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FCC Approves 802.11b Phased Array

Posted by timothy on from the wear-your-lead-apron dept.

n6zfx writes "802.11b Networking News is reporting that vivato received FCC approval for the 802.11b AP that has a range of 4 miles... This was discussed recently here on slashdot -- There were comments that it might not be totally legal. Hopefully, this paves the way for more WISPs, bigger hotspots, and replacement of outdated wireless technology that seemed to be the only competitor to DSL and tv-cable for the last mile."

12 of 157 comments (clear)

  1. Good for Bandwidth Co-ops by Skrap · · Score: 5, Interesting

    This will be especially relevant for Bandwidth co-ops.


    The biggest obstacle to creating a co-op is having enough potential subscribers to convince the telcos that it will be worth their while to run the dry pairs the "last mile" from the DSL POPs to the houses. I am guessing that this technology will begin to allow metropolitan bandwidth co-ops to have an effective solution outside of the telco's control. Please, oh please, let broadband not suck forever.

  2. Ho Hum... by User+956 · · Score: 5, Insightful

    Vivato's bases reach groups of users on existing laptops and other computers, with an operating range up to 7 kilometers outdoors, the company claims. Software controlling the antennas detects Wi-Fi clients in the area and adjusts the signal across the array many times per second.

    Which is great, except when they overbook in order to maximize revenue, much like cell phone companies. Then we have spotty, intermittent coverage serving only a percentage of paying customers, as the system struggles to keep up.

    Yay technology!

    --
    The theory of relativity doesn't work right in Arkansas.
    1. Re:Ho Hum... by Effugas · · Score: 5, Informative

      A few years back, a company came to my school to give a talk about SDMA -- Spatial Division Multiple Access. It was essentially based on the concept that, duh, a single cell phone is only one position, so the tighter a beam you could direct / detect from the phone, the more points could use the same frequency.

      The cool thing about SDMA is that as your load increases, so too (to a limited degree) does your available bandwidth. As long as people are relevantly separated from eachother, their physical positioning relative to other hosts adds disambiguatable bandwidth. It ain't perfect -- node to node crosstalk is a real problem, since your wifi cards are omni -- but they're talking about such range that there's lots and lots of omni hexes to expand through.

      Whoot to Vivato; hopefully they'll get a lower end antenna for fixed wireless clients!

      Yours Truly,

      Dan Kaminsky
      DoxPara Research
      http://www.doxpara.com

  3. Low-tech alternative by icantblvitsnotbutter · · Score: 5, Informative

    A company in Sweden conducted tests with a stratospheric balloon. They broke 300 km (187+ miles).

    Not entirely salient, but a reminder that there's more than one way to skin a cat.

  4. Is it too powerful? by JakiChan · · Score: 5, Insightful

    So, if the Starbucks a few blocks over installs this, is it going to stomp all over my home network? I mean a WiFi hotspot with a 4 mile radius is great, but hopefully wouldn't affect home users. That'd be like some new cellular tower killing my cordless phone...certainly not appreciated.

    --
    "Where quality is like a dead stinking rat - you just can't miss it."
    1. Re:Is it too powerful? by Uller-RM · · Score: 5, Informative

      I live in Portland, OR, home of PersonalTelco - a fairly well known volunteer group for WiFi access. We have more nodes listed on nodedb for the Portland metropolitan area than nearly any STATE - and take that to all states if you count all of Oregon.

      We had a big landmark case here a while ago that's exactly what you're fearing. PersonalTelco's been providing a totally free 11Mb connection to Pioneer Courthouse Square (a major hotspot in downtown Portland), and the Starbucks on one corner of the square tried to compete with them, broadcasting their pay-to-use TMobile service on the same channel.

      Starbucks ended up having to back down - they now broadcast on channel 11, and PT on 6.

      PT's a great group to get involved with - not only do they have regular meetings and stay active with local politics, they also organize a lot of things like group buys on antenna connectors and workshops on Pringles can waveguides.

  5. Destructo-Ray? by zumbojo · · Score: 5, Funny

    I could have sworn that the last time I heard "phased array" and "4-mile radius" together in one sentence something in some movie blew up.

  6. Re:High effect by tigress · · Score: 5, Informative

    Actually, on second thought...

    Peak power output corresponds to 2 Watts or 2000 milliwatts (mW) which averages to 250 mW of continuous power. An analogue phone (AMPS system) has peak power limited to 600mW.

    Source

  7. Guns before butter by release7 · · Score: 5, Interesting

    I'm afraid killing people takes precendence over informing them. The Pentagon reports that wi-fi networks interfere with their radar and further rollout of the technology must be curtailed. Read this article.

    --

    <a href="http://www.joblessjimmy.com">Work is dumb and so is Jobless Jimmy.</a>

  8. Alot of problems solved, new ones created. by iq+in+binary · · Score: 5, Interesting

    4 miles? That's all fine and dandy, but think of the implications aside from being able to connect in "pocketed" areas.

    Too many "off-limits" zones in the suburbs of major cities for this to be any good. Considering the fact that upwards of %80 of the people that'd benefit from this live in such suburbs. PD's, FD's, Hospitals, etc. are all considered to be zones absolutely off limits to any such interference this would cause (suburbs are totally PACKED with these, There are 3 PD's and 2 FD's, as well as 2 Hospitals within a 4 mile radius of my house). That's FCC regulation that's been around since the '30s, and they're sure as hell not going to change them now.

    Given the method they'd have to use to make sure they aren't broadcasting in that area, you end up with 1 or 2 degree swaths of no service areas eminating from the tower. May not sound big, but after a mile or so it gets to be the width of a city block.

    I'm all for this, but a better solution would be to use smaller and cheaper arrays. Just find a way to lower the latency and it'd be even better.

    --
    Of all the Universal Constants, here's one I know: Nice guys finish last ;)
  9. Smarter, not harder (same effect, better aims) by Anonymous Coward · · Score: 5, Informative

    Please guys, this techonology is NOT about splattering megawatts all over town!

    It is about aiming a low power beam in the right direction using a smart antenna AND that same smart antenna is a better listener.

    It's a high-tech equivalent of a parabolic antenna and it is adjusted to radiate the same power at a distance as a normal omnidiretional antenna would do. That's what the FCC require in order to approve an antenna.

    It's a common mistake to think that range=power. Note that this is a two way operation.

    You also have to be able to hear the other guy, right? That takes good listening skills = a directional antenna.

  10. Phased Array? by sdjunky · · Score: 5, Funny

    Now if Only I can calibrate the deflector dish to use the dilithium crystals to create a Tachyon pulse...

    Where is Spock when you need him?