Wireless networks are skyrocketing

By Michelle Kessler
USA Today

Alec Furrier, 8, reaches the Internet on a laptop with a Wi-Fi connection at his Palo Alto, Calif., home. Gannett News Service

Fans say it leads them to do more things online: They pay bills from the living room, search recipes from the kitchen and check e-mail on the go.

Tech analysts say that's just the beginning of what Wi-Fi can do. In the future, it will connect all kinds of devices — lamps, stereos, computers — and truly integrate the Internet into daily life.

"It's going to connect all kinds of things that need to be connected together," says Matt Peterson, co-founder of a San Francisco-area Wi-Fi users group. "It could really make your life easier."

Wi-Fi has been in the mainstream only about four years, but it's already contributing to a rise in laptop computer sales. Laptops made up 22 percent of PCs sold in the United States in late 2002. By the end of 2003, they made up 30 percent, says researcher Gartner.

Wi-Fi is starting to appear in consumer electronics. Gateway, Microsoft, Samsung and others are building TVs, DVD players, and other gadgets that can talk to one another — and to nearby PCs.

Researchers are working on a tiny version of Wi-Fi that can be used to send very simple commands to household appliances. You could use it, say, if you wanted to turn on your lights remotely, via the Internet. Or adjust your thermostat. Or check whether you left the iron on.

That means big opportunities for enterprising companies, says Nielsen/NetRatings analyst Charles Buchwalter. Six million people buy something online each day, and millions more use the Web for research and reservations, according to the Pew Research Center's Internet & American Life Project.

For couch surfers

Wi-Fi is taking off. More than 64 million Wi-Fi systems are expected to be sold this year, up from 24 million in 2002, says researcher IDC.

Internet companies such as ESPN.com are tailoring features to customers with Wi-Fi. In September, ESPN.com launched such features as live chats with sports experts, more video clips of big plays and tools to help fantasy football fans track their teams.

John Furrier and his son, Alec, 8, can't get enough statistics from sports broadcasts, so they use a laptop with Wi-Fi to get the data from ESPN.com while watching the game.

The interactive features "give a little bit of a sports bar feel, even though you're sitting alone on your sofa watching the game," says general manager John Kosner.

From kitchen to boardroom

Epicurious, a cooking site, boosted its offerings of how-to videos that users can watch while cooking.

Entertainment portal Yahoo! TV caters to Wi-Fi users, too. Customers are starting to use a Wi-Fi-equipped laptop while watching TV for interactive viewing, says director Doug Hirsch.

Some businesses are using Wi-Fi to provide connectivity in hard-to-reach places, such as warehouses. By making it easier for employees to work wherever, whenever, Wi-Fi often boosts productivity and provides a return on investment of 200 percent or more, says Bill Clark, an analyst with researcher Gartner.

Wi-Fi fans say they'll never go back. "I'm addicted to it," John Furrier, 38, says. "I can't imagine life without it."