Showing posts with label WIRELESS NETWORK. Show all posts
Showing posts with label WIRELESS NETWORK. Show all posts

New Gigacheck Wireless Analyzer Offers Smartphone App Connectivity to Test WiFi and Ethernet Connection Speeds

Press Release Summary:

Greenlee Textron Inc. announces GigaCheck in AirScout® line of wireless analyzers for testing Wi-Fi coverage and wired Ethernet connection. It measures signal to noise ratio, PHY rate and transmit/receive success rates on wireless networks using the industry standard Ookla® Speedtest®. The analyzer provides technicians with tools to validate connection speed on wireless and Ethernet networks and verify whether the customers receive the connection speeds they pay for and expect.

Original Press Release:

Greenlee Communications Launches AirScout GigaCheck

Easily Verify Network Connection Speeds with Greenlee® Communications AirScout® WiFi® Test System
AirScout® GigaCheck Tests WiFi and Ethernet Connection Speeds up to a full Gigabit
Vista, Calif., (June 19, 2018) — Greenlee Textron Inc., a Textron Inc. (NYSE: TXT) company, announces the addition of GigaCheck to its award-winning AirScout® line of wireless analyzers. Controlled via Smartphone app, GigaCheck tests Wi-Fi coverage as seen from the residential gateway and tests wired Ethernet connection upload and download speeds up to 1Gb in real-time.
“Today’s customer demands dependable, high-speed services and expects their service provider will deliver the speed they pay for. AirScout GigaCheck gives technicians the tools needed to quickly and easily validate connection speeds on both wireless and ethernet networks,” explains Oleg Fishel, Director of PLM for Greenlee Communications.
AirScout GigaCheck measures Signal to Noise Ratio, PHY Rate and transmit/receive success rates on wireless networks using the industry standard Ookla® Speedtest®. Upload/download and Ping tests are performed on both Ethernet and WiFi for real-time speed testing.
The AirScout unit connects to the wireless router in one-click and is controlled via a smartphone app. The simple connection and intuitive user interface of the app make it easy for technicians to verify customers are receiving the connection speeds they pay for and expect. Technicians define pass/fail thresholds based upon their SLA and can generate reports and save them in the Cloud for easy transference and transparency of test results.
BTR, Broadband Technology Report, awarded AirScout Enterprise the 2017 Diamond Technology Winner in Wi-Fi Solutions. For more information on the complete AirScout line, visit www.getairscout.com.
Greenlee, under its Greenlee Communications brand, develops Ethernet, Transport, C37.94, Fiber, DSL, Wi-Fi and Copper test solutions, tracing and locating equipment, and fiber/cable jet installation equipment. A broad product portfolio, coupled with solutions-branded Greenlee Utility®, HD Electric Company® and Sherman + Reilly®, creates a single source partner providing unmatched value to the communications and utility markets.
Greenlee Communications
The Greenlee Communications brand offers a complete line of innovative and industryleading test and measurement solutions for the communication service provider industry. Our expertise and innovative solutions address all stages of network deployment enabling the development, installation and maintenance of xDSL, fiber, cable and wireless networks. It is a leading brand of test and measurement solutions in the global communications industry with a long track record of delivering high quality innovative solutions enabling technicians to achieve their goals in a timely manner and with confidence.
Greenlee Textron Inc.
Greenlee Textron Inc. is known as a global leader in the professional tool category. The Rockford, Illinois-based company develops high quality innovative products distinguished by customer-driven design and differentiated by supply chain excellence. It also leverages its powerful brands such as Greenlee Communications and Greenlee Utility in the electrical, construction and maintenance markets worldwide. More information is available at www.greenlee.com.
About Textron Inc.
Textron Inc. is a multi-industry company that leverages its global network of aircraft, defense, industrial and finance businesses to provide customers with innovative solutions and services. Textron is known around the world for its powerful brands such as Bell, Cessna, Beechcraft, Hawker, Jacobsen, Kautex, Lycoming, E-Z-GO, Greenlee, Textron Off Road, Arctic Cat, Textron Systems, and TRU Simulation + Training. For more information, visit: www.textron.com.
Certain statements in this press release may describe strategies, goals, outlook or other non-historical matters; these forward-looking statements speak only as of the date on which they are made, and we undertake no obligation to update them. These statements are subject to known and unknown risks, uncertainties, and other factors that may cause our actual results to differ materially from those expressed or implied by such forward-looking statements.

Net Neutrality is dead and your privacy is at risk. Here are 5 VPNs that can help.




The FCC has spoken and it's official: Net Neutrality is dead.



Mashable's been closely covering this story — you can read everything here — but we'll give you the TL;DR version. The FCC has decided that large internet service providers (ISPs) like Xfinity, Verizon, RCN, and any other company in the game can charge customers premium rates for faster internet access. This decision was also significant in that it set ISPs significantly free from the confines of government oversight, and it is sparking justifiable privacy concerns as deregulation could empower ISPs to peek into our browsing behavior even more than they already do, or worse, sell that data.
If you're one of those people who likes to stock up on canned goods before the first snowflakes even start to fall, all of this change might make you feel a little twitchy. But we're here for you: One way to get some peace of mind is by downloading a virtual private network (VPN) so that what you do online stays between you and your mouse.

A VPN will essentially allow you to access the web with protections that encrypt your data from prying ISP eyes. VPNs can help add a layer of privacy online no matter where you are, which is why they've long been used by people who travel abroad and want to protect personal info (financial or otherwise) while browsing on public Wi-Fi. Journalists working on sensitive stories find VPNs useful, too.
If you're new to the VPN game, then we have a few suggestions — most of which are even on sale. 

TunnelBear

According to PC Mag, TunnelBear is a "friendly" VPN option for first-time users due in large part to its "pleasing, approachable design." While it doesn't have P2P, BitTorrent, or any specialized servers, it's worth noting that TunnelBear works with Netflix, which isn't always the case with VPNs. 

NordVPN

With more than 2,000 servers around the world and the ability to pay for a subscription in Bitcoin, NordVPN is a PCMag Editor's Choice product with a (rare) 5-star review. "None of the searches or streaming activities that originate within NordVPN's software are logged anywhere on any of NordVPN's servers," says PCMag. "The company maintains no logs of a user's internet path or actions."
Get a two-year plan for just $3.29 per month while NordVPN is on sale.


IPVanish

This high-rated VPN has a bigger suite of advanced features than others, like automatic IP address cycling, and has some 750 servers across 61 countries. CNET lists IPVanish as one of the best VPN services of 2017. A con for IPVanish though is that it's expensive. Good news for you: it's currently on sale.
Save 30% and get a one-year plan for $4.55 per month now.

KeepSolid Unlimited VPN

Though KeepSolid doesn't allow ad blocking, it's one of the most consistently affordable VPNs out there and offers many of the features you'll want: browser extensions, specialized servers, P2P networking, and more. (Read the TechRadar review here.) One of the biggest draws though is KeepSolid's flexible pricing plan, which includes an Infinity Plan for lifetime use that's currently 70% off.

VyprVPN

PCMag gives VyprVPN 4.5 stars, due in part to its multi-platform and multi-protocol support. According to the review, VyprVPN has hundreds of servers and a great interface, though it covers fewer devices than others on the market. In case you're on the fence, VyprVPN also has the option of a three-day free trial. 

Wi-Fi security may be cracked, and it's a very, very bad thing... Have we said that this is bad?



Wi-Fi, the wireless data transfer technology practically all of us use on a daily basis, is in trouble. 

The WPA2 security protocol, a widespread standard for Wi-Fi security that's used on nearly every Wi-Fi router, has apparently been cracked. 
The details on the security exploit, which is called KRACK, or Key Reinstallation Attacks, are to be released at 8am ET Monday on the site www.krackattacks.com.
But according to a new advisory by US-CERT, via Ars Technica, there are "several key management vulnerabilities" in WPA2, allowing for "decryption, packet replay, TCP connection hijacking, HTTP content injection." The worst part? These are "protocol-level issues," meaning that "most or all correct implementations of the standard will be affected."
We'll know more when the details about KRACK are released, but if it turns out that one can use this exploit in a fairly simple and reliable way, then this is one of the biggest online security threats ever.  
To see why, one has to go just a little bit back into the past. Wi-Fi used to be secured with a standard called WEP, which was found to be vulnerable to a multitude of attacks, many of which don't require the attacker to have physical access to the Wi-Fi equipment or even be connected to the network. Over time, tools that make these attacks simple have been developed, and now, if your Wi-Fi is protected by WEP, there's a choice of simple mobile and desktop apps that crack your password in seconds (no matter how long or complicated it is). 
Because of these issues, WEP was mostly replaced with WPA and, later, WPA2, which are far more secure. Though there were ways to crack a WPA2-protected Wi-Fi router, if your password was long and complicated enough, it made it a lot harder or nearly impossible to do. 
(For completeness' sake, one hacking tool, called Reaver, can crack WPA2-protected routers no matter the password, but it's fairly simple to protect your router — you simply have to turn off a feature called WPS.)
If this latest vulnerability is similar to the way WEP is vulnerable — and it looks like it is at the moment — then it won't matter how strong a password you chose. This would make hundreds of millions of routers out there, used by individuals and businesses alike, open to hackers. It would mean that, if you care about security, you should not use Wi-Fi at all until this is fixed. At the very least, you should use HTTPS connections whenever possible, and a good VPN might add another layer of security.
And fixes for these types of things don't come easy. Some routers will probably get a firmware update, but a lot of home users might not know how to apply it, or be aware that this is a threat. Again, going back to the time when WEP was cracked in 2001, it took years for ISPs to start shipping routers with WPA and WPA2 enabled as default, leaving many customers wide open to attacks.  
We'll know more after the announcement today; stay tuned for updates. 

Wi-Fi Technologies: Emerging Business Models

Consumer use of Wi-Fi is on a steep rise. With the coming 5G era, Wi-Fi's role as a core technology in service providers' network strategy will be further strengthened, but it will also face uncertainties as the use of unlicensed spectrums by mobile operators becomes more prevalent.
This industry report provides analysis of Wi-Fi technologies and emerging business models related to public Wi-Fi hotspot services.

Key Topics

• Consumer use of Wi-Fi and hotspot services 
• The entry of Wi-Fi-first mobile service providers and the potential impact on mobile operators' business 
• New Wi-Fi standards and the growing use of Wi-Fi technologies in mobile operators' HetNet network strategy 
• Global forecast of revenues from public Wi-Fi hotspot services targeting both consumers and business customers