RE: Network Information Use Cases

Dan wrote: 
> Network Interface API is required for switching networks and checking
> signal strength.

This isn't a use case, nor is it supported by the API.

> But Network Information API is also useful to enable the use
> cases like video adaptive streaming (e.g. SD on 3G, SD or HD on WiFi), and

This isn't correct. Adaptive streaming involves responding to *actual* conditions, and the way to do that is to have feedback from the video consumer about whether it's able to go fast enough. If it isn't getting enough data, then your stream has too much data and you should reduce the stream. If it's playing each frame on time, then you can try a more aggressive stream. There's absolutely *nothing* you need from a network layer, and anything you get will be *incredibly* misleading. If you manage to get extra data over the network, but the video player can't play it, you've just wasted bandwidth, that's bad. 

APIs for this part of Video are coming, because people have articulated an actual need for that information. It won't come from DAP though, it's a Media thing.

> warning user to turn on WiFi before a big download or video streaming to save
> the purchased data quota.

You don't need a browser API for this.

At worst, you just need a database that maps IP addresses to ISPs. I alluded to this earlier [1].
There are a bunch of databases available, I did a quick search and found one [2], there's a nice demo [3] too - you just enter an IP address, such as 99.244.49.71.
I think that there are better free services [4] too.

Note that this is probably overkill. If the ISP is decent, then the IP address has a reverse lookup:
CPE00222d66f9d5-CM00222d66f9d1.cpe.net.cable.rogers.com

That conveniently tells me it's Cable. And the lookup is free. 

88.115.76.225
a88-115-76-225.elisa-laajakaista.fi
google translate says that translates to:
elisa broadband

213.161.41.57
213-161-41-57.elisa-mobile.fi

No need for google translate. Yay.

If Operators are interested in being able to use this information, all they have to do is consistently provide it.

Personally, I'd suggest using the rogers style (although you'll need to be careful about cookie poison/theft between your customers and your corporate site...). If you standardize on "cable" and "mobile", you're done. No need for anything from anyone. 

[1] http://lists.w3.org/Archives/Public/public-coremob/2012Jul/0004.html
[2] http://www.maxmind.com/
[3] http://www.maxmind.com/app/locate_demo_ip
[4] http://ipaddress.com


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Received on Thursday, 5 July 2012 19:58:36 UTC