New Lighting Technology To Wipe Out Wi-Fi Access?

Richard Evans writes "Focus on Broadband Wireless Internet Access has an article [cached by google ] on the potentially catastrophic interference to Communications Users Of The 2.4 GHz Band e.g. Wi-Fi, DECT and Bluetooth by a new lighting technology called RF Lighting."

Comments

WTF?!?!

[TheDick]

They finally learn, and put a link to the Google Cache, IN THE FUCKING ARTICLE???? I'm so impressed.

I thought regular fluorescent lighting already fucked shit up, since its not really a steady light (like incandescent) but really flickers on and off REALLY fast. Some guy thought a cool way to basicly broadcast info from these lights was by slightyly altering the timing to transmit data....

Who needs RF lighting anyway? I'd rather have a wireless laptop/pda.

nonsense

[tps12]

RF lighting is a great idea...just not for humans. While normal "visible" light (like what is coming out of your computer screen right now) consists of tiny waves called "photons." These are the base quantas of light energy. Bizarrely, radio waves consist of the exact same photons, but at vastly different energy levels! Heat also consists of photons, again with different energy or frequency amounts.

So RF lighting is just normal lighting at a different frequency. A frequency that humans can't even see! Trying to listen to the radio or use wireless networking in the presence of RF lighting would be like trying to watch TV with a spotlight in your face.

Duuuude, puff puff give!

[Neck_of_the_Woods]

Man with those lights I can grow weed, light my pit of an appartment, completely screw the wireless network the guy next door who has to play mp3's at the highest possible bass level at 3 in the AM!

Pro's:

Heat, grows good herb, and kills the wireless network.

Con's:

ahhh, shit I forgot...pass that would ya!

bye-bye to wi-fi?

[jdbo]

does this mean that I have to re-wire all of my "wi-fi" devices?

worse, does this mean that I'll have to start referring to them as "wi-wi"?

Easy Solution:

[frantzdb]

To prevent interference, RF lights should simply practice exponential backoff for colision avoidance like everyone else in the 2.4GHz range. What's more, the lights would then become an effective network load monitor.

--Ben

Re:Easy Solution:

[istartedi]

This is your pilot speaking. Nevermind the turbulence, just keep your eyes on the blinkenlights.

Re:Repeater stations

[SEWilco]

Exactly what I was thinking. If you don't have enough LAN traffic to keep the lights on, stream Usenet.
:-)

Re:Question on FCC Rules/Interference

[user32.ExitWindowsEx]

rant Rant_For_This_Article = new rant();
Rant_For_This_Article.type = "paranoid";
Rant_For_This_Article.contents="The government wants to be able to control all our electronic devices remotely, I tell you....It's all part of the conspiracy!!!"

In the future...

[leighklotz]

When I was a kid, I had a set of encyclopedias of the sort that were parodied in Science Made Stupid a wonderful book if you don't have it.

Anyway, one illustration that stuck with me was a drawing of a man at home at a desk, reading a book. In the background are baseboard radiators with little squiggly lines coming out of them. The caption reads "In the future we will save energy in home heating by using microwave radiation to heat, people but not the furniture." This article on microwave lighting reminds me a little of that picture.