Devicescape Software
Encyclopedia
Devicescape Software develops software for wireless networking
, based on the IEEE 802.11
Wi-Fi
standard and other network protocols. Founded in 2001 as Instant802 Networks, the company was renamed in January 2005. Devicescape is a venture backed
private company.
Devicescape provides embedded software for wireless client devices, and a range of services which assist devices in connecting to Wi-Fi networks.
open-source project. In 2004 the company began development of packaged software products, including security for emerging devices and complete access point
packages. The software was used in devices ranging from LCD projector
s, televisions and digital video recorder
s to PDA
s and SOHO
access points. Early customers included Epson, Sharp
, D-Link
, Palm, Inc.
and Motorola
. In addition the company created a monitoring software solution for wireless LANs that has been used by NTT BroadbandPlatform.
The company was renamed Devicescape Software in 2005. It continued to develop additional client security products, including one of the first commercial implementations of WPS
and Cisco Systems' CCX
. In 2006, Devicescape exited the access point business, selling its Wireless Infrastructure Platform technology and customer base to Broadcom
.
In 2007, Devicescape introduced Devicescape Connect (now Easy Wi-Fi) a client-server system which allowed embedded devices to automatically authenticate against any number of public Wi-Fi networks. At this point the company released a variety of consumer applications for PCs and smartphones under the Devicescape and then Easy Wi-Fi brands. In 2009, Devicescape consolidated its consumer offerings on easywifi.com and launched the Easy WiFi Network.
The company also provides applications directly to consumers via easywifi.com and through the Apple App Store, Google Android Market
, and Nokia Ovi
.
package, it comes pre-integrated with Linux and other operating systems, and can be extended with Devicescape's commercial implementation of WPS
. A version including Cisco Systems
' CCX
is also available to those with the required Cisco license.
hardware, or for A-GPS
applications.
The consumer Easy Wi-Fi service is free, but requires consumers to agree to allow advertisements as outlined in Devicescape's terms of service.
for building wireless access points, or devices including a wireless access point function. At its core is a variant of the hostapd
software access point package and Devicescape's Advanced Datapath Driver IEEE 802.11 software MAC
. The WIP product line and technologies were sold to in 2006 and is still available with full support as part of Broadcom's WLAN product line.
desktop application for visualizing and managing complex wireless network deployments, such as public access networks, or hotspot
networks. This product is now discontinued.
open-source wireless access point
project. Some of the company's products were based on open-source software, including the Linux kernel
and wpa supplicant
.
On May 1, 2006, Devicescape announced that it had made its Advanced Datapath Driver available for inclusion in the Linux 2.6 kernel tree.
and Wireless Broadband Alliance. Historically, Devicescape has participated in numerous bodies, including the Digital Living Network Alliance
, the UPnP Forum
, the IEEE
and the IETF
. Devicescape co-founder Simon Barber was the editor of the IEEE 802.11k radio resource management
task group, the founder of the IEEE 802.11z direct link task group, and co-technical editor of the overall IEEE 802.11 working group, as well as the inventor of service discovery as used by Wi-Fi Direct
.
Wireless LAN
A wireless local area network links two or more devices using some wireless distribution method , and usually providing a connection through an access point to the wider internet. This gives users the mobility to move around within a local coverage area and still be connected to the network...
, based on the IEEE 802.11
IEEE 802.11
IEEE 802.11 is a set of standards for implementing wireless local area network computer communication in the 2.4, 3.6 and 5 GHz frequency bands. They are created and maintained by the IEEE LAN/MAN Standards Committee . The base version of the standard IEEE 802.11-2007 has had subsequent...
Wi-Fi
Wi-Fi
Wi-Fi or Wifi, is a mechanism for wirelessly connecting electronic devices. A device enabled with Wi-Fi, such as a personal computer, video game console, smartphone, or digital audio player, can connect to the Internet via a wireless network access point. An access point has a range of about 20...
standard and other network protocols. Founded in 2001 as Instant802 Networks, the company was renamed in January 2005. Devicescape is a venture backed
Venture capital
Venture capital is financial capital provided to early-stage, high-potential, high risk, growth startup companies. The venture capital fund makes money by owning equity in the companies it invests in, which usually have a novel technology or business model in high technology industries, such as...
private company.
Devicescape provides embedded software for wireless client devices, and a range of services which assist devices in connecting to Wi-Fi networks.
History
Instant802 Networks was founded to create management systems for Enterprise Wi-Fi access points, based in part on the OpenAPOpenAP
OpenAP was the first open source Linux distribution released to replace the factory firmware on a number of commercially available 802.11b wireless access points based on the Eumitcom WL11000SA-N board...
open-source project. In 2004 the company began development of packaged software products, including security for emerging devices and complete access point
Wireless access point
In computer networking, a wireless access point is a device that allows wireless devices to connect to a wired network using Wi-Fi, Bluetooth or related standards...
packages. The software was used in devices ranging from LCD projector
LCD projector
An LCD projector is a type of video projector for displaying video, images or computer data on a screen or other flat surface. It is a modern equivalent of the slide projector or overhead projector...
s, televisions and digital video recorder
Digital video recorder
A digital video recorder , sometimes referred to by the merchandising term personal video recorder , is a consumer electronics device or application software that records video in a digital format to a disk drive, USB flash drive, SD memory card or other local or networked mass storage device...
s to PDA
Personal digital assistant
A personal digital assistant , also known as a palmtop computer, or personal data assistant, is a mobile device that functions as a personal information manager. Current PDAs often have the ability to connect to the Internet...
s and SOHO
Small office/home office
Small office/home office, or SOHO, refers to the category of business or cottage industry which involves from 1 to 10 workers. SOHO can also stand for single office/home office....
access points. Early customers included Epson, Sharp
Sharp Corporation
is a Japanese multinational corporation that designs and manufactures electronic products. Headquartered in Abeno-ku, Osaka, Japan, Sharp employs more than 55,580 people worldwide as of June 2011. The company was founded in September 1912 and takes its name from one of its founder's first...
, D-Link
D-Link
D-Link Corporation was founded in June 1986 in Taipei as Datex Systems Inc. It began as a network adapter vendor and has gone on to become a designer, developer, and manufacturer of networking solutions for both the consumer and business markets.In 2007, it was the leading networking company in...
, Palm, Inc.
Palm, Inc.
Palm, Inc., was a smartphone manufacturer headquartered in Sunnyvale, California, that was responsible for products such as the Pre and Pixi as well as the Treo and Centro smartphones. Previous product lines include the PalmPilot, Palm III, Palm V, Palm VII, Zire and Tungsten. While their older...
and Motorola
Motorola
Motorola, Inc. was an American multinational telecommunications company based in Schaumburg, Illinois, which was eventually divided into two independent public companies, Motorola Mobility and Motorola Solutions on January 4, 2011, after losing $4.3 billion from 2007 to 2009...
. In addition the company created a monitoring software solution for wireless LANs that has been used by NTT BroadbandPlatform.
The company was renamed Devicescape Software in 2005. It continued to develop additional client security products, including one of the first commercial implementations of WPS
Wi-Fi Protected Setup
Wi-Fi Protected Setup is a computing standard for easy and secure establishment of a wireless home network....
and Cisco Systems' CCX
Cisco Compatible EXtensions
The Cisco Compatible EXtensions Specification is for makers of 802.11 wireless LAN chips for ensuring compliance with Cisco's proprietary wireless LAN protocols. For example, Cisco's LEAP and EAP-FAST are part of CCX....
. In 2006, Devicescape exited the access point business, selling its Wireless Infrastructure Platform technology and customer base to Broadcom
Broadcom
Broadcom Corporation is a fabless semiconductor company in the wireless and broadband communication business. The company is headquartered in Irvine, California, USA. Broadcom was founded by a professor-student pair Henry Samueli and Henry T. Nicholas III from the University of California, Los...
.
In 2007, Devicescape introduced Devicescape Connect (now Easy Wi-Fi) a client-server system which allowed embedded devices to automatically authenticate against any number of public Wi-Fi networks. At this point the company released a variety of consumer applications for PCs and smartphones under the Devicescape and then Easy Wi-Fi brands. In 2009, Devicescape consolidated its consumer offerings on easywifi.com and launched the Easy WiFi Network.
Products and services
Devicescape licenses software and operates its services for device manufacturers and service providers. Devicescape provides the following:- Easy Wi-Fi Security (supplicant with Wi-Fi Protected SetupWi-Fi Protected SetupWi-Fi Protected Setup is a computing standard for easy and secure establishment of a wireless home network....
and CCXCisco Compatible EXtensionsThe Cisco Compatible EXtensions Specification is for makers of 802.11 wireless LAN chips for ensuring compliance with Cisco's proprietary wireless LAN protocols. For example, Cisco's LEAP and EAP-FAST are part of CCX....
) - Easy Wi-Fi Hotspot Client (automated hotspot authentication and provisioning system)
- Easy Wi-Fi Network (virtual hotspot network)
- SoftGPS (location service over Wi-Fi)
The company also provides applications directly to consumers via easywifi.com and through the Apple App Store, Google Android Market
Android Market
Android Market is an online software store developed by Google for Android OS devices. Its gateway is an application program called "Market", preinstalled on most Android devices, allows users to browse and download mobile apps published by third-party developers...
, and Nokia Ovi
Ovi (Nokia)
Ovi by Nokia is the brand for Nokia's Internet services. The Ovi services can be used from a mobile device, computer or via the web. Nokia focuses on five key service areas: Games, Maps, Media, Messaging and Music. Nokia's aim with Ovi is to include third party developers, such as operators and...
.
Easy Wi-Fi Security
The Easy Wi-Fi Security module (previously known as the Devicescape Agent) is a portable software package designed to be integrated into existing devices that need up to date, secure wireless networking. Based on the wpa supplicantWpa supplicant
wpa_supplicant is a free software implementation of an IEEE 802.11i supplicant for Linux, FreeBSD, NetBSD and Microsoft Windows. In addition to being a full-featured WPA2 supplicant, it also implements WPA and older wireless LAN security protocols...
package, it comes pre-integrated with Linux and other operating systems, and can be extended with Devicescape's commercial implementation of WPS
Wi-Fi Protected Setup
Wi-Fi Protected Setup is a computing standard for easy and secure establishment of a wireless home network....
. A version including Cisco Systems
Cisco Systems
Cisco Systems, Inc. is an American multinational corporation headquartered in San Jose, California, United States, that designs and sells consumer electronics, networking, voice, and communications technology and services. Cisco has more than 70,000 employees and annual revenue of US$...
' CCX
Cisco Compatible EXtensions
The Cisco Compatible EXtensions Specification is for makers of 802.11 wireless LAN chips for ensuring compliance with Cisco's proprietary wireless LAN protocols. For example, Cisco's LEAP and EAP-FAST are part of CCX....
is also available to those with the required Cisco license.
Easy Wi-Fi Hotspot Client
Easy Wi-Fi's Hotspot Client operates in conjunction with a Devicescape-managed web service to allow devices to automatically authenticate with a Wi-Fi network. This is particularly appropriate to improve usability and utilization of public hotspot networks, by avoiding the need for users to authenticate (login) manually. The Hotspot Client is licensed to device manufacturers to improve the user experience and ensure compatibility with many different hotspot networks around the world. In addition, network operators and service providers have specified the Hotspot Client to improve utilization of Wi-Fi networks, particularly to offload data traffic from cellular networks.Easy Wi-Fi Network
The Easy Wi-Fi Network is a virtual hotspot network, formed from the collection, classification, and monitoring of Wi-Fi by client devices using the Easy Wi-Fi Hotspot Client. The Network is licensed to device manufacturers wishing to provide basic access for end-users, and used by network operators to provide an expanded number of locations for their users.SoftGPS
Devicescape's SoftGPS is a location service which uses Wi-Fi to provide basic positioning information. This can be used by devices without GPS hardware or cellular phoneCellular network
A cellular network is a radio network distributed over land areas called cells, each served by at least one fixed-location transceiver known as a cell site or base station. When joined together these cells provide radio coverage over a wide geographic area...
hardware, or for A-GPS
Assisted GPS
Assisted GPS, generally abbreviated as A-GPS or aGPS, is a system which can, under certain conditions, improve the startup performance, or time-to-first-fix of a GPS satellite-based positioning system. It is used extensively with GPS-capable cellular phones as its development was accelerated by...
applications.
Consumer applications
Devicescape provides a subset of the Easy Wi-Fi service directly to consumers, including installable applications for several devices, and a consumer website at easywifi.com. The applications allow consumers access to the Easy Wi-Fi Network and automated access to their Wi-Fi networks.The consumer Easy Wi-Fi service is free, but requires consumers to agree to allow advertisements as outlined in Devicescape's terms of service.
Wireless Infrastructure Platform
Wireless infrastructure platform (WIP) is a complete Linux distributionLinux distribution
A Linux distribution is a member of the family of Unix-like operating systems built on top of the Linux kernel. Such distributions are operating systems including a large collection of software applications such as word processors, spreadsheets, media players, and database applications...
for building wireless access points, or devices including a wireless access point function. At its core is a variant of the hostapd
Hostapd
hostapd is a user space daemon. There are three: Jouni Malinen's hostapd, OpenBSD's hostapd and Devicescape's hostapd.- Jouni Malinen's hostapd :Jouni Malinen's hostapd is a user space daemon for access point and authentication servers...
software access point package and Devicescape's Advanced Datapath Driver IEEE 802.11 software MAC
Media Access Control
The media access control data communication protocol sub-layer, also known as the medium access control, is a sublayer of the data link layer specified in the seven-layer OSI model , and in the four-layer TCP/IP model...
. The WIP product line and technologies were sold to in 2006 and is still available with full support as part of Broadcom's WLAN product line.
Wireless Operation Center
Wireless Operations Center (WOC) is a JavaJava (Sun)
Java refers to several computer software products and specifications from Sun Microsystems, a subsidiary of Oracle Corporation, that together provide a system for developing application software and deploying it in a cross-platform environment...
desktop application for visualizing and managing complex wireless network deployments, such as public access networks, or hotspot
Hotspot (Wi-Fi)
A hotspot is a site that offers Internet access over a wireless local area network through the use of a router connected to a link to an Internet service provider...
networks. This product is now discontinued.
Open source
Devicescape Software (as Instant802 Networks) was the sponsor of the OpenAPOpenAP
OpenAP was the first open source Linux distribution released to replace the factory firmware on a number of commercially available 802.11b wireless access points based on the Eumitcom WL11000SA-N board...
open-source wireless access point
Wireless access point
In computer networking, a wireless access point is a device that allows wireless devices to connect to a wired network using Wi-Fi, Bluetooth or related standards...
project. Some of the company's products were based on open-source software, including the Linux kernel
Linux kernel
The Linux kernel is an operating system kernel used by the Linux family of Unix-like operating systems. It is one of the most prominent examples of free and open source software....
and wpa supplicant
Wpa supplicant
wpa_supplicant is a free software implementation of an IEEE 802.11i supplicant for Linux, FreeBSD, NetBSD and Microsoft Windows. In addition to being a full-featured WPA2 supplicant, it also implements WPA and older wireless LAN security protocols...
.
On May 1, 2006, Devicescape announced that it had made its Advanced Datapath Driver available for inclusion in the Linux 2.6 kernel tree.
Industry affiliations
Devicescape is active in a number of industry groups, including the Wi-Fi AllianceWi-Fi Alliance
The Wi-Fi Alliance is a trade association that promotes Wireless LAN technology and certifies products if they conform to certain standards of interoperability. Not every IEEE 802.11-compliant device is submitted for certification to the Wi-Fi Alliance, sometimes because of costs associated with...
and Wireless Broadband Alliance. Historically, Devicescape has participated in numerous bodies, including the Digital Living Network Alliance
Digital Living Network Alliance
The Digital Living Network Alliance is a non-profit collaborative trade organization established by Sony in June 2003, and has more than 250 member companies in the mobile, consumer electronics, PC, and service provider industries...
, the UPnP Forum
UPnP Forum
The UPnP Forum is a computer industry initiative to enable simple and robust connectivity to stand-alone devices and personal computers from many different vendors....
, the IEEE
Institute of Electrical and Electronics Engineers
The Institute of Electrical and Electronics Engineers is a non-profit professional association headquartered in New York City that is dedicated to advancing technological innovation and excellence...
and the IETF
Internet Engineering Task Force
The Internet Engineering Task Force develops and promotes Internet standards, cooperating closely with the W3C and ISO/IEC standards bodies and dealing in particular with standards of the TCP/IP and Internet protocol suite...
. Devicescape co-founder Simon Barber was the editor of the IEEE 802.11k radio resource management
Radio resource management
Radio resource management is the system level control of co-channel interference and other radio transmission characteristics in wireless communication systems, for example cellular networks, wireless networks and broadcasting systems...
task group, the founder of the IEEE 802.11z direct link task group, and co-technical editor of the overall IEEE 802.11 working group, as well as the inventor of service discovery as used by Wi-Fi Direct
Wi-Fi Direct
Wi-Fi Direct is a standard that allows Wi-Fi devices to talk to each other without the need for wireless access points .-Basic Wi-Fi:...
.
See also
- Wi-FiWi-FiWi-Fi or Wifi, is a mechanism for wirelessly connecting electronic devices. A device enabled with Wi-Fi, such as a personal computer, video game console, smartphone, or digital audio player, can connect to the Internet via a wireless network access point. An access point has a range of about 20...
- Wi-Fi AllianceWi-Fi AllianceThe Wi-Fi Alliance is a trade association that promotes Wireless LAN technology and certifies products if they conform to certain standards of interoperability. Not every IEEE 802.11-compliant device is submitted for certification to the Wi-Fi Alliance, sometimes because of costs associated with...
- Wi-Fi Protected AccessWi-Fi Protected AccessWi-Fi Protected Access and Wi-Fi Protected Access II are two security protocols and security certification programs developed by the Wi-Fi Alliance to secure wireless computer networks...
- Wireless access pointWireless access pointIn computer networking, a wireless access point is a device that allows wireless devices to connect to a wired network using Wi-Fi, Bluetooth or related standards...
- wpa supplicantWpa supplicantwpa_supplicant is a free software implementation of an IEEE 802.11i supplicant for Linux, FreeBSD, NetBSD and Microsoft Windows. In addition to being a full-featured WPA2 supplicant, it also implements WPA and older wireless LAN security protocols...