Sometime in 2013, you should be able to buy a special kind of wallpaper designed to block Wi-Fi signals. The wallpaper contains embedded silvery particles arranged in patterns like snowflakes designed to reflect radio signals on Wi-Fi network frequencies. Created by researchers in France, the product is likely to be brought to market first in Europe, where people seem to like wallpaper more than the U.S.

Does Wi-Fi blocking wallpaper have any real practical application? Because you probably don't want to paper your floors, windows or ceilings, the shielding offered by this product will be limited. On the other hand, if you're battling Wi-Fi signal interference from a neighboring apartment or building, papering the walls facing that direction could solve the problem nicely. And, it looks a lot better than tinfoil.

Which company was first to start shipping 802.11ac Wi-Fi gear to customers? The answer last week seemed to be Buffalo Technology who made their AirStation AC1300 wireless router and bridge products available for purchase on a few online outlet sites. Meanwhile, Netgear announced the R6300 router. Both company's routers technically support gigabit-speed networking, both featuring ratings of 1.3 Gbps (but being marketed as 1300 Mbps apparently in fear that customers won't be able to do the math).

802.11ac has been anticipated for several years as the next big upgrade in Wi-Fi networking. In particular, it's faster speed enables better high-definition video streaming across home networks, a capability that other wireless standards, even current 802.11n technology, have struggled to deliver.

→ More - Will 802.11ac Be The Next Big Thing? (2009)

Do you use Wi-Fi Internet at hotels around the world? A note this month from the Internet Crime Complaint Center (IC3) suggests you may be a prime target for hackers. Specifically, the IC3 is tracking claims that hotel travelers have had their computers infected with virus software that they unknowingly downloaded. This attack is sneaky in that people are apparently tricked to make the download by generating a pop-up window in the browser as soon as they initiate their Internet connection. While there are several ways to avoid falling into this trap, one good solution is to avoid downloading any software updates to your computers when traveling.
→ See also - 9 Tips To Block Hotel Wi-Fi Malware (informationweek.com)

Starting May 18th (2012), the Sierra Wireless 4G LTE Tri-Fi Hotspot will be available for purchase by subscribers to Sprint's cell data service in the U.S. The term "Tri-Fi" comes from the device's capability to support any of three different types of connections - LTE, WiMax, and Sprint's version of so-called "3G" cellular networking. Like other kinds of Wi-Fi wireless hotspots, multiple nearby devices can hook to this device and share an Internet connection or computer resources with each other.

The name sounds cool, but is this gadget really anything special? Read More...