MOBILE
COMPUTING
... combining your laptop with wireless internet access
You can now access the
internet on your laptop everywhere you have mobile broadband coverage
with a USB modem. Available on pay monthly, pay as you go, some plans
even offer a free laptop.
3
NETWORK + SKYPEPHONE + MOBILE BROADBAND
Mobile clients can now make free Skype Contacts Calls & Chats
worldwide plus Mobile Phone Calls & access the Internet at
broadband speeds when travelling.
May 2008: Following
WinXP Service Pack 3 installation, plugging in the Dongle may create
a pop-up message "A USB device has exceeded the hub power
limits ..." Ignore this message and the Dongle works
normally!
Nov
2009: 3 releases first 3G Mobile Rechargable WiFi Router
capable of sharing up to 2.8Mbps Mobile Broadband connection with 2
or more WiFi enabled devices.
MOBILE
& WIRELESS ... Mobile Phones
&
Laptops are about making
Technology & the Internet work for you!
Laptop computers are
replacing bulky desktop machines allowing Telecottage clients to create
documents, hold meetings away from the office, access email &
browse the Internet wherever they want.
Personal Data Assistants
provide up-to-date Contact & Calendar information for mobile clients.
Blackberry PDAs can also provide up-to-date email access using 'push
technology'.
Mobile Phones have gone from being an executive toy to a
necessity used by three quarters of the population for voice, text
& image communication. Modern mobile phones can provide broadband speed internet connectivity for users.
Wireless
Technology
enables clients to access the Internet & Network over a
shared broadband connection whether working from a traditional office,
relaxing Home Office or away from base on business trips.
Mobile working
enables clients to spend travel time more productively ... more
For mobile
working possibilities and checklist ... click here
WiFi
BROADBAND INTERNET ACCESS ... internet access when away from home or
office
Free
internet access via WiFi is still a new concept in the UK where WiFi
is seen as a 'money maker' rather than an add-on service to draw in
new customers.
With
WiFi installed as standard, laptop users are choosing establishments that offer free WiFi Broadband
internet access. Those that do not offer complimentary WiFi internet
access are seeing their prospective customers taking their laptops
and business elsewhere!
With
BT Openzone and BT FON Hotspots springing up everywhere, BT
Broadband customers are offered free internet access via private WiFi
networks from nearby homes & businesses.
All WiFi signals should be protected by a network keycode before allowing you to connect,
but many still do not.
Inadequately protected WiFi networks allow
laptop users to access the internet for free, which is can lead to a conviction of
dishonestly obtaining an electronic communications service plus
confiscation of your laptop.
BT
OPENZONE is an easy-to-use broadband internet access service
for a Monthly Subscription or Pay-As-You-Use Charge.
Using
WiFi wireless
technology,
you can access the internet - with no download limits - at any
access point in cafés, camp sites, hotels & airports in the UK.
Many
locations nclude free WiFi
Broadband Internet
Access within their standard charges - so check before you book
& choose one that does!
SKYPE
ZONES is a little piece of software powered by Boingo that gives you
access to Skype through thousands of Skype-friendly hot spots, while
you’re on the move.
Accessing Skype
Zones and enjoying Skype from hotspots is not free, but it is very reasonably priced!
Visit Skype via the icon link (see left) for more information.
MOBILE
INTERNET ACCESS
... email & internet access when mobile
WiFi communication
is just one option laptop users can choose when on the move. The new
3G broadband data services offered by mobile phone operators offers
convenience over speed. When WiFi Hotspots work properly they can
offer faster data transfer speeds, but you will have to go looking
for a WiFi signal.
Mobile phone 3G services
offer
a better coverage, but are not yet nationwide from all mobile phone
masts. New technological advances are occurring all the time: a
new wireless format promises to more than quadruple download speeds.
The communications regulator, OFCOM, is consulting on allowing
service providers to strengthen their signals to improve coverage.
Broadband
enables users to access websites, email & make voice/ video calls for
free whilst still using an ordinary telephone.
When travelling, mobile phones are now standard for voice communications ... but what about Internet Access?
There
are a number of ways to connect your laptop to the Internet using your
built-in WiFi, USB Adapter or slot in PCMCIA card.
Your WiFi
Adapter or PCMCIA card uses
power continuously, so switch it off
or remove it when not in use to conserve your battery.
Using high-capacity 3.5G technology,
HSDPA is a software enhancement to an existing 3G W-CDMA network
infrastructure & allows mobile clients access to the Internet at
broadband speeds up to 3.6Mbps now being installed.
Further improvements could offer up
to 10Mbps broadband
connection speeds over 3G.
When
travelling, leave those larger email messages & attachments on your Internet
Service Provider's Mail Server for when back on broadband. You
can check your Mail Server's Inbox via your ISP's webmail if a
large email is expected.
It takes just a
few minutes to change the settings in your e-mail program -
3G
- 3rd Generation
3G is the
generic
term used for the third generation of mobile communications systems
created to deliver up to 384Kbps connections - using the W-CDMA air
interface, such networks are labelled 3GSM.
Seen as a simple
solution, the Vodaphone Mobile Connect 3G/GPRS Data Card purchased
separately is about the size of a credit
card. It slots into a spare PCMCIA Slot leaving the red end with indicator
lights and aerial protruding.
At £1 /Mb of data
sent/received, GPRS coverage is
much improved but 3G is improving fast.
EDGE
- Enhanced Data rates for GSM Evolution
Further enhancements to GSM
networks are provided by EDGE technology tripling the data capacity
of GPRS.
When
you talk on a mobile phone, a continuous connection to a channel is
reserved for you on the GSM network, which means nobody else can use
that channel. With EDGE, you can still have a continuous connection,
but you only use the channel when you're sending or receiving data. So
although you might be connected to a channel all the time, one data
channel can be shared by many people. So you are only billed for
actual data transferred, not for the time connected.
EDGE is significantly faster than CSD (Circuit Switched Data) or GSM Data.
However you may find transfers slower during peak hours in busy cell
networks or when the signal is weak, because for safety reasons
voice connections take precedence.
EDGE uses a slightly different
technology than GPRS called 8PSK, or 8-Phase Shift Keying. Data is sent over GPRS and EDGE in
pulses. With GPRS, a pulse can carry 1 bit of data, but with EDGE,
one pulse carries 3 bits. So it's not that the data actually moves
faster, it's that more can be moved at any given time.
Where an EDGE network is not
available, connections will fall back on GPRS as default.
You only pay
for how much data you transfer, not for how long you have been
connected. You can have an active connection all the time if you
like to synchronize periodically with a network or check for new
email messages. If you need to make or answer a voice phone call,
your EDGE connection is automatically disconnected for the duration
of the call.
Armed with a laptop computer
& a
special antenna, it is possible to scan Bluetooth phone address
books, remotely log keyboard keystrokes & record phone
conversations from Bluetooth headsets. Scary, but you can keep your data
& conversations confidential -
Bluetooth
is a low-power, short-range wireless network that allows devices like
phones, printers, keyboards & headphones to communicate with one
another. While not inherently unsafe, it needs to be properly used to
avoid risks.
There are three main vulnerabilities:
BLUESTUMBLING:
discovering other people's Bluetooth devices within range.
BLUESNARFING:
obtaining information from a 'bluestumbled' device.
BLUEJACKING:
sending spam to a Bluetooth device.
GPRS
- General Packet Radio Service
A Data Card offers wireless internet
access on your laptop for online working wherever you want, whenever
you want. You get an always-on internet
connection which lets you send and receive email, browse the web and
download files at anytime. So now when you are waiting for
meetings, stuck at the station or staying away on business you can
still be getting work done. Make the most of your work time to allow
you to get the greatest benefit out of your own time - stay
connected anytime.
With a Data Card (or 3G/GPRS
compatible mobile phone), you can do pretty much do everything you'd do
at your desk.
GSM
- Global System for Mobile communications:
GSM
is the wireless technology that underpins most of the world's mobile
phone networks & has created a global mobile standard spanning
210 countries. 14Kbps Data connection speed is now well below 3G,
but it was an improvement on
Dial-Up!
DIAL-UP
- using a mobile phone: Don't
laugh because in areas of weak mobile phone signals, you can still
usually use your mobile phone's voice channel to get a
dial-up connection ... but at 9.6Kbps you might not want to stay connected
for long!