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Skamania! - Intel cracks seamless wireless roaming

Can you keep connected when you switch from WiFi to wired, from GPRS to Bluetooth? Intel thinks Skamania will crack it.

Wireless, said Anand Chandrasekher, "is a key area in being able to deliver; it fundamentally alters the integration of notebooks into the lifestyle of users."

The trouble is, there is more than one variety of wireless; and some of the time, users will have to link to wired, too. Skamania is the code-name of the project which makes it possible to switch, seamlessly, from one to another.

"We want ubiquitous wireless. In the beginning, we'll have to settle for predictable wireless, but it isn't enough to be predictable; it has to be seamless, secure, and simple," said Chandrasekher.

His Skamania demo was simple enough; a user with an Ethernet wire connection to a PC Notebook was streaming video. Then the plug was pulled. Skamania seamlessly switched to WiFi 802.11b. Then the user moved out of range; Skamania switched to GPRS. The video slowed down over GPRS, but otherwise, not a single frame was lost.

"The aim is to work behind or in front of the firewall, behind or in front of NAT, at home, or in the street," said Chandrasekher; "it detects the highest-bandwidth service, and uses that."

Our recommendation: please add the option to select the cheapest? I don't necessarily want to switch to the fastest service, if it's going to cost me money that I haven't got spare? Thanks ever so ...