Dialup WiFi?

from the something-for-everyone dept

Just because you have a really slow, not always on, internet connection to the outside world, it doesn't mean you shouldn't be able to set up a home network or surf "wirelessly" on your laptop. Sensing the power of niche (and shrinking) markets, some company has apparently come up with a dialup WiFi hub. That's right, plug it in to a phone jack, have it handle the dialing, and surf away... at 56k, but without wires. Seems almost... pointless. Update: And, as has been made abundantly clear, there are plenty of products on the market that already do this, though, they most are also regular WiFi boxes as well. The point on this one seems to be that it's just dialup.
Hide this

Thank you for reading this Techdirt post. With so many things competing for everyone’s attention these days, we really appreciate you giving us your time. We work hard every day to put quality content out there for our community.

Techdirt is one of the few remaining truly independent media outlets. We do not have a giant corporation behind us, and we rely heavily on our community to support us, in an age when advertisers are increasingly uninterested in sponsoring small, independent sites — especially a site like ours that is unwilling to pull punches in its reporting and analysis.

While other websites have resorted to paywalls, registration requirements, and increasingly annoying/intrusive advertising, we have always kept Techdirt open and available to anyone. But in order to continue doing so, we need your support. We offer a variety of ways for our readers to support us, from direct donations to special subscriptions and cool merchandise — and every little bit helps. Thank you.

–The Techdirt Team


Reader Comments

Subscribe: RSS

View by: Time | Thread


  1. identicon
    Aaron, 27 Aug 2004 @ 12:37pm

    Dialup Wi-Fi

    By 'some company' did you mean Apple? The Apple AirPort has always had this capability.

    link to this | view in thread ]

  2. identicon
    saleh, 27 Aug 2004 @ 12:48pm

    Been available for a long time

    The Lucent (later Orinoco, later Agere) RG-1000 was available almost 5 years ago, and it had dial-on-demand modem capability.

    link to this | view in thread ]

  3. identicon
    David Nesting, 27 Aug 2004 @ 12:49pm

    Apple's been doing this since Day One

    Apple's Airport products have always had a modem jack specifically to dial-up to a regular ISP and provide network connectivity to wireless clients.

    link to this | view in thread ]

  4. identicon
    Curmudgeon, 27 Aug 2004 @ 1:01pm

    No Subject Given

    Pointless? Yeah, just like a cordless phone is pointless. There's definitely value in browsing without wires, regardless of speed. Witness the people who flock to GPRS and 1xRTT connections, and the people before who were die-hard CDPD fans.

    link to this | view in thread ]

  5. identicon
    Loraan, 27 Aug 2004 @ 1:06pm

    D-Link can do this too

    I was at a product seminar a few weeks ago where a D-Link rep. touted their 802.11g Access Point's ability to do this. It doesn't have a built in modem, but a serial port that can be attached to a modem.

    link to this | view in thread ]

  6. identicon
    jayrtfm, 28 Aug 2004 @ 8:28pm

    you missed the point

    you said "the point on this one seems to be that it's just dialup. "
    from your link:
    >>device is smaller then a paperback book for easy travel and also has an Ethernet port
    from the www.alwaysonwireless.com website:
    >>WiFlyer also doubles as a portable broadband wireless access point when an Ethernet connection is available
    seems to me that this is a usefull product

    link to this | view in thread ]

  7. identicon
    Jaime Munoz, 7 Sep 2004 @ 1:18pm

    need 2 know more about

    im the IT of a food corporation and needing to connect someway beetween my computer and other acting as a POS network trought my cellular phone. i know there is a way do realize it. i will be very glad if somebody can help me.

    Thanks a lot

    link to this | view in thread ]

  8. identicon
    monireh shafiee, 10 Sep 2010 @ 9:15am

    hello.....i am in iran.....i have dial up internet only.......hmmm....and it is expensive

    link to this | view in thread ]


Follow Techdirt
Essential Reading
Techdirt Deals
Report this ad  |  Hide Techdirt ads
Techdirt Insider Discord

The latest chatter on the Techdirt Insider Discord channel...

Loading...
Recent Stories

This site, like most other sites on the web, uses cookies. For more information, see our privacy policy. Got it
Close

Email This

This feature is only available to registered users. Register or sign in to use it.