WiFi Jedi.com

Get Pumped Up – It’s the Start of Another Work Week!

wifijedi — Mon, 07 Nov 2011 13:39:51 +0000

Here’s an inspiring video for you to start off your work week.

Can I Get Some Help With AdSense and WordPress?

wifijedi — Sat, 05 Nov 2011 04:44:58 +0000

OK. I need some help. I signed up for a Google AdSense account, and I want to post the ads on WiFiJedi.com I can seem to generate the proper code within AdSense, but it doesn’t seem to “take”, when I paste it into WordPress. It pastes into the text box, but then when I click publish (or save), it seems to “disappear”.

This happens when I paste it into either the “Visual” or “HTML” boxes. It also happens when I try to paste the AdSense code into either a text box along the side column of my main blog page, as well as when I try to enter the code at the bottom of one of my posts.

I should also mention that Word Press is hosting my blog. I simply paid Word Press for the domain name and DNS redirect. It’s *not* hosted by another hosting company such as Blue Host or Hosting Gator. I think that limits my use of plug-ins.

Has anyone else experienced this before? If so, what is the work around?

Location Tracking at the Mall

wifijedi — Mon, 24 Oct 2011 14:03:34 +0000

In my job as a Sales Engineer, one of the applications of wireless technology that I get asked about more and more these days is location tracking. At first, I used to get asked about how to track high-value assets. For example, hospitals would ask about how to track expensive (or rare) medical equipment. Or how to track items that were frequently stolen, such as wheel chairs. In this scenario, the equipment had to be tagged in order to track it’s location. Most often, this was done with an active RFID tag in 2.4 GHz which then ran across a wireless LAN as the data was being correlated at a central location server.

With the proliferation of Wi-Fi enabled devices such as smart phones and tablets, I now get asked about how to track the people carrying them. It seems that the general consensus is that tracking people offers much more valuable data than tracking physical assets. One such article that highlights this is one on Evan Schuman’s Storefront Backtalk entitled “Mobile Tracking At The Mall: The Potential Is Stunning”.

The location tracking mentioned in this article seems to be based on cellular frequencies. However, much more accurate location data can be accomplished via Wi-Fi. This is because there are more data points (Access Points) to triangulate from in a pervasive WLAN when compared to the number of data points (cell towers) in a mobile location tracking scenario.

As far back as a few years ago, the pre-cursors for these types of networks were being installed. Personally, I was involved in a project that deployed free guest Wi-Fi in the food courts of 65 malls across America. With their wireless LAN controllers, switches, and security devices already in-place, deploying a location tracking applications would simply consist of expanding the wireless footprint to include the proper density of APs, as well installing a location server or appliance.

Stadium Vision

wifijedi — Thu, 20 Oct 2011 14:09:00 +0000

Yesterday, I posted a link to a Light Reading article about in-stadium connectivity at the Staples Center downtown Los Angeles. The project, by Verizon and Cisco Systems is called Stadium Vision.

If you are interested in learning *even more*, here is a link to a local news story about the project (which also includes a 2 minute video). Exciting stuff!

What are Two Things That Make Me Smile? Hockey & Wireless!

wifijedi — Wed, 19 Oct 2011 20:27:54 +0000

OK, I thought I would pass along an interesting article where two of my passions – hockey and Cisco — intersect. Here is an article on Light Reading about Cisco & Verizon updating the Staples Center in Los Angeles for in-stadium video. Apparently it debuted at last night’s LA Kings game.

In-stadium connectivity is becoming increasingly more popular. This article mentions controlling several different video angles. I have a similar stand-alone device from Fan Vision that I use at Arizona Cardinals home games, although that works off of UHF technology. Fan Vision — if you are listening, *please* expand into hockey. PLEASE…

The light reading article I mentioned earlier also talks about fans ordering concessions from their seats. This is something that we already have at Coyotes hockey through a vendor called Bypass. I have tried to use the Bypass Lane at hockey games, but my in-stadium cellular signal isn’t sufficient to place the order, and there is a lack of public Wi-Fi. What makes it particularly frustrating to me is that I know the arena *has* Wi-Fi, but they don’t segment a guest SSID for public consumption. This would not only drive more sales for Bypass, but improve the overall fan experience. I can also see in-stadium Wi-Fi making it easier for fans to post pictures, videos, etc. to their favorite social networking sites, which essentially extends the team’s brand outside of the event space.

The Light Reading article also mentions social networking, in the context of “digital dissing”. I always thought they should run those boards on the jumbo tron where you text your message to a certain number, and then it plays your message. Obviously, they would have to have some good content filtering, but it would be FUN.

While I am happy for the LA Kings and the Staples Center, the Kings are in town tomorrow night to take on *my* Phoenix Coyotes. Let’s Go Coyotes!

ClientLink on the Beach

wifijedi — Thu, 22 Sep 2011 01:17:51 +0000

A colleague of mine on Cisco’s West Coast Mobility Sales Team, Jason Grant, produced a short (one minute) video about one of Wi-Fi product features, ClientLink. However, instead of a dry technical description, he explained it using an interesting visual aid. Take a look:

The Art of the Conference Call…

wifijedi — Fri, 12 Aug 2011 14:04:33 +0000

I have had many conversations in the past week about how email and conference calls have become a *huge* part of the work environment. Personally, I am looking to become more effective & efficient at handling these tasks. If you have a good strategy, please share!

Since it is Friday, I thought I would share a humorous video on the topic:

Thanks to my colleague, Henry Chou, for bringing this video to my attention.

Cisco Live 2011 Highlights

wifijedi — Fri, 05 Aug 2011 14:43:34 +0000

Well, on this first Friday of the new Fiscal Year, I had a few minutes to catch up on things. One was to watch the Cisco Live 2011 Highlights video. I happened to be up in Las Vegas supporting some of my accounts during the event (Vegas is a part of my territory). Being new to Cisco, I have to say that I was surprised as to how *BIG* Cisco Live really was.

It was being held at The Mandalay Bay, where I have attended INTEROP the last several years. So I thought it was roughly the same size in terms of size and scope. Wowers – I was *way* off. Cisco Live was much bigger and more comprehensive. In all fairness, I didn’t actually attend the event, but I can tell you in terms of signage, space, and presence of attendees, I was impressed.

By the way, since I wasn’t an attendee, I didn’t get one of the cool Cisco Live backpacks. Let me know if you want to send one my way…

Pay close attention to the video around the 1:07 mark. I believe you’ll catch a glimpse of Wi-Fi juggernaut, Andrew vonNagy (@revolutionwifi).

How Long Does It Take For A Single Carrier To Get To 20,000,000 Wi-Fi Connections?

wifijedi — Wed, 03 Aug 2011 19:55:30 +0000

11 Days! That is just one of the stunning statistics from an AT & T infographic that I saw recently. The infographic also compares how long it took to reach the same number of connections in years past. Check it out – you’ll be amazed! Much of the additional data is of particular interest to those in the Hospitality and Retail Industries.

Rather than re-invent the wheel, I’ll point you to a great blog post from Slashgear.com that pretty much says everything that I would regarding the data.

Enjoy! http://www.slashgear.com/att-infographic-notes-massive-wi-fi-use-growth-on-mobile-devices-22167040/

The Packets Never Lie

wifijedi — Wed, 01 Jun 2011 06:10:38 +0000

OK. If you have been following my blog (here or over at Computerworld), you’ll notice that I am really starting to incorporate a lot of video into my posts. So far, I have found that one of the easiest & most effective ways to include video is to interview someone else. However, I now realize that turn-about is fair play.

The fine folks at CWNP had a little fun by asking me what I though about their recent Certified Wireless Analysis Professional (CWAP) beta course.

I told them about one mantra I hold about wireless networking… that the packets never lie. Then they took some liberties with my response. :)

See for yourself:

Oh, it’s all in good natured fun. That is, if you can stand seeing & hearing me more than 10 times in under 5 minutes… In all seriousness though, I had a great time at the CWAP beta course and learned a ton from all the real brains in the room.

If you want to read CWNP’s original post with the video montage, you can view it here: https://www.cwnp.com/index/cwnp_wifi_blog/cwapbeta-round-up-the-packets-never-lie

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