WiFi homes become popular

It’s a lazy Saturday afternoon —You’re in the bedroom sending e-mails from your laptop when your wife, who’s in the kitchen, picks up her pocket PC and within a few minutes a copy of the grocery list lands into your inbox. Meanwhile, outside in the balcony, your child and his friend — both on their own laptops — are battling evil forces together in an interactive Web game. Sounds odd? Welcome to the world of the wireless Web.

To stay connected 24x7, an increasing number of people in the city are turning to service providers to get their houses completely Wi-Fi enabled as it allows easy access to the Net anywhere at home.

All one needs is a router and a cable modem to get connected. Youngsters are lapping it up as they find it a cost effective option. Rakesh Harlalka, a business man has recently Wi-Fied his two-storey bungalow in Anna Nagar says, “Today with the advent of technology, it’s a lot easier to get unwired than you might think. I was tired of using data cables and managing tedious dial-up connections. So I decided to make my house completely Wi-Fi enabled. Although the pricing works out to almost the same as a broadband, there is the added advantage of multiple users here. From gaming consoles, laptops, to mobile phones everything can be put to optimum use.”

It is the availability of affordable wireless computing devices; low-cost wireless home connections and the rise in public hot spots are driving the use of Wi-Fi beyond the office and — especially in private residences.

Sahil Kalra, a young entrepreneur who deals with rexine products, quips that this was the best solution to resolve tiffs between cousins, living in a joint family. He says, “All my young cousins eagerly wait to get their hands on the computer whether it is for their homework or just to play games, in the process they keep having arguments over their share of time on the Net. That’s when I switched to wireless connectivity. This way, you no more have to depend on laying wires and other technical hassles and also get optimum usage options. The best thing is that it is very economical too, basic installation would cost one anywhere between Rs 2,000 to 5,000 with a monthly rental, based on the plan you opt for. It is great to browse the Net leisurely at home as it gives you the coffee shop perfect experience.”

With several new Wi-fi service providers like Zylog Systems and Tikona Digital Networks making their presence felt in the city, along with a gamut of telecom companies, Wi Fi enabled homes are becoming more of a reality in Chennai.

R Janakiraman, COO and Director of Zylog Systems says, “We launched our wireless internet services in the second week of June in Chennai and within a short span of time we have a subscriber base of over 2,500 customers. This only goes on to show that there is a huge demand for the global trend of going wireless. According to a latest estimation, 37 million wire line users are dropping by the day.”

Taking about the security of these services, he adds, “The common myth among wireless users is that once they buy a router and connect it to a cable modem and they feel that they are now safely connected. What they have to keep in mind is that they should log onto their router and change the security settings. In our case, we do that for the customers to ensure safety.”