Keeping Seamless Handoffs SeamlessKeeping Seamless Handoffs Seamless

There's been something of a trend recently with developers of the dual-mode voice solutions not just supporting corporate WiFi networks, but also public WiFi hotspots and WiFi access points deployed in the home.

At VoiceCon I spoke with DiVitas product manager and auteur Rich Watson. DiVitas, you may recall, develops a dual-mode voice solution that switches calls from cellular operators' GSM networks to corporate WiFi networks. This reduces the number of cell plan minutes that are consumed, as well as providing a number of other benefits. There's been something of a trend recently with developers of the dual-mode voice solutions not just supporting corporate WiFi networks, but also public WiFi hotspots and WiFi access points deployed in the home.So I was wondering, how do you deal with authentication? I mean, most public hotspots and SoHo access points are secured and require different user names and passwords, right? So the whole seamless handoff between cellular and WiFi networks ain't gonna be so seamless with me fat-fingering my credentials every time I walk into the range of a Starbucks or my hotel's WiFi network.

Rich directed me to a startup in San Bruno called Devicescape. The company has developed software that automatically logs in your laptop to WiFi networks that you regularly visit, like at the neighborhood coffee shop or the airport terminal where you're regularly laid over. It turns out they've developed a version of the software for WiFi-enabled phones as well. I'm guessing this has mainly been used for smart phones using WiFi for data access. But apparently there's nothing stopping it from being used by dual-mode phones that use public WiFi networks for voice as well. You pay something like $7 a month for the Devicescape service, your dual-mode phone automatically logs you in to the public WiFi networks you regularly visit, and calls are switched over seamlessly as usual. No mucking about with user names and passwords.There's been something of a trend recently with developers of the dual-mode voice solutions not just supporting corporate WiFi networks, but also public WiFi hotspots and WiFi access points deployed in the home.