Your Guide To Wireless

Wireless to Deliver Next Big Boost for Productivity (Part 1)

A survey of tech-savvy computer users show that the Internet has been the single most important innovation contributing to improving productivity in the past half-century. A majority of users also believe that wireless networks will have the biggest impact on productivity in the next five years. These findings are from a new international survey commissioned by Lexmark International, and conducted by global pollster Ipsos. The online survey of Ipsos panelists comprised 9,000 respondents from 18 countries. The last 50 years Considering a wide range of innovations over the past 50 years, respondents said the following have had the most significant impact in terms of saving them time and increasing their productivity (up to three responses were possible): • Internet – 60 percent • Personal computers/laptops – 50 percent • Mobile phones – 43 percent • E-mail – 23 percent • Cars and motorcycles – 22 percent The next 5 years In the coming five years, respondents predicted the following will have the most significant impact on productivity and saving time (up to three responses were possible): • Wireless networks – 50 percent • Greater computing speed – 44 percent • Smart cards – 41 percent • Internet/broadband – 40 percent • All forms of portable computing – 39 percent “Wireless is the technology wave of the future and our new wireless printers will ensure that consumers can catch the wave easily, securely and affordably,” said Najib Bahous, Lexmark vice president and president of its Consumer Printer Division (To Be Continue in Part 2)

Lexmark rides on wireless, colour trends

Through interactive games and vertical-themed demo stations, Lexmark International (Singapore) today introduced a total of ten wireless inkjet and colour laser printers, as well as showcased its latest print and document management solutions customised for various business environments. This year, Lexmark identified wireless networks and the proliferation of colour as key drivers in printing. According to recent market research commissioned by Lexmark International and conducted by global pollster Ipsos, results indicate wireless networks will have the biggest impact on productivity in the next five years. “With the rapid adoption of wireless notebooks and access to services like Wireless@SG, working wirelessly at home and in the office is becoming the norm. Being able to print wirelessly is a natural extension of this trend,” said Loh Teck Heng, Country Manager, Lexmark International (Singapore). “Our corporate mantra is ‘Customer for Life’ and we practise this by keeping close tabs on our customers and their environment to develop products that meet their needs.” To meet users’ varying wireless printing needs, Lexmark has developed a suite of inkjet printers with wireless printing capabilities which include single function printers (Lexmark Z1420) for basic home users, to robust all-in-one printers with built-in wireless printing capabilities (Lexmark X4550, X9350) tailored for advanced home and SOHO use. The printers are priced attractively from $129 to $439*. Lexmark also introduced the X3550, an all-in-one inkjet printer with optional wireless printing capabilities, and the Z1320, an inkjet single function printer with quick print speeds of up to 22 ppm in black and 16 ppm in colour and easy-to-use photo printing features for under $70*. On the business front, Lexmark also boosted its existing broad range of enterprise printers with a collection of five new colour laser and multi-function printers geared towards the needs of SMBs and large enterprises. “Given the proliferation of colour in a typical workday, Lexmark remains committed to finding new ways to leverage the power of colour technologies across diverse workgroup settings,” said Loh. The Lexmark C782n and C935dn were introduced with significant enhancements to help organisations manage their color printing needs more effectively. Faster print speeds and the ability to handle an extensive range of media, such as heavy card stock and vinyl labels, allow for collaterals from letterheads to medical wristbands to be printed cost-effectively in-house. At prices starting from $2,282*, both printers are bundled with Lexmark’s proprietary Color Care technology that enables network administrators to manage access to colour facilities, and users to pre-determine the cost of a print job. For businesses requiring the additional competency of a multi-tasker to handle print, scan, copy and fax jobs, Lexmark’s latest multifunction colour laser printer range includes the X502n for SOHOs and small businesses, and the X782e and X945e for enterprise-level workgroups, with prices starting at $1,216*. On an even larger scale, the printer specialist also shared how managed print services help organisations administer multiple printer assets situated in different locations across the globe. The offering also includes vertical-centric solutions that automate and simplify complex paper-related processes within organisations to ramp up efficiency, saving businesses time and money. Lexmark also presented rare, behind-the-scenes footage of their product development labs

Buffalo Comes Out With Wireless-N

The Buffalo Nfiniti Dual Band Gigabit Router & AccessPoint is based on IEEE Draft 802.11n specifications and delivers ultimate connectivity for your wireless world. It is fast, versatile and now offers a built-in auto sensing 4-port 10/100/1000 Gigabit switch. For deployments within a local network this router even offers Gigabit speeds on the WAN port. With faster wireless data rates and more coverage than legacy 802.11 products, Buffalo Nfiniti Wireless solutions provide sufficient ban...

ZyXEL Secures Internet Access Over 3G Network with ZyWALL 2WG

ZyXEL Singapore announced its new ZyWALL 2WG, a mobile broadband security appliance for Internet access using cellular phone services. The ZyWALL 2WG equips small office users and remote mobile workers with instant secure broadband Internet access anywhere, anytime. Designed with user mobility, flexibility and security in mind, the new ZyWALL 2WG is an ideal solution for tradeshows, outdoor environment, or difficult-to-wire locations. “As more operators roll out 3G networks, the implementation of 3G as an alternative internet access vehicle will become more widespread. While the advantage of 3G broadband access provides more flexibility and mobility, the security implication is that the network becomes more vulnerable to attacks due to its open connectivity,” said Mr Jimmy Goh, General Manager of ZyXEL Singapore. “With built-in security features such SPI firewall, DoS prevention, IPSec VPN and content filtering for state-of-the-art protection, the ZyWALL 2WG offers a comprehensive firewall protection against attacks and threats from the public domain,” he added. The ZyWALL 2WG is a mobile Internet security appliance with integrated firewall, VPN, wireless LAN that enable broadband Internet access in 3G networks. To establish instant Internet access on a 3G platform, the user only need to insert a 3G data card into the extension slot. The ZyWALL 2WG can use the 3G network connection as the primary or backup connection for Internet access and load-balancing for dual WAN applications. Utilizing ZyXEL’s proprietory ZyNOS ICSA-certified IPSec VPN, data encryption over the Internet ensures a secure transmission between two sites without expensive leased lines, global interconnectivity can be achieved at a minimal cost. Incorporating the Redundant IPSec VPN feature, the ZyWALL 2WG's dialup client will keep the connection running even when the primary VPN connection fails. For wired connections, the ZyWALL 2WG also supports WAN backup, load balancing, fail-over and fail-back technologies. For wireless connections, the ZyWALL 2WG offers the flexibility of dual band technology with 802.11a/b/g for LAN users. The ZyWALL 2WG features the Secure Zone technology that allows SOHO/SB users to deploy access servers in a DMZ zone, separate from the trusted local network (LAN). The ZyWALL 2WG provides independent DHCP services for the DMZ and WLAN zones and all zones are securely protected by firewall rules. News: HardwareZone

TRENDnet have Arrived in Singapore

U.S.-based TRENDnet, a networking manufacturer of wired and wireless networking solutions, announced its expansion into Singapore through an exclusive distribution partnership with Jardine OneSolution, the leading provider for IT solutions and services in Singapore. TRENDnet’s highly awarded wireless N routers, access points and adapters will lead their brand launch into Singapore’s SMB and consumer markets. TRENDnet’s wireless N routers boast speed improvements of up to ten times faster than the older wireless G standard, while Multiple Input Multiple Output (MIMO) antenna technology provides longer range and enhanced coverage. The routers also feature powerful StreamEngineTM prioritization technology that improves quality of service in latency-sensitive applications such as video streaming, gaming and VoIP. Since the launch of TRENDnet’s Wireless N Firewall Router (model number TEW-631BRP) in the U.S. earlier this year, it has won a host of awards and ranked first in CRN Test Center’s shootout of 802.11n-standard routers. “The demand for a seamless and data-rich mobile experience is placing increased pressure on wireless networks and their respective supporting network backbones,” stated Pei Huang, President and CEO of TRENDnet. “TRENDnet’s award winning wireless N solutions deliver the highest quality VoIP, streaming video, gaming and mobile experience to home users and mobile professionals.” Beyond the wireless N products, Jardine OneSolution will also distribute TRENDnet’s wider portfolio of wired and wireless print server, IP camera and storage solution products for both the SMB and consumer markets. Andrew Tan, General Manager for Distribution Sales at Jardine OneSolution said, “With IT spend among Singapore’s SMBs on the up trend, our timely partnership with TRENDnet will help bring to market, tested quality products to our customers at very competitive price points.” Source: HardwareZone

10 Things You Should Know About VoIP Over Wireless

Voice over IP (VoIP) can provide substantial savings on your telephone service by allowing you to use an IP network to make phone calls instead of the traditional telephone companies' public switched telephone network (PSTN). Many organizations today run IP networks over wireless technology, and it's possible to run VoIP applications over Wi-Fi, too. But you need to be aware of a number of issues when planning a VoIP over wireless (often called VoW, VoFi, or wVoIP) deployment. With the advent...

Is Wi-Fi Effective on PDA’s?

Not yet. Not yet, that is if you value your PDA battery's life. Most PDAs with any kind of expansion slot can take a Wi-Fi card of some kind. The problem is that Wi-Fi is a relatively power-hungry technology, and current Wi-Fi cards can drain a Palm's batteries in less than 2 hours. The PocketPC architecture is a little better, but only some, and reports I trust indicate that a Wi-Fi card cuts battery life by 50%. This will be changing over the next two years. Texas Instruments has ann...