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Passively Battling WiFi Interference #CES2016
A passive way to improve WiFi using a specially made plate that reflects interfering signals (e.g. from neighboring apartments) and strengthens the desired router’s signal is what INFLUX demonstrated at International CES 2016. This $59 device could be a good way for service providers to improve a customer’s WiFi, particularly in apartments and dense areas,…
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A Protector from the Digital Dark Alleys of the Internet #CES2016
Even though we know we should have some sort of protection, the convenience of public WiFi access often outweighs the potential dangers of spoofing and sniffing that lurk around the digital dark alleys of the Internet. Amsterdam-based Keezel has come up with a one-button, simple to use device that goes between a public WiFi hotspot and up to…
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The Smart Phone Walkie-Textie
When there is no network, a smartphone isn’t so smart. Jorge Perdomo understood that notion when he came up with the idea for the goTenna. Using the unlicensed, 151-154 MHz, MURS (Multi Use Radio Service) band, Perdomo and his colleagues developed a device that uses Bluetooth low energy to pair with a smartphone; essentially turning the smartphone into a sort of…
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Energy Savings with a Smart Vent #CES2015
What good is a smart thermostat if you can’t control the temperature in a given room? Ecovent Systems has developed a clever way to remotely set per room temperature with an app-controlled vents that open and close to set temperatures on a room-by-room basis. Unlike traditional approaches, these vents, coupled with their temperature sensors, are…
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No Key, No Problem #CES2014
The Internet of Things doesn’t always mean new things. In the above video, OKIDOKEYS spokesperson Kristin Berry demonstrates OKIDOKEYS’ smartphone/cellphone or RFID-controlled door lock that fits over most existing door locks enabling electronic locking and unlocking of a door. It will provide notifications that a door has opened (e.g. alert that child is home from school) or an alarm…
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WiFi Bonding Demonstrates Gigabit+ Speeds
With all the hype this week surrounding new smartphones, smart watches and a new payment approach from a company named after a fruit, it is easy to overlook the significance of the addition of 802.11 AC wireless to its smartphones. PC Magazine didn’t miss this subtlety, however, as seen in its article, 5 ways 802.11…
