JIA has now joined the ranks of Florida airports like Miami, West Palm Beach and Ft. Lauderdale to provide free public WiFi, wireless fidelity. In contrast to many other parts of the country, where even short term access can cost $10 or more  and the use of a credit card over a less than secure connection, this free service should be an excellent example.

The Jacksonville Aviation Authority has officially unveiled its wireless network at Jacksonville International Airport. Travelers with wireless-capable laptops can access the Internet anywhere in the airport free of charge.

The system, designed, installed and serviced by IBM, will be operational 24 hours a day, seven days a week. The JIA’s free, public Wi Fi system is described as among the most extensive in Jacksonville. The network is capable of handling as many as 300 users at the same time.

In the wake of Katrina, New Orleans has deployed a free WiFi network throughout the central downtown and French Quarter parts of the city. This network is used to help police and municipal communications with much of the local infrastructure still damaged, but private citizens and visitors can use it as well. So if your hotel does not offer WiFi as part of its amenities, there is a good chance that you can still check your email while collecting those beads and watching the parades. Happy Fat Tuesday!

 Linksys Compact Wireless-G Internet Video Camera

This nifty device offers some features that are of interest to the Traveling Telecommuter. Linksys has created a website that allows the video to be shared from a password protected connection. This opens possiblities to perform live demonstrations in the field for clients, presentations, or just add a personal touch to a remote meeting. Add a second camera and a video conference is born.

As if this was not enough, the camera can be left behind when you go on the road so you can keep an eye on the house and make sure all is just as you left it. There is even a feature to detect motion which will email you when the scene in the camera changes, perhaps letting you know when the dog walker comes by, or for the obvious security protection.

Jamaica , N.Y.–(BUSINESS WIRE)–Sept. 19, 2005–Concourse Communications expanded its WiFi coverage area in the New York City airports to include all public areas of Terminal One at JFK International Airport. Previously coverage existed only in Terminals 8 and 9. Terminal One becomes the first all-international terminal to be able to offer WiFi service to the 3800 average daily enplaning passengers and its tenants.

Concourse Communications Group offers wireless communications services at major U.S. airports and other commercial venues including the LaGuardia, JFK, Newark Liberty, Detroit Wayne County Metropolitan, Minneapolis/St. Paul International, Nashville International, Ottawa International, O’Hare, Midway and Toronto International (pending) airports. These systems provide wireless voice, data and video services supporting the public, commercial wireless service providers, airport operators and their tenants.

MOUNTAIN VIEW, CA — (MARKET WIRE) — 08/02/2005 — AirTight Networks, a leading provider of Wi-Fi IPS (WIPS) Firewalls, announced its newest Wi-Fi IPS product, SpectraGuard Sentry. For the first time, small and medium businesses (SMB) can access protection against Wi-Fi threats at an entry-level price point.

"My company is in a dense business park with a large number of wireless networks all around us. We have a number of employees with wireless capability in their laptops, but do not have our own wireless LAN for security reasons. Last year all of our systems were corrupted by a virus even though we had virus protection and a firewall. We never figured out how the virus got into our network, but suspect an unauthorized wireless connection to a neighboring network," said Floreal Taboada, President of Associated Sales International, a leading supplier of aircraft parts to airlines and overhaul shops throughout the world. "The AirTight Sentry product is a low cost way to make sure none of my employees are connecting to outside wireless networks and exposing our network to unauthorized external personnel."

SpectraGuard Sentry leverages the same intrusion prevention technology engine found in AirTight’s SpectraGuard Enterprise. SpectraGuard Sentry is a standalone sensor that provides continuous monitoring of the airwaves in both the 2.4 and 5 GHz bands. All Wi-Fi devices within range of Sentry are automatically classified based on policies created by the administrator. SpectraGuard Sentry offers a broad and automatic alert system against the hazardous Wi-Fi threats including rogue access points, client mis-associations and ad hoc connections. The manufacturer indicates this automatic prevention is especially accurate due to Sentry’s patent-pending auto-classification, eliminating time consuming false alarms.

"SMB users have a unique set of problems in that their Wi-Fi networks are subject to all the same types of attacks as a large enterprise, but these companies can’t afford the expense associated with most enterprise-class solutions," said David King, Chairman and CEO at AirTight Networks.

A recent survey from Computer Associates reinforces the need for effective solutions for small- to medium-sized businesses. "Securing and data protection processes are often managed manually — and therefore frequently neglected," says Computer Associates based on responses from 440 companies in the United States and Europe. Sentry automates security for SMBs by providing 24 x 7 monitoring of the authorized wireless LAN network and corporate air space. The new system alerts administrators to any mis-configured access points, as well as prevent any unauthorized client connections or access points to protect corporate network integrity. Sentry also detects dangerous Denial of Service (DoS) attacks.

The Sentry, easy to configure accordint to AirTights, provides a simple Web interface that leads users through a set up procedure that gets them up and running in fifteen minutes or less. Users can configure alert notifications to meet their specific needs, including automatic notification via email. Sentry also helps companies ensure policy compliance with a broad range of standards including the Healthcare Information Portability and Accountability Act (HIPAA), Gramm-Leach-Bliley (GLB), Sarbanes-Oxley, and DoD Directive 8100.2.

SpectraGuard Sentry, priced at $595, is compatible with all Wi-Fi infrastructure, firewalls and VPNs, and works with access points from any vendor. A single SpectraGuard Sentry will cover most small offices.

Founded in 2002, AirTight Networks maintains network and mobile client integrity from Wi-Fi security vulnerabilities. AirTight Networks Wi-Fi IPS Firewalls provide enterprises and service providers with around-the-clock wireless monitoring and automatic intrusion prevention as well as manage wireless LAN network performance for maximum capacity and uptime. The SpectraGuard family of products is the first Wi-Fi firewall that identifies and stops security risks and attacks, provides real-time network audits, assists in performance troubleshooting and monitors the overall health of the wireless LAN. AirTight Networks is a privately held company based in Mountain View, CA. For more information, visit the company’s Web site at www.airtightnetworks.net.