Dummies, Wireless

� Using a captive portal: A captive portal is a system that automatically
directs you to a registration Web page before allowing you unfettered
access to the Internet over a hot spot connection. This process works
fine if your mobile device has a built-in Web browser but is stopped
dead in its tracks if you’re using a device without a Web browser (such
as a Wi-Fi Skype phone).
Not all mobile device Web browsers support captive portal systems,
usually due to a lack of JavaScript functionality in the browser.
� Using client software: A smaller number of hot spots require (or offer
as an option) a software client that handles user authentication and
authorization. With a client installed on your device, you can bypass
the requirement to load a Web page and get yourself on the network
without the hassle. For example, Boingo offers client software for
Windows Mobile and Nokia Series 60 smartphones, as does Boingo’s
partner Skype (this software allows you to make free or inexpensive
calls using Wi-Fi rather than your cellular connection).
So the bottom line here is that you’ll need either a Web browser, a special bit
of client software, or an open hot spot to get online with your mobile device.
We wish we had a better answer here, but, in fact, this is a major issue in the
hot spot industry today.
On the Go with EV-DO!
Chapter 16: Going Wireless Away from Home
If you’re a wireless power user — and you tend to travel on the main thoroughfares
and metro areas — you may be interested in another on-the-road
option (heck, you can even use it while you’re at home!) for wireless connectivity:
wireless WAN services. These wireless wide area network services are
offered by cellular carriers in more and more places around the United States
as they build out their networks for the next generation of audio and video
(yes, TV on your phone) services.
Wireless WAN services come in different flavors depending on the technology
each carrier is deploying and where each flavor is available. Some of the
most common of these connections are
� 1xRTT: Stands for single carrier (1x) radio transmission technology, a 3G
(third-generation) wireless technology based on the CDMA (code division
multiple access, if you must know) platform. (1xRTT is also referred
to as CDMA2000.) 1xRTT has the capability to provide speeds of as
much as 144 Kbps (but usually in the 60 Kbps–90 Kbps range). Carriers
such as Sprint and Verizon offer this service.
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