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.
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Tomi Engdahl says:
Electric Imp Locks and Unlocks your Door Automatically
http://hackaday.com/2014/04/14/electric-imp-locks-and-unlocks-your-door-automatically/
the Electric Imp is a small SD card designed to provide internet (Wi-Fi) functionality to consumer devices
To move the lock cylinder they’re using a basic RC servo connected directly to the Imp.
Tomi Engdahl says:
Bidding Rules Becoming Clearer for Upcoming Airwaves Auction
http://recode.net/2014/04/14/bidding-rules-becoming-clearer-for-upcoming-airwaves-auction/
Federal officials plan to reserve up to a third of licenses sold in a TV airwaves auction next year for smaller wireless carriers under a plan floated recently by Federal Communications Commission Chairman Tom Wheeler.
Overall, the plan has something for most wireless carriers to both love and hate.
Tomi Engdahl says:
Google to Buy Titan Aerospace as Web Giants Battle for Air Superiority
Internet Giant to Acquire Startup That Was Courted by Facebook
http://online.wsj.com/news/article_email/SB10001424052702304117904579501701702936522-lMyQjAxMTA0MDEwNDExNDQyWj
Google Inc. on Monday acquired a maker of solar-powered drones—a startup that Facebook Inc.had also considered acquiring—as the technology giants battle to extend their influence and find new users in the far corners of the earth.
Google didn’t disclose the purchase price for New Mexico-based Titan Aerospace, which is developing jet-sized drones that are intended to fly nonstop for years. Google said the technology could be used to collect images and offer online access to remote areas.
Facebook had been in talks to buy Titan earlier this year, but Google offered to top any Facebook offer, according to a person familiar with the matter.
Tomi Engdahl says:
Netflix streaming speeds on Comcast jump 65 percent after controversial deal
http://www.theverge.com/2014/4/14/5613280/netflix-streaming-speeds-on-comcast-65-percent-faster
Tomi Engdahl says:
A black box for your SUITCASE: Now your lost luggage can phone home – quite literally
Breakfast in London, lunch in NYC, and your clothes in Peru
http://www.theregister.co.uk/2014/04/15/trakdot_luggage_locator/
Trakdot is a little device you hide in your suitcase so that if an airline loses your luggage, you can, in theory, find it. Inside is a SIM card with a global roaming agreement, and the necessary electronics to connect to GSM mobile networks.
As the aeroplane trundles down the runway, the gadget uses an accelerometer to detect that it’s going really fast and so, like any good international traveller, it goes to sleep. Then after a preset period, it wakes up, and wonders: “Are we nearly there yet?” It can answer its own question in a receive-only mode, as GSM has protocols for doing so whether you’re moving slowly, fairly slowly or quickly.
This means it doesn’t contravene any rules on the use of radios in aircraft, and it is approved by the FCC, FAA and various other international bodies for use.
Tomi Engdahl says:
Extracting Gesture Information from Existing Wireless Signals
http://hackaday.com/2014/04/15/extracting-gesture-information-from-existing-wireless-signals/
A team at the University of Washington recently developed Allsee, a simple gesture recognition device composed of very few components. Contrary to conventional Doppler modules (like this one) that emit their own RF signal, Allsee uses already existing wireless signals (TV and RFID transmissions) to extract any movement that may occur in front of it.
Tomi Engdahl says:
Apple, Google, Microsoft, Samsung and Carriers Back Anti-Theft Measures for Smartphones
http://recode.net/2014/04/15/apple-google-microsoft-samsung-and-carriers-back-anti-theft-measures-for-smartphones/
With several states and municipalities considering various mandatory “kill-switch” laws for mobile devices, the wireless industry announced a voluntary commitment to include new anti-theft technology on phones starting next year.
The commitment, announced Tuesday, has the backing of the five largest U.S. cellular carriers as well as the key players in the smartphone device and operating system markets, a list that includes Apple, Google, HTC, Huawei, Motorola, Microsoft, Nokia and Samsung.
Those signing the pledge agree that devices going on sale after July 2015 will have the ability to remotely wipe data and be rendered inoperable, if the user chooses, to prevent the device from being reactivated without the owner’s permission. Lost or stolen devices could later be restored if recovered. The carriers also agreed they would facilitate these measures.
Tomi Engdahl says:
Google Has Plans for Titan Drones
http://www.eetimes.com/document.asp?doc_id=1321930&
Google has agreed to acquire Titan Aerospace, a maker of aerial drones based in Moriarty, N.M., for an undisclosed sum.
“It’s still early days, but atmospheric satellites could help bring internet access to millions of people, and help solve other problems, including disaster relief and environmental damage like deforestation. It’s why we’re so excited to welcome Titan Aerospace to the Google family.”
Tomi Engdahl says:
IoT Blooms in San Francisco
http://www.eetimes.com/document.asp?doc_id=1321909&
Less than an hour’s drive north from Silicon Valley and a short walk from San Francisco’s financial district, a new high-tech community is being born. Call it IoT Town.
The area spanning parts of the city’s South of Market and Potrero Hill neighborhoods is home to more than a dozen startups, three incubators, several angel investors, and three well attended monthly gatherings all devoted to hardware for the Internet of Things.
The startups here are building a wide range of automotive, consumer, and industrial IoT gear. Their projects include everything from smartwatches and fitness devices to intelligent coffee makers, drones, baby and dog monitors, and a hamburger-making robot to automate the McDonald’s of the future.
Tomi Engdahl says:
Designing an IoT Device: Tradeoffs Abound, Many Ugly
http://www.eetimes.com/document.asp?doc_id=1321775&
“There’s no Internet-enabled device I’ve made that I would give to a non-geek friend,” said embedded software engineer Elecia White, speaking today at the Embedded Systems Conference at EE Live!
Don’t believe every marketing pitch about the IoT. And focus on working through the myriad device tradeoffs with the express purpose of creating happy customers.
Consumers need your product to work right out of the box, she said. “Users are most frustrated with the configuration step. If they turn it on and feel stupid right away, they are never going to get the opportunity to love your product, no matter how great it may be.”
The tradeoffs encountered in designing a product for the Internet of Things run the gamut from selecting a connection option to managing firmware updates. Unfortunately, there are few choices that don’t include at least one ugly tradeoff. To wit, White says she has never picked a communication protocol that didn’t at some point make her wish that she had picked something else.
Tomi Engdahl says:
WLAN is accelerating – the first year to 10 Gigabits
Next year, the market will be the first WLAN routers that support data transfer by as much as 10 Gigabit speeds.
Broadcom opened the game this week with the launch of a wireless LAN router platform, which it calls the 5G WiFi Xstream. Platform supports a simultaneous six 802.11ac link, and three of the link. Peak data rate will reach 3.2 Gbps.
Broadcom’s platform is able to connect multiple channels in a single 5-gigahertz range. A total of 160 MHz is obtained for the transmission channel width which is twice as wide as a standard ac maximum.
Source: Elektroniikkalehti
http://etn.fi/index.php?option=com_content&view=article&id=1217:wlan-kiihtyy-ensi-vuonna-10-gigabittiin&catid=13&Itemid=101
Tomi Engdahl says:
Two ways to improve manufacturing, and three big issues at Hannover Messe
Investment will be needed to realize all the great innovations available at this year’s show.
http://www.plantengineering.com/single-article/two-ways-to-improve-manufacturing-and-three-big-issues-at-hannover-messe/99320377a9651398fc92e5f706c54d03.html
The 3 Big Issues:
There were three prevailing themes at this year’s Hannover Messe that are universally understood and will be felt in every manufacturing plant from Baltimore to Beijing to Berlin:
1. Industry 4.0/Advanced Manufacturing/Internet of Things/Insert your own name here: The German government calls it Industry 4.0 (or in the local language, Industrie 4.0), while the U.S. is calling it Advanced Manufacturing. Of course, a few vendors here will tell you they’ve been connecting devices to one another for years and years, and they don’t understand why it now needs a name.
The terminology is irrelevant; the technology is remarkable. In giving a truly interconnected, responsive and dynamic manufacturing plant, and by incorporating design, logistics, and energy into that plant, we can achieve massive cost savings (some folks are touting 50% improvement in overall efficiency) and deliver products faster and smarter.
2. Energy management
3. Globalization
Tomi Engdahl says:
Spotify Starts Shutting Down Its Massive P2P Network
on April 16, 2014
http://torrentfreak.com/spotify-starts-shutting-down-its-massive-p2p-network-140416/
For more than half a decade Spotify has relied on P2P technology to quickly deliver songs to its millions of subscribers. This will be over soon. The music streaming service has started to phase out P2P technology to rely fully on central servers instead.
Tomi Engdahl says:
AT&T hates plan to help small carriers, threatens boycott of FCC auction
That TV spectrum auction everyone’s excited about? AT&T might skip it.
http://arstechnica.com/business/2014/04/att-hates-plan-to-help-small-carriers-threatens-protest-of-fcc-auction/
AT&T is hopping mad that the Federal Communications Commission wants to give smaller carriers a more favorable shot at buying broadcast TV spectrum that will be shifted to the cellular industry.
The airwaves in the 600MHz band are set to be auctioned next year, and the FCC seems to be leaning toward putting restrictions on the biggest carriers.
Tomi Engdahl says:
Darpa Turns Aging Surveillance Drones Into Wi-Fi Hotspots
http://www.wired.com/2014/04/drones-mobile-hotspots/?mbid=social_twitter
A fleet of surveillance drones once deployed in the skies over Iraq is being repurposed to provide aerial Wi-Fi in far-flung corners of the world, according to Darpa.
RQ-7 Shadow drones that the Army flew in Iraq for intelligence, surveillance and reconnaissance missions are now becoming wireless hubs for connectivity in remote conflict zones where challenging communication environments can mean the difference between being ambushed and getting reinforcements.
Darpa’s Mobile Hotspots program retrofits retired Shadow drones with pods that will be able to transfer one gigabyte per second of data — the equivalent of 4G smartphone connectivity — so that soldiers in remote areas will have the same access to tactical operation centers and mission data that others in more central theaters have.
Tomi Engdahl says:
AllJoyn: A Common Language for Internet of Things
http://www.eetimes.com/document.asp?doc_id=1321944&
The big data vision of a global network of connected devices — also known as the Internet of Things (IoT) — is still a bit fuzzy, with more than a few unresolved issues.
The AllSeen Alliance, a recently launched IoT consortium, hopes to bridge this communication gap by enabling IoT devices to share data — regardless of manufacturer, brand, operating system, and other tech specs.
“While it’s called the Internet of Things, it’s really more like a bunch of devices talking to their own siloed Internets,”
Tomi Engdahl says:
The beginning of the development of prototypes 5g
Design & Programming
National Instruments has introduced a software-based radio-based platform for developing prototypes of future multi-channel radio systems. In particular, this platform is aiming to 5G MIMO radio solutions.
System is called USRP RIO (Universal Software Radio Peripheral). The beginning of the bottom of the popular RIO architecture (RIO FPGA platform). It is implanted in a 2×2 MIMO radio channel capable of transmitting and receiving signals of 50 MHz and between the six gigahertz range.
Source: http://etn.fi/index.php?option=com_content&view=article&id=1223:alusta-5g-protojen-kehitykseen&catid=13&Itemid=101
Tomi Engdahl says:
AT&T copies Google, names 100 cities where it could offer gigabit fiber
Don’t celebrate yet—AT&T is making no promises to build anywhere.
http://arstechnica.com/business/2014/04/att-copies-google-names-100-cities-where-it-could-offer-gigabit-fiber/
Two months after Google announced that it will try to bring fiber Internet to 34 cities in nine metro areas, AT&T today said it will “expand its ultra-fast fiber network to up to 100 candidate cities and municipalities nationwide, including 21 new major metropolitan areas.”
But AT&T will consider building in the cities that provide the best options.
Tomi Engdahl says:
Activists want net neutrality, NSA spying debated at Internet governance conference
http://www.pcworld.com/article/2146100/activists-want-net-neutrality-nsa-spying-debated-at-brazil-internet-conference.html
A campaign on the Internet is objecting to the exclusion of issues like net neutrality, the cyberweapons arms race and surveillance by the U.S. National Security Agency from the discussion paper of an Internet governance conference this week in Sao Paulo, Brazil.
A significant section of the participants are also looking for concrete measures and decisions at the conference rather than yet another statement of principles.
The proposed text “lacks any strength,” does not mention NSA’s mass surveillance or the active participation of Internet companies, and fails to propose any concrete action, according to the campaign called Our Net Mundial.
“But there have been so many Internet principles released in recent years that it is hard to see what the Brazil conference could add,” Mueller and Wagner wrote.
Tomi Engdahl says:
Ethernet over coax/Cat 5e adapters extend distances for IP cameras, PoE devices
http://www.cablinginstall.com/articles/2014/04/altronix-ethernet-extenders.html
“The ability to accommodate IP cameras and edge devices over coax cabling has proven to be an extremely pragmatic solution and a cost-effective way to upgrade analog systems to a networked platform. And the ability to transmit data and deliver power extended distances over Ethernet cabling without repeaters provides added savings,”
The eBridge100RMT Ethernet over Coax/CAT5e Adapter Kits transmit full duplex data at 100 Mbps and pass PoE-compliant power over coax 304 m (1000 ft), or over Category 5e cable up to 500 m (1640 ft), without repeaters.
Tomi Engdahl says:
Feed-through patch panels have RJ45 ports on both sides
http://www.cablinginstall.com/articles/2014/04/cablesys-feedthru-panels.html
The feed-through patch panels newly available from Cablesys have RJ45 ports on both sides and, the company says, “are ideal for existing data centers which require additional patching.”
“The feed-through patch panels are less messy than traditional punchdown patch panels,” Cablesys adds.
Tomi Engdahl says:
Powered fiber cable pushes deployment limits
http://www.cablinginstall.com/articles/2014/04/te-powered-fiber-article.html?cmpid=EnlCIMApril212014
One of the big challenges to deploying small cells, HD CCTV cameras, digital signage, Wi-Fi hotspots, and other remote devices is finding a local source of power for them.
Today, there are two alternatives to addressing this challenge: powered fiber cable and Power over Ethernet (PoE). In this article, we’ll look at powered fiber cable and PoE, and we’ll also take a look at the Carrier Ethernet 2.0 standard that enables service providers to deliver Ethernet over their infrastructure.
An elegant solution to this problem is to deploy power at the same time as connectivity. This requires a hybrid cable that combines communications with an electrical supply. By delivering power with connectivity, the network operator eliminates the need to negotiate local power for remote devices. Moreover, the hybrid cable can also eliminate the need for an electrician if the cable has plug-in connectors.
A powered fiber cable combines single- or multi-mode fiber along with a copper power cable.
In a powered fiber system, each cable is capable of powering a 25W device at a distance of up to one kilometer, giving the system much farther reach than POE systems.
Tomi Engdahl says:
Report: Virtual appliances gaining in data center
http://www.cablinginstall.com/articles/2014/04/virtual-applicances-in-datacenter.html
A new report from Infonetics Research finds virtual application delivery controller (ADC) revenue growing fast as cloud services, hybrid cloud technology, and the shift to cloud-architected data centers create demand for virtual appliances.
Tomi Engdahl says:
Analyst: Network port revenues hit $39B; 40G booming in data center; 100G gains in core
April 22, 2014
http://www.cablinginstall.com/articles/2014/04/infonetics-networking-ports.html
Infonetics Research has released its latest 1G/10G/40G/100G Networking Ports report
According to the report, worldwide 1G/10G/40G/100G network port revenue grew 5% in 2013 from the prior year, to $39 billion. Enterprise port revenue grew 5%, and service provider port revenue increased 4%. Infonetics states that 1G comprises the lion’s share of ports, and that while 10G delivers the bulk of revenue, the main revenue growth is coming from the emerging 40G and 100G segments.
“Deployments of 1G, 10G, 40G, and 100G ports once again grew significantly in 2013, as enterprises and service providers invested in their networks to accommodate the growth in traffic, and revenue growth accelerated as buyers shifted to higher bandwidth — and more expensive — ports,”
Tomi Engdahl says:
WRT54G Successor Falls Flat On Promise
http://tech.slashdot.org/story/14/04/23/0154238/wrt54g-successor-falls-flat-on-promises
“Back in January, Linksys/Belkin made a big deal about their new router, the WRT1900AC, which they claimed was a successor to the venerable WRT54G, and how they were working with OpenWRT. They released it this week, but their promises have fallen far short”
Tomi Engdahl says:
AuDA starts final round of DNSSEC tests
August go-live
http://www.theregister.co.uk/2014/04/24/auda_starts_final_round_of_dnssec_tests/
AuDA has taken a tentative step towards the introduction of DNSSEC into the Australian domain space, signing the .au domain in its production environment as the first step in a four-month test.
DNSSEC has been possible for years, but has been held back by industry inertia. Under DNSSEC, a DNS (domain name system) record is signed, allowing resolvers to authenticate the relationship between domain name and IP address.
The problem for the ordinary sysadmin is that DNSSEC is needed all the way up the chain, from their own site back to the root zone
Tomi Engdahl says:
Remote machine management promises numerous operational improvements, including more efficient energy use
http://www.controleng.com/single-article/remote-machine-management-promises-numerous-operational-improvements-including-more-efficient-energy-use/530885e705a9925512b0730c6baa994d.html
While smart factories in which every step in the value chain is automatically tracked and recorded may still be a distant prospect, technology that allows remote management of at least of some plant equipment is becoming mainstream.
Technical management of plant and equipment can be a highly complex and expensive business, especially if they are in use all over the world. That is why manufacturers and maintenance providers have for several years been on the lookout for ways to manage machinery remotely. One of the first ways was to use serial interfaces. For more than 25 years they have been incorporated in different devices—from elevators via medical instruments to heating, ventilation, and air conditioning systems. Technicians were able to access machines, albeit only on-site to begin with. To facilitate remote access, circuit-switched networks gradually came into use, but most companies chose not to make use of this option because of the low bit rates and high costs.
Machine-to-machine (M2M) solutions now provide a better alternative. They are much less expensive, run at higher bit rates, and enable maintenance personnel to access plant and equipment remotely via their tried and tested software. A mobile network-based terminal is connected to the serial interface. The device lengthens the serial interface by establishing a secure connection via an encrypted tunnel to a server in the corporate network or to a mobile terminal device. Authenticated users can thereby access the machine from anywhere.
Tomi Engdahl says:
Etherios Device Cloud
http://www.etherios.com/
Connect Anything, Anywhere With Device Cloud
Need real-time control over your device network? Developing an application that needs access to device data? Perhaps you need insight into device data to drive business efficiencies. Device Cloud has you covered, driving productivity up and costs down.
Connect any device with open APIs and Etherios Cloud Connector
Complete toolkit to build your Internet of Things solution
Manage devices en masse for increased efficiency
Promote business intelligence through data visualization
Tomi Engdahl says:
XBee WiFi Module – Wire Antenna
https://www.sparkfun.com/products/12571
XBee WiFi embedded RF modules provide simple serial to IEEE 802.11 connectivity.
the XBee WiFi creates new wireless opportunities for energy management, process and factory automation, wireless sensor networks, intelligent asset management and more.
the module gives developers IP-to-device and device-to-cloud capability.
The XBee WiFi shares a common footprint with other XBee modules. This allows different XBee technologies to be drop-in replacements for each other.
Tomi Engdahl says:
I2S Audio And SPI Display With An Ethernet Module
http://hackaday.com/2014/04/23/i2s-audio-and-spi-display-with-an-ethernet-module/
the entire project is built around a cheap router module, giving this project amazing expandability for a very meager price.
The router module in question is the HLK-RM04 from Hi-Link, commonly found via the usual Chinese resellers for about $25. On board this module is a UART, Ethernet, and a WiFi adapter along with a few GPIO pins for interfacing with the outside world.
Tomi Engdahl says:
Japan plans SEVEN satellite launches to supercharge GPS
Quasi-Zenith Satellite System aims accuracy to within centimetres
http://www.theregister.co.uk/2014/04/24/japan_satellite_qzss_enhanced_gps/
Japan is set to fire seven satellites into orbit over the coming years as part of plans to enhance GPS so locations can be pin-pointed to within centimetres rather than metres.
Tomi Engdahl says:
DeSENSORtised: Why the ‘Internet of Things’ will FAIL without IPv6
What’s stopping a tinyputer invasion? An IP address shortage, says Cisco
http://www.theregister.co.uk/2014/04/24/ipv6_iot/
For more than 20 years, it has been clear that the internet will eventually run out of public IPv4 addresses. Despite that limit, online businesses have been slow to adopt IPv6, which has an abundance of addresses by comparison.
Now that tech companies are clambering to use the phrase “Internet of Things” (IoT) or the “Internet of Everything” (IoE), IPv6 lobbyists are keen to stress the dangers if the IT world does nothing about the looming address shortage.
Sadly, switching from IPv4 to IPv6 isn’t as trivial as you may think, even though modern operating systems and networking kit support both protocols: a device configured with a single IPv6 address cannot directly talk to a thing with an IPv4 address, and vice versa, so you can’t just throw the two protocols into the mix without some sort of bridging.
But the move is not impossible
The Internet of Things – a world of ultra-low-power embedded sensors, motors, and similar gadgets, all connected up like billions of tiny tentacles to data-crunching computers – seems, at present, a faddish marketing ploy by networking outfits that are keen to flog more kit.
The likes of Cisco, which this year pumped $100m into IoT, see it differently, however. The corporation is convinced that 50 billion devices can be linked directly to the internet by 2020, even though adoption of IPv6 remains sluggish and IPv4 can’t support that many publicly addressable things.
Specifically with IoT, or IoE as Cisco prefers to brand it, Foddering said security issues remained a barrier to plugging many more devices into the ‘net – after all, defending 50 billion devices from data thieves and other miscreants could well be the biggest challenge facing the IT security industry, if not the wider world if it really takes off.
Tomi Engdahl says:
IBM Hursley Park: Where Big Blue buries the past, polishes family jewels
How the internet of things has deep roots in the English countryside
http://www.theregister.co.uk/2014/04/10/geeks_guide_visits_ibm_hursley/
Tomi Engdahl says:
Reg man builds smart home rig, gains SUPREME CONTROL of DOMAIN – Pics
LightwaveRF and Arduino: Bright ideas for dim DIYers
http://www.theregister.co.uk/2014/04/22/feature_home_automation_with_lightwaverf/
tried my hand at putting together my own iOS app that linked to a radio transmitter connected to an Arduino Micro board. A much cheaper and far more satisfying option than paying over the odds for the separate JSJS Wi-Fi Link box.
Other options for remote controlled lights include Insteon, KNX/EIB, X10 – popularised in Europe by Marmitek, Zigbee and Z-Wave. I chose LightwaveRF for simplicity
The lighting units start at £25 £30 for the single switch variant.
Two caveats: the remote control is one-way. You can send commands to the light switch but the light switch can’t transmit its status. Dimming certain types of low-energy bulbs is a hit-and-miss affair. Incandescent bulbs work best.
Non-techies would go out and buy the LW500 Wi-Fi Link, a small box that connects to your home broadband and registers itself with the JSJS internet portal. Once you’ve installed this you can download the company’s iPhone app and operate your lights remotely.
The LightwaveRF protocol is proprietary but is very simple and runs on the unlicensed 433.92MHz band. Helpfully someone has already done the hard work of reverse-engineering it and writing a convenient Arduino library. For £3 I was able to order the appropriate transmitter from CoolComponents and wired it up to an Arduino.
I connected the Arduino and radio transmitter to the small Linux computer that any self-respecting geek would have in their home. A Python script runs a web server that accepts commands and relays them to the Arduino.
Tomi Engdahl says:
Elisa: Consumers give up their fixed broadband connection
Elisa increased its operating profit last quarter, the shift in consumer mobile net surfing and closing fixed broadband subscriptions.
Telecom operator, says that mobile broadband is growing steadily. High-speed 4G connectivity already cover about 90 percent of the Finnish population. At the same time, fixed-line broadband subscriptions in Elisa is falling.
Mobile ARPU in January-March 15,80 Euros. For example, as recently as 2008, one subscriber brought into Elisa on more than 30 Euros.
Source: YLE
http://yle.fi/uutiset/elisa_kuluttajat_luopuvat_kiinteista_laajakaistaliittymistaan/7204228
Tomi Engdahl says:
Verizon and New Jersey Agree 4G Service Equivalent to Broadband Internet
http://tech.slashdot.org/story/14/04/24/1918240/verizon-and-new-jersey-agree-4g-service-equivalent-to-broadband-internet
“Verizon and New Jersey regulators have reached a deal releasing Verizon from their obligation to have brought 45Mbps broadband to all NJ residents by 2010. Instead, 4G wireless service is considered sufficient.”
“According to the Bergen Record, Verizon will no longer be obligated to provide broadband to residents if they have access to broadband service from cable TV providers or wireless 4G service.”
Tomi Engdahl says:
Anonymous’ Airchat Aims to Allow Communication Without Needing Phone or Internet Access
http://www.ibtimes.co.uk/anonymous-airchat-aims-allow-communication-without-needing-phone-internet-access-1445888
Online hacktivist collective Anonymous has announced that it is working on a new tool called Airchat which could allow people to communicate without the need for a phone or an internet connection – using radio waves instead.
Anonymous, the amorphous group best known for attacking high profile targets like Sony and the CIA in recent years
“Airchat is a free communication tool [that] doesn’t need internet infrastructure [or] a cell phone network. Instead it relies on any available radio link or device capable of transmitting audio.”
it is simply a proof of concept at this stage
In order to get Airchat to work, you will need to have a handheld radio transceiver, a laptop running either Windows, Mac OS X or Linux, and be able to install and run several pieces of complex software.
This is not the first time that Anonymous has tried to create free communications to connect the world.
Tomi Engdahl says:
Finnish consumers exchange leased lines to a mobile network
More and more people use the Internet over wireless connections. Telecom operator Elisa says that mobile broadband subscriptions steadily increasing sales while at the same time, fixed-line and sales are down.
Elisa, 89 per cent of the Finnish population lives in a 4g network coverage. In the future, network coverage increases the new 800 MHz frequency range that Elisa started taking into use in the beginning of this year.
Source: http://www.tietoviikko.fi/uutisia/suomalaiset+vaihtavat+kiinteita+yhteyksia+mobiiliverkkoon/a983898
Tomi Engdahl says:
New White House Petition For Net Neutrality
http://politics.slashdot.org/story/14/04/24/2043224/new-white-house-petition-for-net-neutrality
On the heels of yesterday’s FCC bombshell, there is a new petition on the White House petition site titled, ‘Maintain true net neutrality to protect the freedom of information in the United States.’
Tomi Engdahl says:
The FCC doesn’t want to destroy net neutrality, but it’s going to anyway
http://gigaom.com/2014/04/24/the-fcc-doesnt-want-a-pay-to-play-internet-but-it-may-not-be-able-to-stop-it/
Here’s the FCC’s current plan to protect network neutrality. It hopes to create a set of rules by the end of the year, and in doing so, could open the door for prioritization of internet traffic.
The Federal Communications Commission doesn’t want companies like Netflix or Viacom to have to pay to get their content to end users of broadband networks, but it doesn’t see a way (or maybe even a reason) to ban the practice.
The FCC’s “fast lane” rule is awful for the Internet—just ask the FCC
Pay-for-play is fine for Web users? That’s not what the FCC said in 2010.
http://arstechnica.com/tech-policy/2014/04/the-fccs-fast-lane-rule-is-awful-for-the-internet-just-ask-the-fcc/
FCC Chairman Tom Wheeler is in damage-control mode today after word leaked that potential new “net neutrality” rules are anything but neutral.
The proposal would formalize pay-for-play arrangements in which streaming video companies and other types of Web services pay Internet service providers for a faster path to consumers over the “last mile” of the network.
Setting the Record Straight on the FCC’s Open Internet Rules
http://www.fcc.gov/blog/setting-record-straight-fcc-s-open-internet-rules
There has been a great deal of misinformation that has recently surfaced regarding the draft Open Internet Notice of Proposed Rulemaking that we will today circulate to the Commission.
To be clear, this is what the Notice will propose:
That all ISPs must transparently disclose to their subscribers and users all relevant information as to the policies that govern their network;
That no legal content may be blocked; and
That ISPs may not act in a commercially unreasonable manner to harm the Internet, including favoring the traffic from an affiliated entity.
Calm down: FCC’s position on Net neutrality hasn’t changed
http://www.cnet.com/news/fccs-position-on-net-neutrality-hasnt-changed/
There’s been a lot of confusion about what the FCC is or is not proposing for its rewrite of its Open Internet rules. CNET’s Marguerite Reardon breaks it down.
Tomi Engdahl says:
Apr 24, 2014
Comcast Response to Netflix
http://corporate.comcast.com/comcast-voices/comcast-response-to-netflix
Comcast has a multiplicity of other agreements just like the one Netflix approached us to negotiate, and so has every other Internet service provider for the last two decades. And those agreements have not harmed consumers or increased costs for content providers – if anything, they have decreased the costs those providers would have paid to others. As at least one independent commentator has pointed out, it was not Comcast that was creating viewability issues for Netflix customers, it was Netflix’s commercial transit decisions that created these issues.
Tomi Engdahl says:
Ericsson to split Network unit in two
http://www.reuters.com/article/2014/04/24/us-ericsson-networks-idUSBREA3N0N620140424
Ericsson said it would create one separate business unit for mobile telecom equipment, called Radio, and one business unit called Cloud and IP.
Tomi Engdahl says:
Ex-FCC commissioner to head CTIA in latest Washington shuffle
Meredith Attwell Baker, a onetime Obama appointee, will now run the mobile industry group
http://www.itworld.com/mobile-wireless/415882/ex-fcc-commissioner-head-ctia-latest-washington-shuffle
Wednesday’s announcement came less than a year after a former CTIA chief and cable industry lobbyist, Tom Wheeler, was nominated as chairman of the FCC.
The U.S. capital, surrounded by its famous ring road called the Beltway, is often criticized as an incestuous world of revolving doors between industries and the agencies that are charged with regulating them. Baker and Wheeler are not the first communications luminaries to move between government and industry groups.
More than 80 percent of FCC commissioners since 1980 have gone on to work for companies or groups in the industries they used to regulate
“Washington is a billion-dollar influence industry, and everybody who’s there, working in the public or the private sector, knows how that game is played,” Karr said.
Tomi Engdahl says:
Tales from the Internet World Cup: ICANN tell nothing will change
Brazilian striker aside… it’s all very model UN
http://www.theregister.co.uk/2014/04/25/internet_global_multistakeholder_meeting_on_the_future_of_internet_governance/
NetMundial’s internet conference, the much-hyped, over-excited lovechild of Edward Snowden’s NSA revelations, has been significantly more subdued than people thought it would be.
Despite everyone’s best efforts, NetMundial is a damp squib.
But despite repeated and very public calls for a clampdown on internet surveillance, the whole issue is being carefully sidestepped in São Paulo. The entire idea that people are accessing and using our interactions online in a way that would have blown George Orwell’s mind has been anaesthetised.
What will we all get out of NetMundial? For the ordinary observer, nothing at all. The final text will be bland, vague and almost entirely pointless. But if you are an Internet governance professional, well, then things have really changed.
At the next meeting, there will be an expectation to produce a document that contains real details of movement and agreement.
Tomi Engdahl says:
Vladimir Putin Claims The Internet Is ‘A CIA Project’
http://www.nbcnews.com/storyline/ukraine-crisis/vladimir-putin-claims-internet-cia-project-n88766
Russian President Vladimir Putin claimed Thursday that the Internet is “a CIA project,” adding that Moscow needed to “fight” to resist this U.S. influence.
Russia is keen to moderate the information super-highway, where opponents of the government who are barred from national television amass their support.
Tomi Engdahl says:
Spy back doors? That would be suicide, says Huawei
‘Impeccable track record’ clearly means we’re not a spy conduit, says mouthpiece
http://www.theregister.co.uk/2014/04/25/huawei_responds_to_spying_allegations/
Chinese hardware manufacturer Huawei says allegations it provides backdoors for espionage in its kit remain unproven and would be “commercial suicide”.
“The hypothetical – that our equipment could be used for espionage by the Chinese government – has never been proven,” spokesman Scott Sykes told press at the company’s annual global analyst event in Shenzen this week.
“If it were ever proven, we would lose 65 per cent of our business overnight. That would be corporate suicide.”
However, documents disclosed by Edward Snowden this year suggest Huawei may be more sinned against than sinner. The US National Security Agency’s ‘Tailored Access Operations’ unit broke into Huawei’s corporate servers, and by 2010 was reading corporate email and examining the source code used in Huawei’s products.
Tomi Engdahl says:
Net neutrality dead for good? FCC may endorse pay-for-play deals
ISPs could charge for improved access as long as they don’t block Web services.
Apr 23 2014, 11:42pm S
http://arstechnica.com/tech-policy/2014/04/net-neutrality-dead-for-good-fcc-may-endorse-pay-for-play-deals/
FCC Chairman Tom Wheeler confirmed today that proposed rules to replace the net neutrality regulations struck down by a court decision are on track for an FCC vote on May 15.
Wheeler didn’t detail exactly what those rules would be, but The Wall Street Journal says it has a source who knows.
“The Federal Communications Commission plans to propose new open Internet rules on Thursday that would allow content companies to pay Internet service providers for special access to consumers, according to a person familiar with the proposal,” the Journal reported.
Tomi Engdahl says:
Net Neutrality: A Guide to (and History of) a Contested Idea
If net neutrality is so important, why is it so controversial? It’s complicated.
http://www.theatlantic.com/technology/archive/2014/04/the-best-writing-on-net-neutrality/361237/
In short: the FCC would allow network owners (your Verizons, Comcasts, etc.) to create Internet “fast lanes” for companies (Disney, The Atlantic) that pay them more. For Internet activists, this directly violated the principle of net neutrality, which has been a hot-button issue in Silicon Valley for a long time.
Net neutrality is the idea that any network traffic—movies, web pages, MP3s, pictures—can move from one place (our servers) to any other place (readers’ computers phones) without “discrimination.”
This idea of net neutrality—this cherished idea, even, among Internet entrepreneurs and activists—has a long history, roughly as long as the commercial world wide web. It is, Harvard law professor Lawrence Lessig has argued, what makes the Internet special.
Tomi Engdahl says:
Looking at connection speeds, the global average connection speed grew 5.5% to 3.8 Mbps and the global average peak connection speed added an impressive 30%, ending 2013 at 23.2 Mbps.
In the fourth quarter of 2013, average connection speeds on surveyed mobile network providers ranged from a high of 8.9 Mbps down to a low of 0.6 Mbps. Average peak connection speeds above 100 Mbps were observed at several providers, while 3.1 Mbps was the slowest seen.
traffic from mobile devices on cellular networks, Android Webkit accounted for approximately 35% of requests, with Apple Mobile Safari trailing at just over 29%
Source:
http://www.akamai.com/dl/akamai/akamai-soti-q413.pdf?WT.mc_id=soti_Q413
Tomi Engdahl says:
Internet of Thingies bods: Forget 3G, let’s go straight to 4G
It’s M2M, Id-IoT: Any fule kno that’s Inter-Operability Testing
http://www.theregister.co.uk/2014/04/28/jasper_wireless_sees_4g_as_more_sustainable_than_3g/
The M2M (machine to machine) industry is restyling itself as The Internet of Things, and in keeping with the new trendy name, it doesn’t want any of that old-fashioned 3G.
One trend is the demand for over-the-air software updates in the automotive industry. Jasper counts GM, Ford, Volvo and Tesla as customers. Namie points out that Toyota has just recalled 1.9 million Prius vehicles for a software update.
One of the issues with 4G LTE is its huge number of frequencies and a split across frequency and time division duplexes, making it impossible for any one manufacturer to cover everything. Namie says that 4G in Europe is “a challenge” and sees US adoption as being far easier.
While an ATM sends just a tiny amount of data and is hence well-served by 2G, a “connected” car sending significant data – both telemetry and perhaps video – might need the bandwidth of 4G.
The established M2M 2G model is a different way of thinking for the operators. A device subscribed to an M2M 2G contract provides an average revenue stream of $1 to $2 a month. This compares to a world average of $12 a month for a standard voice/data contract and could reflect badly on the quarterly figures, so the networks have started breaking out the numbers separately.
On the other hand, M2M is fantastic for subscriber acquisition and retention: churn is virtually non-existent and one single enterprise may account for many thousands of subscribers