Wireless locators help track down the physical location of people or things. Personal locators, for example, are small devices that plot your position on a map. They are especially useful when lost while driving. Child trackers comprise a wireless transmitter fastened to the child and a receiver carried by the parent. When the child moves outside of a set range from the parent, the transmitter alerts the parent with sound. Other kinds of wireless locators are even designed to help you find missing keys or tools.

Wireless locators generally don't use Wi-Fi. Instead, each one features its own radio communication protocol. Personal locators typically also utilize GPS technology to plot physical coordinates precisely. Although these devices sound cool, research wireless locator products carefully before purchasing. Consumers historically have had many complaints about their reliability, the useful range of signals and alerts, and battery life.

Popular bookstore chains, numerous hotels, and many local businesses have offered free Internet access via Wi-Fi for awhile now. Google has even been providing free Wi-Fi for an entire city (Mountain View, CA) since 2006.

So what's the big deal about Google now offering free Wi-Fi at select U.S. airports until January 15th? Maybe a lot of folks like me suspect this is more likely to become a permanent arrangement and not just a one-time holiday gift? I could be wrong.

→ See also - Free Wi-Fi Wars: Google vs. Microsoft vs. Yahoo (pcworld.about.com)

We and Gizmodo are watching for the official release of Microsoft's new Wi-Fi adapter for the Xbox 360. The new adapter should feature 802.11n support and perhaps a slightly lower price tag than the current 802.11g unit that I and many other gamers around the world have enjoyed for the last few years.

Will it be worth replacing an existing Microsoft Xbox 360 Wireless Network Adapter with a new 802.11n model? In a word, probably not. To get maximum benefit from the new adapter, you'll need an 802.11n router. Even then, unless your current wireless connection is very weak, expect the stronger signal and higher network bandwidth 802.11n won't translate into any noticeable stability or performance improvement in your online experience.

→ See also - Top 802.11n Wireless Routers

A spammer on our message board recently posted a set of product advertisements that appeared to include braindumps for computer networking certification exams. What's a braindump? According to O/Siris, braindumps are illegal copies of exam questions. Find out why braindumps are considered unethical at best, and check out his good tips for identifying questionable outfits that peddle these things.
→ Discuss - Braindumps are Illegal
→ See also - What Is a Braindump? (certification.about.com)

For several years now, many business and school network administrators block access to Facebook, Myspace and other social networking site on the grounds that they distract employees from more important work. Preventing access to Web sites by name is straightforward, but resourceful employees can find a site's IP addresses and enter those into the browser easily enough. Consequently, administrators often try for more sophisticated IP address blocks. These sometimes also be circumvented via proxies. Have you been on networks that block access to social networking sites and tried to get around it?
→ See also - What Is a MySpace Proxy?
→ See also - What Is Facebook's IP Address?

The iPhone officially went on sale in mainland China this weekend following an agreement between Apple and the Chinese government to remove Wi-Fi support from them. Why does China insist on keeping Wi-Fi off of the iPhone? The reason appears to be a desire to discourage the spread of devices that allow free voice over IP (VoIP) phone calling. However, it was apparently a temporary restriction, as the ban against Wi-Fi on iPhone has allegedly been lifted for future manufacturing.
→ More - iPhone Gets Lukewarm Reception in China (wsj.com)

Apple iPhone - Photo: Andreas Rentz / Getty Images

LaCie is one of the many companies that makes and sells Network Attached Storage (NAS) devices for home and business. Some of these boxes, including the LaCie d2 Network, are billed by some as "home media servers." While there's no official distinction between a media server and an ordinary NAS server, NAS devices designed for home networks tend to offer more features for easily loading and sharing music and video files from iTunes or P2P networks. d2 includes both iTunes and (limited) BitTorrent server support. LaCie additionally targets Mac owners with the d2 Network, which supports Time Machine and comes with a Mac backup software program.

LaCie still sells its older NAS products too, including Network Space and Ethernet Disk mini - Home Edition. d2 Network is the only one of the three LaCie currently offers in 1.5 TB and 500 GB flavors in addition to today's standard 1 TB setup.

→ See also - NAS Drives - Top Network Storage Products for Home

"LaCie d2 Network - Home Media Server" - Image: www.lacie.com

Setting up Internet access when moving into a new apartment can be just like working with wireless hotspots at a school or cafe, As posted to our message board by 'opurdy':

"I'm moving to an apartment complex where people sit out with laptops and pick up a wireless signal. I have a Dell desktop with a router now and a [wireless] adapter ... . Will my adapter pick up that signal to get Internet? Or will I no doubt have to sign up for Internet?"

→ Discuss - Setting up Wireless Internet at an Apartment Complex
→ See also - Finding and Using WI-Fi Hotspots

[via TorrentFreak] - It was staged in northern Norway and far, far from being a mainstream music act, but yesterday marked the completion of the first live Internet concert via BitTorrent P2P technology. The performance showed an old Russian silent film called "Mother" with a live soundtrack being played by musicians in the background. You can view a recorded clip from the performance over the BitTorrent network via the Far North Living Lab, who sponsored the event.
→ More - FarNorthLivingLab - Mother (farnorthlivinglab.no)

It may seem quite a stretch to associate computer networking with environmental conservation issues and so-called "green" initiatives, but a book published this month tries to do exactly that. "The Sustainable Network: The Accidental Answer for a Troubled Planet" is a new O'Reilly title that examines the ramifications of public and private networks becoming an increasingly integral part of our daily lives. The book may not offer too many novel ideas or cover much new ground. However, just about any time spent thinking about sustainability these days is worthwhile. What do you think?
→ See also - What Is Sustainability? (biotech.about.com)
→ See also - Campus Sustainability Day - 21 October 2009 (collegelife.about.com)

"The Sustainable Network - The Accidental Answer for a Troubled Planet" - Image: www.oreilly.com