/company-news/mouser/bluetooth-low-energy-wireless-network-processor/
The new Bluetooth low energy, wireless network processor is an embedded bluetooth with low energy stack operating at a supply voltage of 2.0 to 3.6 V. It has an integrated linear regulator and an excellent RF link budget (up to 96 dB).
The new STMicroelectronics BlueNRG Bluetooth Low Energy Wireless Network Processor
The entire Bluetooth low energy stack runs on the embedded Cortex‑M0 core. 64 kBytes of Flash memory allows the Bluetooth stack to be upgraded in the field, and the on‑chip 12 kBytes of RAM provides plenty of overhead for running the BLE stack in a high traffic environment. The on‑chip RF transceiver is compliant to the Bluetooth 4.0 specification and to regulations for transmitting over the unlicensed 2.4 GHz band. To speed product approval, the transceiver is compliant with the following RF regulations: ETSI EN 300 328, EN 300 440, FCC CFR47 Part 15, and ARIB STD-T66. The RF transceiver requires very few external components while keeping peak current below 15 mA.
Tomi Engdahl says:
Cisco pitches small cells into BYOD-heavy enterprises
Seeks partners for nanocell biz
http://www.theregister.co.uk/2014/06/10/cisco_pitches_small_cells_into_byodheavy_enterprises/
With the acquisition of UK small-cell outfit Ubiquisys completed last month, The Borg’s next step is to line up the channel, and to that end, it’s announced a partner program to help carriers convince companies they need indoor 3G/4G cells on their campuses.
The Cisco Small Cell Enterprise Select program is designed to pitch a bunch of products into enterprise networks, based on their ability to connect to infrastructure companies already have in place to serve their WiFi networks.
Power and backhaul for the small cells are provided by boxes like the Cisco USC 7000, with modular plug-ins for the Aironet 3600 or Cisco 3700 WiFi access points. With the 3G or 4G small cell in place, it then runs traffic over the existing enterprise network back to the mobile carrier.
The point is to get into the “mobile offload” business that Cisco – and many others – believe is going to be a Big Thing in the near future.
Tomi Engdahl says:
Quantum teleportation gets reliable at Delft
‘Einstein wrong!’ is always so popular
http://www.theregister.co.uk/2014/06/02/quantum_teleportation_gets_reliable_at_delft/
A research group at Delft University of Technology has set the lesser-brained among the world’s science writers in an absolute tizz by demonstrating what it describes as reliable quantum teleportation.
Of course, mention quantum phenomena like entanglement (and therefore teleportation) and the only angle anyone can think of is “Einstein was wrong”, as if the whole idea were new.
Unless they’re completely off beam and think this is the first quantum teleportation ever.
Its paper, published at Science (abstract) and available in pre-print version at Arxiv, claims not to be the first information teleportation, but rather the first reliable teleportation.
Getting quantum-scale particles – electrons, photons, or even atoms – entangled is difficult, separating them is difficult, measuring their state is difficult, and most of all, preserving entanglement in the presence of noise is difficult.
That makes error rates a problem: noise destroys entanglement, and if you’re communicating information via quantum states, that might mean dozens of states have to be prepared and measured.
Reliable “single-shot” entanglement measurements would therefore make quantum communications systems operate at much higher bitrates than today.
The Delft group, led by professor Ronald Hanson, are laying claim to reliable information teleportation between qubit pairs separated by three metres.
As Hanson says in the release, “The unique thing about our method is that the teleportation is guaranteed to work 100 per cent. The information will always reach its destination, so to speak. And, moreover, the method also has the potential of being 100 per cent accurate.”
The research group used electrons in diamonds on chips separated in the lab.
The next step will be to extend the distance to 1,300 metres within the Delft campus, the group says.
Tomi Engdahl says:
Crack Telstra Cabling SquadTM goes all Tarzan to restore internet
No conduit? No worries! We’ll build an Internet of Trees!
http://www.theregister.co.uk/2014/06/09/laying_cables_telstrastyle/
It wasn’t water that killed things, but lightning: 130-plus metres of cable was scorched. The cable was direct-buried, meaning there was no convenient conduit through which a new cable could be dragged.
What follows documents the Crack Telstra Cabling SquadTM strategy
Vulture South has been told that this arrangement is temporary and that a Crack Telstra Cabling SquadTM will one day return. Numerous reports suggest that visit could be many months away.
Tomi Engdahl says:
WTF is NET NEUTRALITY, anyway? And how can we make everything better?
Ignore those beardies – here are the facts
http://www.theregister.co.uk/2014/05/09/net_neutrality_explained_and_how_to_get_a_better_internet/
Tomi Engdahl says:
Nokia makes big play for small cells with Mesaplexx buy
Nokia’s (NYSE:NOK) acquisition of Mesaplexx is a strategic move in line with new CEO and president Rajeev Suri’s plan to acquire smaller firms that will fill gaps in Nokia’s product portfolio.
Read more: Nokia makes big play for small cells with Mesaplexx buy – FierceWirelessTech http://www.fiercewireless.com/tech/story/nokia-makes-big-play-small-cells-mesaplexx-buy/2014-06-08#ixzz34Eg3EY2R
Tomi Engdahl says:
Google Weighs a Plunge into Mobile Phone Services
https://www.theinformation.com/Google-Plots-Plunge-into-Mobile-Phone-Services
After thrusting itself into competition with U.S. cable operators, Google is inching closer to competing with wireless carriers, too.
Tomi Engdahl says:
Google reportedly wants to launch its own wireless network
http://www.theverge.com/2014/4/3/5578100/google-reportedly-mulling-its-own-wireless-network-in-fiber-cities
176
inShare
Google is reportedly considering running its own wireless network. Sources tell The Information that company executives have been discussing a plan to offer wireless service in areas where it’s already installed Google Fiber high-speed internet. Details are vague, but there are hints that it’s interested in becoming a mobile virtual network operator or MVNO, buying access to a larger network at wholesale rates and reselling it to customers. Sources say that Google spoke to Verizon about the possibility in early 2014, and that it talked to Sprint about a similar possibility in early 2013, before the company was officially acquired by Softbank.
Currently, Fiber networks have been built in Kansas City, Missouri and Provo, Utah; a network is planned in Austin, Texas in the near future. Google also hopes to expand into Atlanta, Georgia; Portland, Oregon; San Jose, California; and six other metro areas further down the line. Fiber has already put pressure on other broadband carriers
The Information speculates that Google’s wireless network could depend partly on Wi-Fi access points built on the Fiber network, relying on carriers only when service is unavailable or insufficient. AT&T already uses this strategy, easing congestion by transferring users to Wi-Fi hotspots, and Google reached a partnership with Starbucks last year to provide internet access through 7,000 hotspots.
Tomi Engdahl says:
Security DVR + iNet + X10 = Easy Home Automation (Video)
http://hardware.slashdot.org/story/14/06/10/208205/security-dvr–inet–x10–easy-home-automation-video
25-year electronics veteran Conrad Lee noticed that commodity multi-channel security DVRs have both more channels than a typical household needs and more capabilities than their makers advertise
With a home-grown controller hooked up to an otherwise unused video channel, a run of the mill security DVR can be used as a command center for household items, like lights, locks, thermostats, cameras, or whatever else you think of
Tomi Engdahl says:
Comcast Converting 50,000 Houston Home Routers Into Public WiFi Hotspots
http://mobile.slashdot.org/story/14/06/10/1751255/comcast-converting-50000-houston-home-routers-into-public-wifi-hotspots
Comcast plans to turn 50,000 home routers into public Wi-Fi hotspots without their users providing consent. Comcast plans to eventually convert 150,000 home routers into a city-wide WiFi network.
It’s an opt-out system – you have to take action to not participate.
This follows similar efforts in Chicago and the Twin Cities.
Tomi Engdahl says:
Who’s going to look after the computers that look after our parents?
Welcome to the internet of old things people….
http://www.theregister.co.uk/2014/05/16/the_internet_of_old_people/
If some of the biggest tech vendors have their way, it’ll be somewhere in between, with our golden years spent nostalgically noodling around on tablets, telling wellness apps how we feel, while our movements, activities and vital statistics are remorselessly hoovered up into the cloud.
On a recent visit to IBM’s Emerging Technology Services Lab in Hursley, researchers showed us technology on both a large scale and a small scale.
The large scale was a project they’d carried out for the municipal government in Bolzano, a city in Italy where a quarter of the population is over 65.
On the small scale, students at Hursley produced a business plan for a remote care system, centred on tablet app and a website operated by a “remote” carer.
Internet of Older People
The sensors being rained down on oldies by the likes of Fujitsu in Dundalk and IBM in Bolzano will undoubtedly throw up shedloads of data. But will it be of any use?
At the Dundalk Institute for Technology, what initially looks like blandly abstract art work to match the Ikea-supplied interior turns out to be histograms showing residents’ movements. Increasing numbers of blank spots could be a precursor of depression, or other physical illnesses, as could increased restlessness at night.
This data is collected in parallel to information from wellness apps on iPads or iPhones or PCs. Residents are regularly questioned on a variety of health issues. Some emerging problems might be spotted in close to real-time, while in other cases analysis after the fact might flag up more serious ailments.
The model will be familiar to anyone forced to ingest the last few years of hype over the so-called “Internet of Things” – sensors and other embedded devices throwing off reams of data, to trigger interventions or provide the raw big data for adaptive algorithms to chomp their way through. The difference is that instead of the info being sucked out of data centre, building facilities, science environments, it’s us (or our parents) who are in this feedback loop.
there seems to be a consensus that keeping older people out of institutions and in the community, ideally in their existing homes, is generally accepted to be a good thing.
use of lightweight Shimmer sensors – produced by an Dublin-based Intel spinout – together with adaptive algorithms to crunch the data
With the sensors, the docs can harvest vast amounts of data as subjects
“Tech does need to be part of that solution but it won’t be all of it and certainly doesn’t replace human contact.”
“That’s the challenge – the core cost whether it’s volunteer or paid staff time is people… it takes a long time to care for someone properly.”
Tomi Engdahl says:
Analyst: ‘SDN hesitation’ slows carrier router and switch spending
http://www.cablinginstall.com/articles/2014/05/sdn-hesitation-slows-carrier-spending.html
Infonetics Research has released notes from its 1st quarter 2014 (1Q14) Service Provider Routers and Switches report. The analyst determines that the global carrier router and switch market, including IP edge and core routers and Carrier Ethernet switches (CES), totaled $3.2 billion in 1Q14 — down 13% from 4Q13, and up just 2% from the year-ago quarter.
“Last quarter, we identified the ‘SDN hesitation,’ where we believe the enormity of the coming software-defined networking and network functions virtualization (NFV) transformation is making carriers be more cautious with their spending,”
According to the report, revenue for all product segments — IP edge and core routers and CES — declined by double digits sequentially in 1Q14. Likewise, all major geographical regions (NA, EMEA, APAC, CALA) were also down from the prior quarter, though all but North America are up from the same period a year ago, found the analyst.
Tomi Engdahl says:
Ethernet Alliance, OIDA pursue single-lambda 100-GbE for data centers
http://www.cablinginstall.com/articles/2014/05/ea-oida-100g.html
The Ethernet Alliance announced that, in conjunction with the Optoelectronics Industry Development Association (OIDA), it will host a workshop on 100 Gigabit Ethernet (100GbE) per lambda interconnects targeting data center networks. The jointly presented 100GbE per Lambda for Data Center workshop will help to identify and explore the challenges and benefits of commercializing single-lambda 100GbE optical communications for data center applications.
“The industry’s attention has been focused on refining and optimizing ‘4×25’ Ethernet – four lanes of 25GbE – for use as a bridge between 10GbE and 100GbE,”
“Single-lane solutions are typically the most cost-effective, therefore, the time is right to begin building consensus around efforts to move single-lambda 100GbE from concept to commercial reality, and with 400GbE’s standardization now beginning in IEEE 802.3, some are looking to a 4×100 gigabit per second (Gb/s) solution as a natural extension of what’s happening now with 40GbE.”
Tomi Engdahl says:
shimmer
http://www.shimmersensing.com/
At Shimmer we believe wearable wireless sensor technology empowers people. Our mission is to provide new data, new solutions, and new insight. We are committed to driving innovation in wearable wireless sensing through quality, integrity, reliability, and openness
The all new Shimmer3, the most advanced body worn wearable wireless sensor platform is now available to pre-order. The platform includes an upgraded state of the art microprocessor, improved data quality and low profile end-user focused enclosure.
For academic, applied and clinical researchers integrating wearable sensing technologies into a wide range of applications, Shimmer offers a flexible wireless sensor platform, scientifically reliable data, and complete control of data capture, interpretation and analysis.
Tomi Engdahl says:
Google Pays $500M for Satellite Maker Skybox, for Photos and Eventually Internet Access
http://recode.net/2014/06/10/google-pays-500m-for-satellite-maker-skybox-for-photos-and-eventually-internet-access/
Google said on Tuesday it had bought Skybox Imaging, a company that provides high-resolution photos using satellites, for $500 million in cash.
Google explained the deal as such: “Their satellites will help keep our maps accurate with up-to-date imagery. Over time, we also hope that Skybox’s team and technology will be able to help improve Internet access and disaster relief — areas Google has long been interested in.”
Skybox provides sub-meter images as well as 90-second videos from its network of small satellites.
Tomi Engdahl says:
Wheeler: state laws hurt broadband access in places like Chattanooga; FCC could preempt rules
Removing Barriers to Competitive Community Broadband
http://www.fcc.gov/blog/removing-barriers-competitive-community-broadband
Mayor Berke and the city’s leaders recognized that today’s high-speed broadband networks will be the indispensable platform for tomorrow’s economic growth and the jobs of the future. That’s why Chattanooga invested in building out one of the nation’s most robust community broadband networks.
The network was partly built out of necessity. Local phone and cable companies chose to delay improvements in broadband service to the Chattanooga area market. Without faster networks, Chattanooga residents were at risk of finding themselves on the wrong side of the digital divide, bypassed by the opportunities high-speed connectivity enables.
Chattanooga’s investment in community broadband has not only helped ensure that all its citizens have Internet access, it’s made this mid-size city in the Tennessee Valley a hub for the high-tech jobs people usually associate with Silicon Valley.
Tomi Engdahl says:
BitTorrent Shows You What The Internet Looks Like Without Net Neutrality; Suggests A Better Way
https://www.techdirt.com/articles/20140610/11500127540/bittorrent-shows-you-what-internet-looks-like-without-net-neutrality-suggests-better-way.shtml
graphic may be familiar to you — showing what a potential “cable-ized” world the internet would become without strong protections for net neutrality
A little while ago, however, someone took the joke even further, and set up a website for a fake broadband provider, asking people to Join the Fastlane!, and it was pretty dead on in terms of what such a site might look like
The key issue: building a more decentralized internet
There’s obviously a lot more to this, but it’s good to see more and more people realizing that one of the fundamental problems that got us here is the fact that so much of the internet has become centralized — and, as such, can be easily targeted for discrimination.
Tomi Engdahl says:
The heat is on: Honeywell is finally challenging the Nest thermostat
The Lyric thermostat builds on Nest’s iconic design
http://www.theverge.com/2014/6/10/5793536/the-heat-is-on-honeywell-is-finally-ready-to-challenge-nest
The idea of a connected home — one smart enough to know your schedule, your routines, when you come and go, and adjust itself to meet your every need — is a decades-old concept. But in a world where companies are making refrigerators that you can send tweets from, we’re still sorely missing truly intelligent home appliances. Apple and Google are trying — Apple with its just-announced HomeKit iOS features and Google with its purchase of Nest — but there still isn’t a complete vision from either company.
Now, the massive industrial conglomerate / prototypical thermostat maker Honeywell is rethinking the way it tackles home automation with Lyric. It’s a $279 Wi-Fi thermostat (available today to purchase through HVAC contractors; it’ll be available in Lowe’s stores by August) that is one of the most visually appealing products in the space, as well as an obvious response to the Nest Learning thermostat. But perhaps more importantly, Lyric is also a platform. The company’s ambition is to launch a full suite of Lyric products that can all be controlled your smartphone.
Tomi Engdahl says:
Viber Hits 100 Million Concurrent Users
http://techcrunch.com/2014/06/10/viber-hits-100-million-active-users/
Viber, the VoIP and messaging app recently acquired by Rakuten for $900 million, has today announced that it has crossed 100 million concurrent active users.
As of now, Viber has 350 million unique registered downloads, and 100 million active concurrent users.
The messaging space is as hot as it can be, especially with Facebook’s $19 billion acquisition of Whatsapp.
Tomi Engdahl says:
IoT, Wearables Drive Lower Power Memory Innovation
http://www.eetimes.com/document.asp?doc_id=1322689&
The Internet of Things (IoT) and wearable devices are putting even more pressure on memory to consume less power — even beyond the requirements of today’s smartphones and tablets. They also have other specific needs, depending on the use-case.
Requirements vary significantly with IoT, according to Hung Vuong, chairman of JEDEC’s JC-42.6 Subcommittee for Low Power Memories.
For wearables and sensors, for example, density and performance are not necessarily the driving requirements.
“What the industry is trying to do is take your laptop computer or your tablet or smartphone and shrink it down so it fits on your eyes, your wrist, any other part of your body,” says IDC analyst Ramon Ramirez
“No one wants a wearable that they have to take off and charge multiple times a day.”
Add to that the sensors, the UI, and the overall experience requirements. “The pressure this puts on memory is absolutely tremendous,”
Ramirez says memory for smartphones and tablets is fairly commoditized and standardized, but given the variety of use cases for wearables and IoT, devices are going to be very application-specific, and it’s unlikely one vendor will be able to meet all the needs of every device.
“IoT doesn’t necessarily require a high density from a memory perspective, or computing power,” says Derhacobian. Some applications will, such as a smart watch, but the industrial applications, such as monitoring sensors for an office building, aren’t generally running a lot of code or storing a great deal of information.
He says these devices need to be low power but also low energy in that they do not drain a device’s energy too quickly, because the costs of having someone changing batteries regularly is prohibitive
IoT is so diverse, he says, that one size does not fit all. Serial NOR, for example, makes more sense than parallel NOR, says Neibel, because there are fewer pins. MRAM might work as well in some cases, but it’s difficult to shrink
Tomi Engdahl says:
Bluetooth Low Energy Wireless Network Processor
http://www.eeweb.com/company-news/mouser/bluetooth-low-energy-wireless-network-processor/
The new Bluetooth low energy, wireless network processor is an embedded bluetooth with low energy stack operating at a supply voltage of 2.0 to 3.6 V. It has an integrated linear regulator and an excellent RF link budget (up to 96 dB).
The new STMicroelectronics BlueNRG Bluetooth Low Energy Wireless Network Processor, available from Mouser Electronics, is a single chip processor and Bluetooth 4.0 RF transceiver. The entire Bluetooth low energy stack runs on the embedded Cortex‑M0 core. 64 kBytes of Flash memory allows the Bluetooth stack to be upgraded in the field, and the on‑chip 12 kBytes of RAM provides plenty of overhead for running the BLE stack in a high traffic environment.
the transceiver is compliant with the following RF regulations: ETSI EN 300 328, EN 300 440, FCC CFR47 Part 15, and ARIB STD-T66.
Tomi Engdahl says:
Cisco Opposes Net Neutrality:
Cisco: Broadband providers should not treat all bits the same
The US FCC’s net neutrality rules need to make room for some traffic management, the company says
http://www.computerworld.com.au/article/547215/cisco_broadband_providers_should_treat_all_bits_same/
All bits running over the Internet are not equal and should not be treated that way by broadband providers, despite net neutrality advocates’ calls for traffic neutral regulations, Cisco Systems said.
A huge number of Internet-connected devices with a wide variety of traffic requirements, including billions of machine-to-machine connections, will come online over the next four years,
“What we’re seeing is a wide range and a very diverse range of devices, applications and requirements that results in a much greater complexity of the networks,” said Robert Pepper, Cisco’s vice president for global technology policy. “The Internet of everything is here, it’s real, and it’s growing.”
Some Web-based applications, including rapidly growing video services, home health monitoring and public safety apps, will demand priority access to the network, while others, like most Web browsing and email, may live with slight delays, said Jeff Campbell, Cisco’s vice president for government and community relations.
“We really have a multiplicity of applications and services that are now running across the network, some of which require dramatically different treatment than others,” he said.
Tomi Engdahl says:
Popularity of public Wi-Fi complicates mobile security
Employees can put business data at risk by connecting to insecure wireless networks
http://www.computerworld.com.au/article/547271/popularity_public_wi-fi_complicates_mobile_security/
Research released earlier this year by analyst firm Telsyte revealed that despite the growth of smartphones and tablets in Australia, the mobile data market had seemingly plateaued.
The research revealed that more Australians were choosing either to tether their devices or opting for public Wi-Fi as an inexpensive alternative to 3G or 4G connectivity.
Telsyte’s analysis seems implicitly confirmed by Australia’s largest telco, Telstra, which last month revealed that it would construct a national wireless network comprised of some 2 million Wi-Fi hotspots. Telstra customers who agree to their home routers being part of the project will be able to access the network, while others will be able to access it for a fee.
However, although Wi-Fi hotspots can provide an inexpensive and sometimes free connection, their popularity as an alternative to cellular data connections can complicate even further the mobile security landscape for enterprise IT.
Some networks are more secure than others and if employees’ devices are not adequately secured, businesses could risk leaking sensitive data, according to security experts.
“Wi-Fi is probably easier to hack and has more risks than a mobile network,” Zumerle says. “It’s easier to set up a rogue access point than set up a false [mobile] base station.”
With Wi-Fi, “the security you get really depends on the network, and you never know what you will find,” he says. “You can find a very well secured network or a very poorly secured network.”
Tomi Engdahl says:
“As an open-source guru Tim O’Reilly has said that the fundamental question of articles on the Internet of Things is, it will change our lives better or worse”
The first he mentioned the comprehensiveness of the measurements.
“Second, changing behavior is extremely difficult for humans. American leadership trainer Marshall Goldsmith has come up with an easy way to take advantage of peer support,” Ahtisaari said.
“Agree with that friend, that you call each other every day and just ask briefly whether they both did today”
“people are motivated by effectively when he has to tell her friend progress. ”
Ahtisaari also said that it is essential to the ease of use of technology in everyday life.
“The next level of life-enhancing system until we get to, for example, self-measurement applications must be such that they do not take up our attention around the issues.”
Source: http://www.tietoviikko.fi/uutisia/marko+ahtisaari+muuttaako+esineiden+internet+elamamme+paremmaksi+vai+pahemmaksi/a992982
Tomi Engdahl says:
Security DVR + iNet + X10 = Easy Home Automation (Video)
http://hardware.slashdot.org/story/14/06/10/208205/security-dvr–inet–x10–easy-home-automation-video
I have to hand it to this individual for definitely thinking outside-the-box and hooking up three types of systems using interfaces you’d not expect to be used in this manner, and coming up with something which is (at least in his case) useful.
This was very gratifying to watch.
he’s using an on-screen display generator to produce menus and output that you feed into a video input channel on the DVR, and it intercepts the DVR’s RS-485 bus (used for pan-tilt-zoom control of cameras) to receive command input from the user.
Tomi Engdahl says:
EnOcean Pi Transforms Raspberry Pi into a Wireless Gateway
http://www.enocean.com/en/enocean-pi/
EnOcean Pi connects energy harvesting wireless devices with the Raspberry Pi to help control networks and automation systems at home or in the workplace
he Raspberry Pi computer can now control gateways for energy usage and automation systems using the new EnOcean Pi accessory, available from element14.
EnOcean Pi is available in three versions: EnOcean Pi 868 MHz (Europe, China), EnOcean Pi 315 MHz (Japan, India, North America) and EnOcean Pi 902 MHz (North America). Costing $25.00USD the first version to launch is EnOcean Pi 868 which is available from Farnell element14 in Europe and CPC in the UK and Ireland. Versions of the EnOcean Pi supporting the 315 MHz and 902 MHz radio bands will be available in early October 2013 from Newark element14 and MCM in North America, and element14 in Asia Pacific.
EnOcean Pi is a wireless module which connects to batteryless EnOcean modules that are powered by energy converters that use mechanical motion, light or temperature differences as an energy source. This allows for maintenance-free sensor and actuator solutions that provide the necessary data for intelligent control.
Tomi Engdahl says:
IPv4 addresses now EXHAUSTED in Latin America and the Caribbean
http://www.theregister.co.uk/2014/06/11/ipv4_addresses_depleted_in_latin_america_and_the_caribbean/
The allocation of internet addresses using the IPv4 protocol in Latin America and the Caribbean has hit a critical stage, the region’s registry (LACNIC) warned on Tuesday.
It said that its IPv4 address pool had been “officially exhausted” and urged businesses and governments in the geographical area – which spreads from the Bahamas all the way down to the bottom of Chile – to act swiftly and adopt IPv6 without any further delay.
Like the rest of the world, operators based in Latin America and the Caribbean have been sluggish to respond to the depletion of IPv4 stock.
But attitudes might have to change in the region
a burn rate of roughly 15 million IPv4 addresses being divvied out each year
The registry said that a little over 2 million addresses of the remaining IPv4 stock
Tomi Engdahl says:
How Tablet Sales Drop Will Push the Hybrid Cloud
http://www.hybridcloudforum.com/269/how-tablet-sales-drop-will-push-hybrid-cloud
The day of reckoning may be coming for tablets: According to NPD, April 2014 was the first time tablet sales were less than they were the previous year. It’s a 4 percent drop, significant enough to say that a million less tablets were sold last month than they were the same month in 2013. As The Next Web notes, it can be interpreted as the tablet market maturing and leveling off (Apple alone sold an estimated 200 million iPads in the past four years). It also shows that mainstream consumers as well as businesses are going to the next big thing.
The next big thing is everything – that is, the Internet of Things – and the hybrid cloud will be virtually essential in this transition. As Bob Violino and Bill Laberis recently pointed out, this year marks the tipping point of connected devices. Communicating to consumers and businesses through PC, mobile, and smartphone isn’t enough anymore – now it is smart light bulbs, compact watches, and prescription glasses. Managing this data will require a flexible and, most importantly, affordable platform.
Tomi Engdahl says:
Qualcomm Rolls Small Cell SoCs
http://www.eetimes.com/document.asp?doc_id=1322677&
Qualcomm announced SoCs to power small cell base stations used in neighborhoods, homes, and small-to-midsized businesses. The FSM90xx chips will compete with offerings from a variety of companies including Freescale and Texas Instruments.
“Data capacity mandated by users is increasing every year exponentially, almost doubling every year,” Puneet Sethi, staff product manager with Qualcomm Atheros, told EE Times. “The industry needs to come up with a solution that meets that challenge and part of that solution is small cells.”
The 28nm chip set features a quad-core processor, supports Wi-Fi and Internet gateway functions. The FSM90xx can be paired with Qualcomm RFICs to support LTE and 3G networks. Hardware accelerators built into the chip set help speed up data processing for both radio technologies.
Tomi Engdahl says:
Comcast is turning your Xfinity router into a public Wi-Fi hotspot [Updated]
http://blog.chron.com/techblog/2014/06/comcast-is-turning-your-xfinity-router-into-a-public-wi-fi-hotspot/#24139101=0
Comcast has turned on the first 50,000 residential hotspots.
Comcast will begin activating a feature in its Arris Touchstone Telephony Wireless Gateway Modems that sets up a public Wi-Fi hotspot alongside a residential Internet customer’s private home network. Other Comcast customers will be able to log in to the hotspots for free using a computer, smartphone or other mobile device. And once they log into one, they’ll be automatically logged in to others when their devices “see” them.
Comcast says the hotspot – which appears as “xfinitywifi” to those searching for a Wi-Fi connection – is completely separate from the home network. Someone accessing the Net through the hotspot can’t get to the computers, printers, mobile devices, streaming boxes and more sitting on the host network.
Comcast officials also say that people using the Internet via the hotspot won’t slow down Internet access on the home network. Additional capacity is allotted to handle the bandwidth.
If you have one of these routers and don’t want to host a public Wi-Fi hotspot, here’s how to turn it off.
Tomi Engdahl says:
Soap – the Android Tablet to Replace your Old Ugly Router.
https://www.indiegogo.com/projects/soap-the-android-tablet-to-replace-your-old-ugly-router
Soap is a Touchscreen Intelligent Home Management Solution. Router,WiFI, Zigbee, Zwave, Bluetooth, Insteon, Personal Cloud, Security and parental control hub.
Tomi Engdahl says:
Samsung Smart Home at CES 2014
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=mEzSF29EBgI
Samsung Smart Home enables home devices to connect through a single integrated platform and provides a foundation for an emerging ecosystem of connected home
Can connect to devices like refrigerator, washing machines, smart TV, digital camera, smartphone, wearable Galaxy Gear. There is an integrated platform and server.
Tomi Engdahl says:
Psst. We’ve got 400Gb/s Ethernet working – but don’t tell anyone
In the future you’ll be able to stream ALL THE FILMS
http://www.theregister.co.uk/2014/06/12/400gbs_ethernet/
Californian company Ixia has shown what it claims is the the world’s first functioning 400Gb/s Higher Speed Ethernet test rig, based on the IEEE P802.3bs protocol. The company says that this bandwidth is sufficient for 50,000 simultaneous high definition Netflix video streams.
The 400GbE Jumpstart Test system provided wire rate packet generation/reception at 400Gb/s and has successfully completed the industry’s first 400GbE interoperability test with Ciena, which makes open, programmable networking platforms and software.
As we previously reported, 400Gb/s is the next step between 100Gb/s and a terabit. The standard is expected to be ratified in Q1 2017.
It uses Gen 3 CFP-4 connectors with four pairs of fibres.
With increasing backhaul pressures on mobile phone networks that will want to stream large numbers of 4K video streams to subscribers, the bandwidth for each level of infrastructure matters.
The current 100Gb/s standard is holding up reasonably well, although Ixia says there are some networks where multiple connections are aggregated for most purposes.
Tomi Engdahl says:
Cable companies duped community groups into fighting net neutrality
http://www.engadget.com/2014/06/11/more-cable-company-astroturfing/
Last week, it transpired that the big cable companies were bankrolling fake consumer groups like Broadband for America and The American Consumer Institute. These “independent consumer advocacy groups” are, in truth, nothing of the sort, and instead represent the interests of its benefactors, in the fight against net neutrality. If that wasn’t bad enough, VICE is now reporting that several of the real community groups (oh, and an Ohio bed-and-breakfast) that were signed up as supporters of Broadband for America were either duped into joining, or were signed up to the cause without their consent or knowledge.