Written by guest blogger, Dennis Bland, Senior Field Engineer at Devicescape

You’re sipping your latte and surfing the web at your local coffee joint, just like millions of other people do every day.  You’ve probably wondered about the security of your Wi-Fi connection, and it’s safe to say many articles have been written about it.

First, a summary of the most common methods to make your hotspot internet connection secure:

1.  Visit websites with “https:” in the URL.  In this case, your browser automatically creates an encrypted data “tunnel” between your browser and the server of the website you are currently browsing.  This arrangement is required by law for on-line banking, and is almost always employed on any web page where you have to enter personal information such as a username/password or credit card information.  It is important to point out that for this type of connection it does not matter what type of Wi-Fi connection you have, as the data is already encrypted.  This method of security is very secure (assuming your web browser does not complain of a “certificate error”) because it encrypts the entire path from your web browser to the website server, including the wired connection over the internet backbone.

2.  Use a pre-shared key such as a “WEP Key” or “WPA Passphrase” for the Wi-Fi connection.  In this case, your internet data will be encrypted only between your device and the hotspot access point.  There are various encryption methods available, and unfortunately the older methods such as WEP and WPA-PSK with TKIP can be easily cracked.  The best Wi-Fi encryption available today is WPA-PSK with AES, but not all Wi-Fi hardware supports it.  Older encryption methods provide a false sense of security, and the different encryption methods result in customer confusion – which is why this method is rarely deployed in public hotspots today.

3.  Use a VPN (Virtual Private Network) service.  This is similar to the “https:” method above but always connects to a specific server location and encrypts all of your internet data used by all of your applications.  This method of data security is commonly used by companies where employees work remotely but need to connect to the internal company network.  Many VPN technologies are proprietary, so a specific VPN client needs to be paired with a specific VPN server.

In the summary above, the VPN service sounds like the killer app and the option of choice for secured browsing at public hotspots.  But it has potential issues:

- You need to sign up for a VPN service which costs money.  You aren’t going to use your employer’s VPN service for all of your personal web browsing, right?

- You need to install a VPN client on your device.  There is a limited selection of VPN clients for iOS and Android smartphones available, so you will need to do your homework to make sure they are compatible with the VPN service you select.

- You need to log on to the VPN service after you make the Wi-Fi connection but before you actually start browsing the internet.  It is another application to run and another set of credentials to type in just to use the internet.

- The extra encryption comes at a cost:  increased CPU activity means decreased battery life and slower data throughput on your device.

- With a VPN service, ALL of your internet data is routed through a VPN server before connecting to your desired website.  The VPN server could be on the other side of the continent, or on another continent.  Your internet connection WILL be slower than a regular internet connection.  If you are paranoid about security, keep in mind that the VPN service will have the ability to see all of your internet data, except when you visit “https:” websites.

It really boils down to how much security you really need.  Using an open Wi-Fi hotspot connection and automatically encrypting your internet connection (using “https :”) only when you really need it for transmitting personal information provides the fastest internet connection and best battery performance.  For the vast majority of people, this is perfectly fine.  If you are concerned that people are going to see (or care) about the websites you browse, then you can get a VPN client with the tradeoffs mentioned above.  But is it worth the extra time and effort?  Do other people really care about what YouTube videos you are watching?

Chalk it up as another banner quarter for Devicescape.  On the heels of growing to over 4 million hotspots globally, Devicescape just released its Q3 2011 Wi-Fi report.  What’s interesting about this quarter’s report is that I’m seeing some wavering in service provider loyalty.  Being a long-time Verizon Wireless subscriber myself, I assumed that most people were like me and would be resistant to carrier switching.  Unless of course it’s a hardware matter such as getting an iPhone but that has become irrelevant since Verizon now carries that smartphone.

Data capping has become more and more of a subscriber concern over the last year with major carriers announcing intentions to get rid of unlimited data plans.  Although the reality is that most people don’t come close to the proposed plan caps, the idea of taking away consumer value from their plans is perceived as a hit to the consumer experience.  In the Devicescape report, 88% of respondents said that unlimited data plan offers would sway purchasing decisions.  If the mobile operators want to avoid carrier switching, they better come up with some solutions and educate their subscribers.  Data usage is only going to increase over time as rich content such as movies will get more data intensive.

One obvious and cost effective solution to this potential problem is data offloading.  If the network operators can offload data to existing Wi-Fi networks whereby subscribers come nowhere near their data caps, the matter of capping and unlimited plans will eventually become a non-issue.  And as a result, subscriber retention will increase.

There are more interesting statistics like this in the current report.  Below are other findings we uncovered:

• Almost 82 percent of respondents say that Wi-Fi is very important when it comes to using a smartphone or tablet, while only 4.9 percent say it is not important.

• Wi-Fi takes the lead over cellular networks, with 88 percent of respondents agreeing that rich media such as video runs much faster on Wi-Fi.

• A staggering 82.9 percent of respondents expect their service provider to provide them with a Wi-Fi network.

• Twenty-six percent of respondents are not aware that many service providers are data-capping smartphone plans.

• Wi-Fi hotspots are clearly in demand, with 78.7 percent of respondents relying on Wi-Fi hotspots for device connectivity needs while roaming.

To view the full report, download a copy using the link below.

http://www.devicescape.com/assets/docs/DevicescapeQ32011WiFiReport.pdf

On a quarterly basis Devicescape partners with friends in the industry to tap into our consumer base to better understand their wants and needs. This last quarter, Devicescape partnered with Eye-Fi, the creator of the world’s first wireless memory card and a Devicescape Easy WiFi customer (thank you Eye-Fi).

One of the items we wanted to ask about this time was the issue of data capping of cellular data plans.  We figured that in light of all the  recent news around this hot topic—AT&T, T-Mobile and Verizon are all talking about data capping and tiered pricing—we should hear from our users.

Wow!  What a response: the majority of respondents (77.9 percent) would consider switching service providers if their current plan was data-capped. Clearly it’s a contentious issue.  Almost 79 percent indicated data capping would impact their use of applications (particularly, and unsurprisingly, how much video they stream).

Some other highlights:

Almost 91 percent of respondents feared their service providers would pass along to them costs associated with data traffic surges.

A majority of respondents (61.2 percent) indicated they would not pay a premium price for an unlimited data plan.

Still, a fair number of respondents (38.8 percent) indicated they would pay a premium price for unlimited data plans. Almost 60 percent of this group indicated that they would pay less than $25 per month, while 33.1 percent would pay up to $50.
Beyond issues around carriers and data capping, Devicescape also took the opportunity to use this survey and peer into general attitudes around WiFi. If you want to read the full report to learn about WiFi usage while traveling to photo sharing favorite best practices, click here for all the rich data and interesting tid bits.

It’s going to be very interesting to see what happens downstream.  Clearly the mobile operators have a challenge on their hands managing the explosion of traffic and dealing with much higher costs, while users expect unlimited and cheap access.  To quote Scotty from Star Trek (showing my age here): “Something has to give, Captain!”  WiFi data offload, anyone?

AT&T announced yesterday that they’re creating a WiFi “hotzone” in Times Square, NY.   While there is speculation that this might be linked to the upcoming launch of the 4th gen iPhone, which is rumored to make video calls only over WiFi, I think it’s simply indicative of the mega trend towards WiFi offload and free (or bundled) access.

There’s always been a lot of free WiFi around, but now we’re seeing it being embraced strategically by the big networks, in locations where many people are concentrated.  Corporate altruism?  Perhaps.  More likely a way to push out good services, especially multi-media, to users without devastating the cellular infrastructure or requiring billions of new dollars in new investment.

It’s great to see WiFi pushing to the fore as a strategic complement to cellular.  Our recent WiFi report highlighted that users understand 3G and WiFi and want them both, together!  But, it’s clear that WiFi as a service complement will only work if it’s as reliable and easy to use as cellular, and that’s where WiFi still has a long way to go.

Here at Devicescape we’re very energized by this trend as our specialty is automating the WiFi experience.    We completely support the AT&T network so that iPhone or AT&T home broadband users, and users with free Starbucks-card WiFi accounts,  can get logged in quickly on their devices.  Even better, all the locations which don’t need accounts (like Barnes and Noble) are part of our Easy WiFi Network, so everyone gets instant connections there without doing anything.

Over the coming months we’re going to see more and more networks going free.   3G offload?  Amenity for venues?  Anti-churn?  Whatever the reason, it’s good for users!

It’s been a busy few weeks here at Devicescape and we haven’t had the chance to write until now.  On October 20th we announced our own hotspot network called, simply, the Easy WiFi Network. We launched a brand new web portal at easywifi.com to eventually replace my.devicescape.com and released a new version of the iPhone OS app via Apple’s App Store.  This week we followed up with upgraded apps for Nokia devices via Ovi, and a brand new platform – Android – on the Android Marketplace.  And, we produced new versions of the PC app for Windows 7 and a new version of the Mac app for Snow Leopard.  Whew!

This new version is a HUGE change for Devicescape.  For the last two years we’ve built a loyal following of users who use Easy WiFi to connect to their hotspot accounts.  We now support over 1200 different hotspot providers, ranging from commercial providers like AT&T to university campuses (go AirBears!)  Right now we’re managing around 400,000 connections per day with our little utility.  Pretty cool.  But, of course, we’re always thinking of ways to improve our products, so we decided to take it to the next level by going beyond connecting to helping people find WiFi and give them a hotspot network to connect to!

The Easy WiFi Network is the culmination of this planning.  On easywifi.com you can see a map of our network (the pins in blue are locations you can access)  and you can search around to see the coverage.  The downloadable apps do the same thing while you’re mobile, plus they will connect you automatically (semi-automatically on iPhone) when you’re in range of one of the Easy WiFi Network locations.  And if you have an additional hotspot provider, their locations will show up on the map and you will be connected automatically there too.

We’ve really turned Easy WiFi on its head.  Before, it was only useful if you had a hotspot provider.  Now, we give users free access to a large hotspot network, and if you have an additional provider we extend your coverage.  It’s completely personalized, just the way WiFi should be.

We’ll be blogging a lot more about the  Network now that we have some time to regroup.  It’s going to get very large: right now it’s at 160,000 locations worldwide and growing fast.  Read more about it at easywifi.com.

Devicescape is currently hiring for two new positions.  The first is a manager of mobile products engineering.  This is a key position which owns our client apps, so you need to meld great leadership with a passion for consumer centric mobile products.   A track record which shows you’re way better than any of us will be expected!  You’ll have a small but very talented team to help and a strong partnership with our server people.

The second position is for a build and test engineer, to help ensure our products work well and can be produced efficiently.  You’ll need a good grasp of technology, but also a strong sense for how users perceive usability issues with products.

More information on these can be found on our careers page.  Come make Devicescape and Easy Wi-Fi better!

In my post a few weeks back I announced that we intended to begin charging for our Nokia S60 application.  On further reflection we’ve decided to revisit this decision and instead make all of our consumer clients free.  Part of this decision was based on our challenge with iPhone OS 3.0, documented by John in the posts below, and leading us to make Easy Wi-Fi free in Apple’s AppStore.  I also have to admit that Ovi seems like a much less effective vehicle for paid application distribution than we hoped, so the benefits of frictionless (ie free) distribution outweighed any consumer revenues.

So, effective immediately, all our apps on the various platforms are free of charge, with the notable exception of those distributed via Nokia Download which will still get the $4.99 “try-before-you-buy” version.

Thanks for all your support in the past and we hope you continue to enjoy using Easy Wi-Fi.

Those of you who are Nokia phone users will likely notice a new version of Easy Wi-Fi making its way out to you.   There’s already a new version – 3.0.70 – available on the Devicescape download page, and we’d expect that the Nokia Download! folder will get updated pretty soon.

The biggest change for this new release is that it heralds that start of us charging new users for the Nokia application.  Windows, Mac, and Nokia webtablet versions remain free, for now, but the S60 will move to a paid model to match the Apple iPhone and iPod applications available at the Apple App Store.  We’ve set pricing at $4.99, which is on the low side for Symbian applications but seems to be a reasonable balance.

Nokia Download! has no e-commerce capability, so purchases take place via Devicescape’s website using Google Checkout.  As Nokia introduces their Ovi Store, we’ll migrate to use that too.

To be clear, it’s only new users who will have to pay.  The download is actually a 7-day, fully functional trial for them and needs to be purchased  to continue operation.  If you’re an existing Easy Wi-Fi user you’ll be able to enter your account information to immediately “unlock” the trial at no cost.   3.x versions at the very least will be free of charge (we haven’t decided about future upgrades).

We just released a brand new product called Serengeti for iPhones and iPod touches.  Shockingly, Apple moved it through the approval process in just a few days, catching us quite by surprise!  We’re pleased about the app because we think it’s a neat workaround to the “Black Hole” problem that John mentioned a couple of posts back.  But, more significantly, it represents a new capability for us:

Easy Wi-Fi for Application Developers!

Serengeti is the first application that’s Easy Wi-Fi enabled. It embeds a small Easy Wi-Fi library which is used to ensure you have a network connection and log you into your Wi-Fi provider if it’s necessary.  Serengeti does this to streamline your web surfing, but it’s easy to think about the applicability of this approach for many other iPhone apps that benefit from Wi-Fi.

Integration of the library is very easy.  The binary itself is small and simple to use.  Each user of an enabled application needs to have an Easy Wi-Fi online account so there is an initial process to link the application to the users account.  That can be done by showing a simple form for signup/signin or – more likely – by throwing the user to our signup/signin web forms directly from the device.  Pretty simple.

At this point in time we plan to approve any app developers who are interested on a case by case basis, before rolling this out more broadly.  Licensing is free.  If you’re interested, please get in touch with us at dsbizdev@devicescape.com.

With a lot of (much appreciated) help from our enthusiastic user base, Devicescape’s network list is growing every day. New networks from around the world are being added all the time; everything from campus networks to small coffee shops; independent hotspot network operators to aggregators.

Most of the time we can get these networks added and working quickly once the required information is sent to us, but every once in a while we come across a network that is either harder to get working, or very rarely impossible. When we contact the operators of a network like that for help we get mixed responses. Some are incredibly receptive and get it straight away, others less so, sometimes with good reasons (which we’ll get into later). So, I wanted to write up something that explains the value of Devicescape to a smaller network operator, and also lets you know how you can get your network added to our list and working easily.

If you’re a network operator, whether you understand the advantage of Devicescape or not, this post is especially for you!

Why Be Part Of Devicescape’s Network?

Increasingly, people are getting online with devices other than their laptops. When they’re picking up coffee in the morning, or hanging out in a bar or restaurant after work they may not want to get their laptop out, assuming they even have it with them (who takes a laptop to a bar?). Their smart phone or iPod touch is right there in their pocket or bag, but getting it connected to the internet is another matter.

The web portal is OK on a laptop, but try it on a handset and it is much more frustrating. Enter Easy Wi-Fi – a one tap solution to getting connected for networks we know about. Your customers can get online and enjoy the Wi-Fi service your providing painlessly, and that means they’ll come back again (especially those iPod touch users who need Wi-Fi to get online).

What About My Venue Information Page?

We hear you, and we’re working on something that we think will resolve this. If you’re a network operator (free or otherwise) who has concerns about smart clients bypassing their information landing page, please get in touch so we can discuss your requirements in this area.

How Much Does It Cost?

Nothing. Nada. Nil. Being added to Devicescape’s network list is free. All it takes is a little time to send us the information we need, and to test it once we’ve set you up.

How Can You Get Your Network Added?

Submitting the information about your network through our web form (account needed) is one way. But if you have a lot of locations, or support inbound and/or outbound roaming, get in touch directly.

The basic information we need is the SSID (or SSIDs if you have more than one), a list of locations and how to log in on your network. The how to log in can be one of two things:

1. If your network supports the WISPr protocol, then all we need to know is the suffix and/or prefix information for each of the credential types your network accepts;
2. If your network uses only web form log in pages, then send us the HTML from each of the pages that the user sees, and tell us the path they follow through them (i.e. what links or buttons they need to click on).

It’s that simple.

Oh, if your credentials roam onto other networks too, then let us know that list and we make sure we add those as well so your users can get online anywhere their account lets them.

What Should I Avoid When Setting Up a Network?
We can handle most things these days, but there are a few things that will make it impossible for Devicescape to support your new network:

• Having more than a user name and password to be entered;
• Having a captcha string that needs to be entered when the user logs in (and, yes, we have seen a network do this – as if getting connected wasn’t hard enough already);
• Using JavaScript in the pages to either add elements to the form, or to modify the user’s input somehow;

In general, if you can support WISPr (and most of the commonly used hotspot access points and controllers out there can do this), then do so. It makes it much faster to add support, much faster for your users to log in and also makes it easier to join an aggregator network, like Boingo or iPass, in the future if you want to.

Can I Get A Custom Client?

Sure, if you’re interested in getting a custom branded client, or clients, for your network contact us through dsbizdev@devicescape.com.