July/Aug 2004

Should Wi-Fi hotspots amount to more than just wireless Internet access points? That's certainly the view of some providers - and in particular, of Appear Networks, the Franco-Swedish company that has made a speciality of creating hotspots where content is a key element.

The idea is that people coming within range of such a hotspot are identified by the configuration of their mobile devices, and then have access to targeted information in addition to normal Internet access. The data might be time-sensitive, or related to their own business or the location in which they find themselves. The company calls this "context aware" Wi-Fi, and describes the location as a "Workspot".

Now consultancy Capgemini Nederland has joined forces with the company to offer a new package of software and services aimed at deploying value-added applications on wireless networks such as Wi-Fi multi-operator hotspots. It is based on Appear's Server 4.4 platform.

A similar philosophy underpins the "Wi-Fi by lamp post" scheme described in the last issue of m.logistics, which also relies on the interest of companies in feeding location-specific content to local users.

Early users of the Appear system include public transport providers such as Stockholm Subway, French Railway (SNCF) and Paris Local Transport Authority (RATP). Still an unknown quantity is the extent to which other types of commercial business will want to embrace this kind of "push" technology.

• The price of Wi-Fi access point hardware continues to fall. One of the latest offerings from D-Link, a market leader in solutions to the SOHO, small business and enterprise environments, is a tri-mode dual-band wireless access point, costing just £200. It offers 802.11a/b/g compatibility and all the usual technical features such as WPA (Wi-Fi Protected Access), AES support and 152-bit WEP encryption.