Free WiFi in Penang : Wireless@PENANG

Further to the Wireless@KL which I personally had an bad experience on it, never able success to get online thru it or even browse to it portal page! ( Just keep showing "under maintenance" ) It happen in most of the wireless@KL in the heart of the Kuala Lumpur!

Back to the topic, on this day 19th Sept 2008, Wireless@PENANG is launched by the Chief Minister Lim Guan Eng. Penangites is going to enjoy free wifi wireless network within Penang! Their target to complete it within 18 to 24 months.

It sounds great, isn't it? You can now login to your messenger tool like MSN, Yahoo! all day long using Wifi instead of expensive and unstable crap 2G or 3G network! You can even make voice call to your buddy using skype and it is all Free! Cool!

Again, back to the realistic. How stable and how brilliant the network maintenance will be ? How the team would handle the 2.4GHz RF interferences and hand-over ? It would some of the challenges ( there are actually more.. ) that the operator and the network builder have to iron it...

References :

The Edge Daily : Penangites to enjoy free WiFi services

 The Star : Penang launches statewide free WiFi project

How to get WLAN MAC Address in Nokia e71 ?

There might one day you want to find your Nokia e71's wireless MAC address for whatever purpose e.g. configure a static fixed lease in your DHCP server, monitor the bandwidth usage etc. Or it may also useful when you are trying to 'hook' it to another wireless device which only able to configure and it is filtered by MAC address.

So, this is way on how you can get your WLAN MAC address :

Press " *#62209526 "

Definition for MAC Address for those who don't know what it is...a definition from Wikipedia :

In computer networking, a Media Access Control address (MAC address) or Ethernet Hardware Address (EHA), hardware address, adapter address or physical address is a quasi-unique identifier assigned to most network adapters or network interface cards (NICs) by the manufacturer for identification. If assigned by the manufacturer, a MAC address usually encodes the manufacturer's registered identification number..... ( more here... )

I got my Nokia e71!!

This is my new phone, Nokia e71 !!

Wowow....just got it couple of weeks ago. Initially I was waiting for the WiMAX 802.16e ready handset, then I had made up my mind --->> "Don't wait anymore, it still need some times for WiMAX ready handset, especially those smart phone, to be in the market~"

Until Today, I strongly recommend for this phone, kudos Nokia!!Today onwards, I will post some info, useful applications and my experience on this phone beside posting the Networking & Linux related article.

My Nokia's phone software version :
( You may check yours by pressing the Mobile Secret Code *#0000# )

100.07.76  <--- Software version
08-06-2008  <--- Software release date
RM-346 <--- Compression Type
(C) Nokia E71-1 (26)

More specifications info from Malaysia Nokia Web

IEEE 802.11r WiFi roaming standard approved!

The newest Wi-Fi protocol, 802.11r, which has become the de facto "Wireless VoIP standard", is now a published standard of the Institute of Electrical and Electronics Engineers (IEEE) standards board.

On this day, 29th August 2008, the IEEE has formally announced that 802.11r is approved. According to Wikipedia, IEEE 802.11r-2008 or fast BSS transition (FT) is an amendment to the IEEE 802.11 standard to permit continuous connectivity aboard wireless devices in motion, with fast and secure handoffs from one base station to another managed in a seamless manner.

The arrival of 11r is timely. Voice over Wi-Fi is expected to generate increased interest as more dual-mode Wi-Fi/cellular solutions are delivered this year. 802.11f provides a fast enough hand-off for data services, but that can take a second or two if cryptography is being used, so 802.11r was kicked off in 2004 to provide consistent connections. The handoffs take place in less than 50 milliseconds, rather than the several seconds needed to negotiate a secured connection.

Given the need to integrate with 802.11i security and 802.11e QoS standards, developing a workable standard for fast roaming is challenging. Not surprisingly, 11r defines a complex architecture, though one that is not expected to require forklift upgrades of existing hardware. But getting all the software right will be difficult.

Related readings:

802.11r strengthens wireless voice