Mobile phone marketing, otherwise known as digital marketing, is the modern evolution of direct promotion. Direct promotion has always been favored by businesses as a specialized and focused method of reaching potential consumers and, with the rise of mobile phones, SMS marketing has risen in popularity. Digital marketing is perhaps best defined as the practice of advertising products and services using digital distribution channels to reach customers in a quick, relevant, personalized and economic manner.

The most prevalent example of mobile marketing is SMS marketing, which has expanded very quickly in Europe and Asia. It is thought that several hundred million promotional messages are sent through SMS every month in Europe alone. SMS stands for ’short message service’ and is a communication form specific to mobile phones where a short message can be easily sent to any cell phone holder. As well as sending content to customers, advertisers can often encourage customers to join in promotional and brand publicity promotions by encouraging customers to SMS a specific number at an event in order to enter a competition, to receive a gift or to have their text displayed on a multimedia wall at an event. All of these techniques involves the consumer through the medium of SMS and creates brand exposure.

There are a variety of other methods of mobile marketing. One example is sending messages via MMS, which is a multimedia version of SMS, allowing customers to receive messages with color, pictures and video. There is also mobile web marketing, where businesses advertise marketing goals through websites accessed by mobile phones. Promoters often make innovative use of SMS marketing such as location-based services where customers are offered specific advertising and other network-related information and promotional material based on their whereabouts. With the range of techniques and choices available to promoters, it is little surprise that a recent marketing survey found that 89% of major brands planned to advertise their products through mobile marketing by the end of 2008.

Digital marketing is an example of what is known within the industry as “push” marketing. The idea behind push marketing is that that the company has to send (push) the information to the user in order for the material to be received. This is different to “pull” marketing, a more unobtrusive form of promotion, where it is customers who seek out the content from sources such as websites or blogs.

There are numerous advantages to SMS marketing. Primarily, the attraction is that this mode of promotion can be tailored to the customer. This is the ideal in marketing as it means getting the message specifically to the group it’s aimed at, rather than squandering money on an broad campaign. The personalization allowed by this type of marketing, which results in a more economical campaign, is one example why a high return on investment is possible with SMS marketing. Another advantage of SMS marketing is the detailed tracking and reporting of subscribers it allows. Through this medium, businesses can track how many users viewed their material and also access specific data about each subscriber such as their name, their age, their demographic and where they’re located. This allows a promoter to build up profiles of their subscribers; data which then guides future promotional campaigns and, ideally, their success.

It is noted in the industry that push marketing, of which SMS marketing is a type, can help drive new cash flows and brand reinforcement if it is executed correctly and sensitively. This is because it makes consumers aware of recent developments that they may not think to inquire about already and the way the information is phrased, and even the fact that the information is being sent by a modern, cool medium such as text, can say a lot about a brand and a business.

There are, however, some disadvantages to SMS marketing. Inherently, it needs a mechanism – the cell phone – to be able to send information. The marketer, as well, has to make use of specialized hardware and software in order to send the content to consumers, which can equal sizeable costs. Another negative is the fact that SMS marketing is heavily regulated by the telecommunications industry in response to customer concerns about what data and marketing they get shown. Most Western countries have laws in place that compel marketers to receive the consent of consumers before marketing information is received by them and must clearly provide them with an ‘opt out’ option if they request to stop receiving content. If marketers are discovered to be in violation of these laws, network providers can block marketing information by marketers.

As mobile technology improves, SMS marketing will surely continue to rise in importance.

About the Author:

About the author: Bob Johnson has 20 years mobile marketing skills. For mobile phone marketing get free information visit on sms marketing

Original Post: Wireless For Internet

How to Get To Today’s Consumers

Wireless Security Camera Beneficial For Quick Installation

One of the major benefits of installing a wireless security camera is the time saved by not having to run wires through the home or business. They can also be moved when the need arises, and can even be used for covert operations. Many times, the need may exist for a camera to be installed, but it will take some time and labor to run wires from the point of installation to the recorder or monitor, and the opportunity to catch a person conducting themselves in an illegal manner may be lost. By installing a wireless security camera, it can be done, usually in minutes, without the muss and fuss of wiring.

Essentially, there are two families of wireless security camera, one that operates on batteries and one that will require being connected to a power source. The wireless part comes in by not having to run a coaxial cable between the camera and a receiver connected to the video recorder. This save a lot of time as many times a power source can be located near the camera’s installation point.

For covert operations, a battery powered wireless security camera can be set up in a hidden location and the receiver connected to a laptop computer, hidden nearby. With the images recorded on the laptop, the evidence needed for prosecution will be available. They can also be used on a temporary basis such as when traveling and feel the need to know what is going on the ground outside the hotel room.

Frequency Changes Can Help Stop Intrusion

Like so many other wireless devices, there are going to be people that will try to intercept or block the signal from a wireless security camera. Many cameras utilize the technology that enables them to change the frequency on which the signal is broadcast to slow down, if not completely inhibit the ability to find and block the frequency.

The downside to using a wireless security camera that operates by battery is the need to change the batteries frequently. As past history has shown, the batteries never seem to go bad until there is an event during which the wireless security camera is really needed. However, with cameras that require an external power source, there is the loss of portability, exchanged for not having to worry about the battery life. It will be up to the individual which aspect is the most important when choosing between the two types of wireless security camera.

About the Author:

Charlie Reese just installed a security camera into his new home. He earns to work with camera material daily.

Original Post: Wireless For Internet

The Best Wireless Security Camera

AT&T wifi is springing up all over the country and, very soon, it will also be all over the world. Offering people the ability to connect to the internet through a public and open connection can seem risky but AT&T wifi offers some strong security measures as AT&T understands the dangers of open internet connections. AT&T wifi can be found, currently, in over 55,000 locations throughout the country and that number grows every week. As the internet reaches the rest of the globe expect to see AT&T wifi cover the planet and soon everyone will be able to connect to the internet using AT&T wifi.

My How Times Have Changed

Publicly accessible wifi used to cost a lot of money. There have been companies that have charged as much as $17 or $18 an hour just to use the internet at someone?s favorite coffee shop and the security in those early networks was not that great. Enter AT&T who has a great understanding of how to set up a safe public network and also has a huge customer base that can purchase their wifi service if it was offered in enough places. To go along with their purchase of Cingular, AT&T extended their commitment to the wireless market with AT&T wifi and now offers customers the chance to purchase monthly subscriptions, for very reasonable rates, to connect to the internet using AT&T?s wifi system. Since it is currently one of the largest public wifi systems in the country it just makes sense.

You can log on to the AT&T wifi network by just using your regular laptop with a wireless connection and the connection pier software you load from AT&T. You do not need to input a credit card number to access the internet and all of your personal information is safely stored on AT&T?s servers. AT&T saw the wireless market taking off years ago and they decided that they wanted to move their customers from phone lines that can tie you down to completely wireless connections for wherever you are. What better company to offer such state-of-the-art services than AT&T?

Original Post: Wireless For Internet

Why Use AT&T Wifi?

Advantages

One of the biggest advantages to using long range WiFi is that you are able to access the Internet from almost anywhere, and this makes it especially convenient for people who tend to travel around a lot or who need to use the Internet for a variety of purposes throughout the day.

Just remember to look for WiFi hotspots, areas where the Internet connection is going to be as strong as possible. This is important because you want to make sure that your connection is not going to be dropping in and out, especially if you are trying to get important work done or chatting on a messenger service.

WiFi hotspots provide Internet access to wireless network device in public locations around the world, such as downtown centers and cafes. You can use your computer to connect to a hotspot using a WiFi network adapter, and if you have a newer computer there should be an adapter build right into the computer. Depending on the type of computer and personal preferences, you can use any card adapter from USB, PC Card, ExpressCard, or even a PCI card adapter.

Drawbacks

Although there are certainly plenty of advantages that are associated with long range WiFi, there are also certain drawbacks or problems as well. Car alarms, for instance, as certain car manufacturers use the 2.4GHz frequency for their car alarm internal movement sensors. Because of channel overlap here there will most likely be problems for certain channels and this can clearly be seen with spectrum analyzers.

Landscape interference is also often included here, and obstacles are among the biggest problems when it comes to setting up long range WiFi. Buildings, steel frames, and sheet metal in walls or roofs may efficiently reflect WiFi signals for instance, therefore causing an almost total loss of signal.

If you ever have any difficulties with the process of setting up or maintaining your long range WiFi connection, the first thing you should do is contact your Internet service provider who will be able to guide you through each step involved in the process here.

Original Post: Wireless For Internet

What is Long Range Wifi?

But you also need to keep from putting out attractive cyber scents to ?sniffers? who constantly monitor Wi-Fi hotspots to steal your personal information. Sniffers are online criminals who deal in personal data or use the data they find for fraud. They can seemingly snatch the information from nowhere, much like a bloodhound on the scent of an escaped prisoner.

Not An Oxymoron

Because your data is beamed out into the air, it can be intercepted and read by any sniffer. Wi-Fi security does not use the safety gates of an Internet Service Provider (ISP). But you still can keep your personal information safe from sniffers, making Wif-Fi security not an oxymoron.

Be sure you are connected to a legitimate Wi-Fi network and not an ?evil twin?. Be sure the ?ad-hoc? (peer to peer) mode is switched off. Also, if you suddenly find a Wi-Fi hotspot where previously there had been none, then be suspicious of it.

Use a MAC filtering ID

Encrypt all emails you send out whenever you can.

Make sure your laptop has the latest version of a firewall.

Make sure your laptop also has the latest version of anti-virus software.

Don?t do any file sharing. If you have a file-sharing option, turn it off.

Be aware of the real people sitting around you. Anyone leaning over your shoulder? Probably a not-too-subtle sniffer!

Make your passwords hard for anyone to guess, using a mix of numbers, punctuation and capitalization. Change your passwords every few months and never store them on your laptop.

Not Just Your Laptop

Remember, any device with wireless network capability can be sniffed out. All of these precautions need to be taken with any cell phones or PDAs that have internet access. Treat these easily lost items like the wad of cash they represent to a thief. Keep your hands on them at all times, and don?t leave them in the car.

Original Post: Wireless For Internet

When Using Wi-Fi

Xbox And Peripherals

One of the really annoying aspects of playing a game is someone accidentally or on purpose pulling out a plug at a crucial moment. And it?s safer not to have so many wires for pets to chew on or to get tangled up. Xbox, perhaps the most popular gaming system, puts out its own wifi adapters (made by Microsoft). Even if you have PlayStation 2, you can hook up wifi adapters made by Microsoft, or an Ethernet bridge device. These fit in the USB outlets on your peripherals like the game system, printer or networked storage drive.

PDAs

Personal Data Assistants are great for their portability ? and their access to great games on the internet. In order to sniff out wifi hotspots, you need wifi adapters, of course. Most PDas are now made with wifi adapters included, but not all of them. Palms-type PDAs have not found reliable wifi adapters, so you may be better off just getting a new PDA. However, if you have Pocket PC, then there are many wifi adapters at your command. Your PDA should have slots that wifi adapter cards can fit in. Always check to see about return policies before you buy, just in case a card might not be compatible.

Desktops And Laptops

Since wifi is now becoming the norm, almost all computers made in the last couple of years will include built in wifi adapters so you can fit a card in. There are wifi adapters made for Windows, Mac and Linux for those of you who have older computers. You?ll need to add an external USB adapter with a cable (making your system not totally wireless, but great for internet gaming). Like getting the best radio signal, you might need to move your laptop or desktop about to get a better reception, so you need as much flexibility as you can.

When getting wifi adapters, it?s usually best to stick with one brand, if possible, because you?ll be better assured that everything will be compatible. Always check out the specifications (specs) before buying to see if you have all the equipment needed to run it.

Original Post: Wireless For Internet

Why Wifi Adapters Give Good Game

We usually need wifi antennas to be able to connect from one point to another. There are many advantages of both directional and omni-directional antennas. It all depends on the needs of the individual or company and the range that they want to reach.

Directional Wifi Antennas

As the name of this kind of wifi antenna describes, it is a directional antenna that usually has a minimum of just one direction for the signal to go to. It is usually a point to point signal transmitting system while some have point to multi-point systems. To get from one single point to another, these kinds of antennas are the best ones to use. The wifi antenna with directional capability is often more powerful than the multi-directional ones because the signal strength is usually concentrated.

These wifi antenna systems usually involve two entirely individual wireless points. There are some exceptions to the rule of having a directional antenna. Point to point antenna systems are usually used for signals that are isolated for one direction only. You would need to have a device that can turn the antenna to be able to reach other devices out of its range.

Omni-Directional Wifi Antennas

An omni-directional wifi antenna is usually a base antenna with quite strong signal strengths. These types of antennas can be used for both multi point and directional point systems. This wifi antenna is usually used to distribute the signal from one point to several different devices. These types of wifi antennas are great for many devices that are scattered all over the place. The omni antenna distributes its signal at a 360 degrees range and can be quite effective in reaching devices within the specified range.

There are many different types of directional and omni-directional antennas available. For the directional antennas there are yagis, backfires, dish type and panel antennas. These distribute signals in just one common direction. On the other hand, omni-directional wifi antennas include desktop antennas, mobile vertical antennas, ceiling domes, vertical omni antennas and rubber duckies.

Original Post: Wireless For Internet

Choosing The Right Wifi Antenna For You

WiFi cell phones have never been more popular than they are now, and they allow people to make connections using a local wireless Internet access point and seamlessly switch over to a cell phone network whenever they need to. This results in a much greater flexibility in mobile communications as well as potential cost savings.

Most major phone companies these days do offer WiFi services, namely WiFi cell phones, and so you definitely have a lot of variety available to you here.

The Beginning

There were very early versions of WiFi cell phones which actually failed miserably for the first part, largely due to the enormous drain that is put on the batteries, and also because users at that time were forced to manually switch between networks. At this time WiFi technology was not considered at all as advantageous as it is now.

With the tremendous advancements in technology since that time however, WiFi cell phones are now much more convenient and much more advantageous to the user. A few of the best telephone providers that you can go through for this technology include AT&T, Wireless, Verizon Wireless, and Sprint.

Today

WiFi offers a variety of advantages, and is widely available in more than 250,000 different public hotspots and tens of millions of homes around the world. The process of chipsets for WiFi technologies continues to drop as well, therefore making it a very economical networking option included in ever more devices. You can really benefit by using these wonderful WiFi technologies.

The Future

The future of WiFi cell phones looks incredibly bright, especially with the way technology is continuing to advance all around the world. The evolution of wireless networking has really just begun, and the biggest transformations are yet to come. Only time will tell what is to come for WiFi technologies and either way it is sure to remain as one of the hottest accessories worldwide.

Original Post: Wireless For Internet

The Popularity of WiFi Cell Phones

What it is

The process involved with WiFi frequencies is really quite simple, and these wireless networks use radio waves just like televisions and radios. The radios that are used for this WiFi communication are able to transmit and receive radio waves, and are able to transmit on any of three frequency bands.

As long as they all have the proper wireless adapters, there are in fact several different devices that can use a single router at the same time in order to connect to the Internet, and this is one of the most major advantages offered by these WiFi frequencies. You do have to remember however that if the router fails or if there are too many people attempting to gain access to it at once, one or more users may experience interference or even lose their connection.

WiFi Hotspot

A WiFi hotspot is basically an area that wireless connections are going to be strongest in and easiest to attain. If you want to take advantage of a public WiFi hotspot or start a wireless network in your home you are first going to have to make sure that you have the right equipment. Although laptops and desktop computers usually come with wireless transmitters already built in to them, if yours doesn?t then you do still have options.

You can buy a wireless adapter that you take and plug into your computer card slot or USB slot. There is no maintenance required you simply have to install the adapter and the necessary drivers that are going to allow it to operate.

WiFi frequencies are very advantageous and being able to connect to the Internet in public hotspots is going to be very extremely convenient for you. With WiFi frequencies you are able to easily connect to multiple different computers and move around without having to worry about the hassle of disconnecting and reconnecting wires.

If you already have a few different computers networked in your home you can create your own wireless network with a wireless access point. This process is usually easy enough but if you are unsure then you should contact your Internet provider who will guide you step by step through it.

Original Post: Wireless For Internet

A Guide to Wifi Frequencies

Online shopping is safer because online shopping websites expect that sooner or later, a hacker is going to try to get personal data about their customers. But POS (Point Of Sale) card swiping machines, especially at gas stations, are not protected from wifi hacking. Litan said that only about 30% of POS card swipe machines are safe from a data breach. Retailers and shoppers need to be aware that an awful amount of your personal data is stored on your credit card?s magnetic stripe. It?s that information a hacker wants and gets through wifi hacking.

Real World Weak Link

Stores in the real world rely heavily on computer networks, where a customer?s personal data races back and forth like rush hour traffic. Many businesses use the Internet to transmit this information. However, more and businesses are attracted to the low cost and convenience of using wireless networks, which beam information out in the air like radio waves. Anyone with a working ?radio? (in this case, a computer) can listen in. This has lead to the rise of wifi hacking.

Companies that use wireless networks also use Wired Equivalent Privacy (WEP), which encrypts ay personal data before it is transmitted, so anyone wifi hacking would only see gobbledygook. However, Latin thinks this is a weak and easily decoded encryption device. Real world businesses have to do better to protect their employees and customer?s data from wifi hacking.

What If You Need To Get Gas?

Until businesses and especially gas stations can get their security act together, Latin advises to either shop online?or use cash. As they say, what?s old is new again. And do not let anyone know your passwords or user names. Never send any personal information over email or instant messaging. Personal information that wifi hackers want includes your Social Security number, bank account number, passport number and driver?s license number.

Original Post: Wireless For Internet

Wifi Hacking Proves Online Shopping Is Safer Than Real Shopping

How To Access Wifi Hotspots

To be able to access a wifi hotspot, you need to have an access point. These access points are called AP and it connects wireless devices together to make up a wireless network in the wifi hotspot. Wireless access points or otherwise known as WAP?s usually need an internet protocol (IP) address to be bale to be configured into the wireless network.

Some wireless access points can interconnect with each other to form a larger network wherein a user can roam. The wifi hotspots that connect with each other does not mind if one individual uses any of the separate access points. This has to be done under agreement of the owners of the wifi hotspots to have harmony in the area. Some companies or individuals owning wifi hotspots assign passwords to be able to connect to their network. In most of these cases, users will have to purchase access to gain entrance into the network and be able to use the hotspot.

Using wifi hotspots can either be free or may need purchase or payment of some kind. There are some owners of the hotspots that give free rein to anybody who can access the hotspot. The only disadvantage to this is that some routers divide the bandwidth among those who have access and eventually, free access means more people using it. This slows down the connection, limiting downloads, uploads and even access to certain sites.

Security Of Wifi Hotspots

Some people have security concerns regarding sharing wifi hotspots. This is because many individuals adept at hacking into computers and firewalls can gain access to any computer currently using the hotspot. There are several solutions that can prevent or lessen the risk of being hacked by using a random hotspot. These include installing VPN in the hotspot like Google Wifi or user authentication. These examples of wifi security are not guarantees to having a secured connection when using a hotspot.

Original Post: Wireless For Internet

What Are Wifi Hotspots?

It?s Life, Captain, But Not As We Know It

WiFi radio works much the same as your regular radio or your television. Information gets transported through the air on special waves (this time, electromagnetic radio waves) and can be picked up by gizmos that can pick up these waves and translate it to sound. In other words, WiFi radio is an interpreter of any WiFi radio station it can pick up.

And how many radio stations on the wireless internet are there? Thousands! One WiFi radio, called the Terratic Noxon iRadio, can pick up over 10,000 stations. That?s a lot of choice for the music lover. You can pick up the WiFi international feeds offered by different countries. And there?s almost no commercials and very clear reception. They?re portable and can be powered by batteries or an electrical outlet. In other words, they look and act much like usual transistor radios, but are much, much better.

Most of these WiFi radios include little extras like outlets to plug in your iPod or MP3 player, water resistance and the ability to play podcasts (which only go out through the internet). Channels are listed by genre, by geographical location or alphabetically in case you want a challenge.

What?s The Catch?

The catch with WiFi radio is that record companies and traditional radio stations HATE it and doing all they can to stamp it out of existence. But the internet is the world?s largest library. If you spend time and money shutting down one WiFi radio station, a 100 will pop up overnight to take its place.

The other catch is this is the newest generation of radio technology in existence, which means there are still a lot of bugs to work out. For instance, some radios only come with mono speakers, which can distort the very sounds you are trying to hear. Whoops! Also, you do need legal connection to a wireless internet service, which is a monthly fee usually. The WiFi radios themselves cost a couple of hundred dollars (US).

Original Post: Wireless For Internet

What You Need To Know About WiFi Radio

The Wifi Alliance created wifi and wifi stands for wireless fidelity. It is a set of standards for wireless connection based on the 802.11 wireless connectivity rules and once wifi was created the process of nailing down all standards began. When publicly available wireless connectivity was first introduced it was a totally open network that anyone could access using literally any home made piece of equipment. If someone wanted to steal information from people using an open network they could whip up a device to steal the information and do so. When wifi came into the picture wifi security was instantly instituted as the standard and the first generation of wifi security was born.

First There Was

The first form of wifi security was a protocol referred to as WEP which stands for Wired Equivalent Privacy. The first standard for WEP was introduced in 1999 and it was marketed as making an open wireless network as secure as a wired network. However it did not take long for experts to poke holes in this form of wifi security and soon everyone from the public to the federal government was demanding a new standard be introduced. The problem with WEP is that it could be cracked using a piece of software readily available for sale. Soon a new standard was needed.

In 2003 the Wifi Alliance announced the release of the WPA security standard which stands for Wifi Protected Access. It was a much more secure system but it still had some flaws in it that the experts were able to exploit. In 2004 the Wifi Alliance released WPA2 which was compliant with all of the IEEE 802.11i standards for wifi security and soon the new WPA2 standard was introduced to all new wireless networking products. The security may not be completely perfect yet but considering that they are trying to protect things that are floating around in the open air they are not doing such a bad job.

Original Post: Wireless For Internet

The Important Topic Of Wifi Security