Sign On to Wi-Fi LAN With SIM Cards
Here's an interesting idea. Brighthand reports that the WLAN Smart Card Consortium is developing a proposal for Wi-Fi access point operators to issue SIM cards to their customers, much the way GSM operators do for their networks. The SIM card would have user and configuration information, avoiding the need for users to configure their own settings. The group has created a USB key to hold the SIM card since laptops are not typically equiped with SIM card slots. The user would plug in the key and be ready to use the wireless network. Obviously, they haven't considered handhelds that don't have USB ports. Maybe there could be a USB to mini-USB adapter available?
I don't generally have issues connecting wireless access points. Windows XP does a great job of detecting and automatically configuring access. The only time it gets hairy is when I need to type in a really long passkey the first time I hit a secure wireless network. No complaints from me.
I understand that some people do have trouble, and this is an interesting idea to combat the issue. This concept may or may not be put to use by operators, but it is still nice to see some creative thinking. What do you think? Would it be easier for you to carry around a key or type in a password to access the network?
__________________
--
David McNamee
Office Platform Specialist, Microsoft Corp.
|
Threaded Mode
Similar Threads