News of the day: Agito Networks' cell/wi-fi hybrid

Computer World reports on Agito Networks' enterprise router "designed to pull cellular phone traffic onto the corporate Wi-Fi network when employees are on-premise."

Notes that start-up DiVitas Networks and carriers Sprint Nextel Corp. and AT&T are also working on such technology.

The router decides whether to switch you from cell to Wi-Fi "based on a number of factors, such as cost, reliability of the network, the network load, delay characteristics and the quality of the session (bit error rates or packet loss)."

Hey, cost is enough for me.

Another bash on the stubborn heads of those overpriced cell carriers? When do we get routers like that for home use? Wi-Fi calls are to cell calls as OJ Simpson's Rolex is to a real Rolex. It probably still tells time.

CW says the router will be out by the end of the year. Cost: $10,000 for 25 users, $25,000 for 100 users.

Network Computing is a little more skeptical of Agito's edge. "Agito's executive team has as a strong background Wi-Fi but little on the voice side, and even less on the wireless carrier." Says DiVitas Networks is also emphasizing the role of the enterprise WLAN.

Telecommunications Online says "There are already dual-mode Wi-Fi-mobile phones on the market and Agito is working with Nokia Siemens Networks and Microsoft in how its product, the RoamAnywhere Mobile Router, will work with those devices."

InfoWorld reported on Divitas in May, which seamlessly hands off the call from the cell to the  "Mobile Convergence Appliance" with less trouble than my cell phone has maintaining a signal when I walk from my bedroom to my living room. But it requires downloading special software to the cell phone.

Network Computing says Agito doesn't require the user "to endure a long software download or tether the phone to perform a desktop install, the end-user only needs to enter a URL to download a small piece of client code." Also notes that "WLAN vendor Aruba Networks has made hints about this in their own FMC solution, still in trials, but Agito's claims are much more extensive."

Joanine Wexler at Network World gives a bit of an overview will all the jargon I don't understand, and also points us to a ,Network World white paper on the topic, but it requires so much registration info I didn't even get to the price.

My summary: Viva la Wi-Fi cell phone!

Comments

[Greg]

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