Miles Associates LLC

Google has been “accidentally” collecting wi-fi data, but not if it was encrypted.

Google is facing scrutiny and investigation around the world following revelations that it has been capturing and archiving wi-fi data collected by its Google Street View vehicles that drive around capturing the image data used by the Street View service. It is questionable whether Google should have done that, but what is not questionable is whether or not Google should have any data from your wi-fi network.

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While it may seem like an invasion of privacy–and in some countries or jurisdictions it may very well be–it is not necessarily against the law here in the United States. Frankly, there is no reasonable expectation of privacy for data that you willingly broadcast unencrypted into public airwaves.

via http://www.networkworld.com/news/2010/052110-does-google-have-wi-fi-data.html.

Will femtocells ever get their moment?  Airvana exec argues mobile architecture challenges make them inevitable.

Although femtocells have yet to live up to the hype in terms of sales, femtocell vendor Airvana is still confident that they have a future in the mobile marketplace.During last week’s FutureNet conference, Woojune Kim, Airvana vice president of technology, outlined why his company is still bullish on femtocell prospects. The company believes carriers will come to see them as essential to offloading traffic on their mobile data networks as demand continues to grow.

via http://www.networkworld.com/news/2010/051810-femtocells-inevitable.html.

I have a femtocell in my home from Sprint (Airave).  It is pretty cool, although it releases calls (to the outdoor Sprint network) much earlier than you’d expect.  I think I need to move it to the top floor of my house for better wireless performance.  FYI, the Sprint Airave does NOT assist with data, only voice.