Being able to pack up a couple of networked laptops and work on a project outside the confines of the office appeals to wireless guru Luigi Cappel. But being forced to use specific outlets with proprietary WiFi hotspots takes the edge off that liberty. Hold it a sec we hear you say - what's Wifi and what's a hotspot? Without bogging you down in technical specs, Wifi is a wireless networking technology that uses radio frequency. Pretty much all new laptops come with a Wifi compatable radio transmitter and Cappel's idea is that he and a mate should be able to walk into a cafe and email each other (or anybody, anywhere) from their laptops - without having to plug a modem into a wall socket. A 'hotspot' is any place that's Wifi enabled (this means they have a Wifi network on site).  

"When I travel I like to be free and independent rather than having to stay with a chain such as Starbucks or McDonalds or work with a particular hotel's system," says Cappel, a former president of the Wireless Data forum and author of the electronic book Unleashing the Road Warrior.

"Personally as a business person and traveler I like the concept that companies like RoamAD are offering, where you have a wide geography, and the coverage is similar to that of a cellphone."

RoamAD is currently raising capital to expand its groundbreaking broadband WiFi network in the Auckland CBD, promising to go commercial with its 330kbit/sec metropolitan area network by Christmas 2003.

Its approach is unlike hot spot based networks that operate only within coverage of a particular café or public place. It allows roaming and heightened security at a small percentage of the cost of Telecom and Vodafone's 2.5G cellular networks.

The only other WiFi network in operation in New Zealand currently is that provided by CityLink in Wellington which has about 20 outlets offering coverage. Its ultimate goal is to turn the Wellington CBD into one single hotspot.

Seating arrangements

Cappel welcomes 802.11b WiFi networking as a means to free people from their desks. "The cost of putting wiring into buildings is quite high and to reconfigure seating arrangements can be a problem. If you've got cable, carpet or concrete floors, rewiring an office is a major undertaking and can be hugely expensive and quite unnecessary today."

However he says everyone's needs are different. "I wouldn't be brave enough to predict a world where everyone is 'hot desking', taking our laptops anywhere with real-time access to information anywhere. There are huge security implications."

And while there are still some concerns about free-loaders gaining access to wireless networks and using the bandwidth, he says most organisations are beginning to understand the implications of wireless technology.

"War-chalking (where bandwidth hijackers would chalk mark walls and pavements so Wifi users would know which businesses were Wifi euipped was more of an American fad. A few people did it more out of novelty value than anything else or perhaps they were trying to sell a security product." However it's still important to conduct a security check and most IT managers or vendors know how to do this using a laptop and a WiFi card that hasn't yet been configured.

Mr Capell whose expertise is in PDAs and smartphones, says high-speed isn't always necessary out in the field. "We talk about allowing people access to information specific to the job they're doing. Because of the low bandwidth we've had to work in the past we've created applications that require so little data that high-speed networks aren't necessary. CDMA 1x and GPRS provide ample speed for most field applications."

He says most people in the field need to be able to take orders, access stock levels, account status information and little else. "The average person has very small information needs - sales needs for example are often based on synchronisation - you may have 40,000 products but you'll only update those where the price has changed and you can do that quite happily at 14.4kbit/sec."

Telcos watching market

"I always work on the assumption that connectivity isn't available and you may have to do everything off line and only occasionally link up to the server. In a location like New York however where everything is heavily built up the hotspot scenario is much easier to justify."

He says it could ultimately be viable to use third generation cellphones (3G) everywhere which would give voice over IP and access to the server. "That's where Walker Wireless working with Vodafone could be very strategic. All over the world ISPs and telcos are working very closely together and watching where this market is moving to."

Further aiding mobility is the growing shift to Bluetooth technology, which Mr Capell suggests is being impaired only by the failure of manufacturers to embed the technology into devices such as printers.

"I use it between my cellphone and a couple of PDAs. It works very well as a means of connectivity between devices. It's slowly starting to catch on although manufacturers aren't totally embracing the technology," he says.

Bluetooth printing is going to be important. "If salespeople are selling from a van for example, instead of using an infrared link which requires close proximity you can print your order information off while you're still 10 metres away and walking toward the van.

"However if you want Bluetooth printing you still have to buy a serial-to-Bluetooth interface dongle to sit in the back of the printer rather than buying a Bluetooth printer with the interface embedded."

Mr Cappel says having loads of wires in an out of a PC is diabolical. "I run two laptops and everytime I want to go somewhere I've got to disconnect half a dozen cables. I'd much rather pay a little more and have all that connectivity via Bluetooth.

Mr Cappel's recently released guidebook Unleashing the Road Warrior, which is full of ideas on how to work smarter using wireless technology is being distributed by Renaissance and Brightpoint on CD-Rom in formats for Palm, PocketPC, Tablet, Laptop PC and Apple Mac.

Visit: www.renaissance.co.nz

May 2003