Slashdot Mirror
Gas Plasma Antennas Help Wi-Fi Security
mindless4210 writes "Markland Technologies has developed a new gas plasma antenna technology which could help to secure wireless networks. The technology allows for highly directive and electronically steerable digital data transmission via solid-state semi conductor based plasma generators. A plasma antenna can reposition itself at very high speeds, as well as change it's beamwidth and bandwidth, creating spatial and spectral security features which are not presently available with conventional WiFi antenna technology."
This is a great idea if it works. But if its all directional, how would you have an access point serving many clients? Unless the access point used (an) omnidirectional antenna(s), there would need to be multitudes of these to track each client.
Douglas P. Price
Who the hell are these guys?
:)
Their other products in the emerging technologies section include Acoustic Core - detecting illicit materials using their acoustic signatures, Vapour Trace - a way to search cargo for contraband materials and Crypto.Com - a double cipher keyless transmission system.
Thats a lot of cool science and technology for a relatively unheard of company, not to mention their technologies in the Border Security and Chemical Detection systems.
I had read a while back about the CIA and US Govt investing in startups - I think its quite possible that these guys are probably funded thus
Kinda cool yet spooky.
The one place where this could have some good security uses is for undetectable transmission, which is probably interesting to the military.
Of course, directional broadcasting has a whole set of real benefits, such as getting more bandwidth by allowing more transmitters in the same region, minimizing interference, minimizing radiation output, etc. But to call this a security feature? I guess the "everything good is a security feature" is the parallel to "everything bad is terrorist" idea which seems popular lately.
-----------
Create a WAP server
The "war on terror" is turning into a pork program.
Not rf from plasma, but audio
try { do() || do_not(); } catch (JediException err) { yoda(err); }
With the high speed directional capabilities it claims to have, you could set two of these up at a known distance apart and use them to quickly triangulate every wi-fi client within range.
That would be one hell of a security measure, alerting security to the exact location of every wi-fi client not in a known approved area.
I don't suffer from insanity, I enjoy every minute of it!
We know how to make WiFi secure: with secure protocols and encryption. When the responsible standards bodies don't screw up badly (as they did with 802.11), it works fine. A somewhat directional antenna may or may not increase security slightly, but not at an interesting cost/performance ratio. If you really want additional security at the physical level, use laser or even quantum communications.
This company has a solution in search of a problem, and they are trying to drum up businesses. Plasma antennas are interesting for 1960's style radio transmissions and stealth, but they have little significance to 21st century wireless communications.
You can circumvent the use of a Gas Plasma Antenna, and cost by using a simple Parabolic Antenna. It is just as effective with direction reception and broadcasting, which is all a Gas Plasma antenna can do. And being able to alter reception directions quickly does very little for security, possibly a bit of convienience, but I would like to save my money for other things.
I remember reading about making a speaker out of a candle or gas jet, I think in an old ham radio magazine from the 1950's. From what I remember, you stick two wires into the flame and drive it with a high voltage modulated with audio.
Actually they have already done this with a speaker. A gas makes a pretty blue flame, and by inserting electrodes into the base of the flame, and modulating it with a voltage, it causes the shape of the flame to change. This emits sound as it moves the air around the plasma jet.
Several designs for these have been written up and have even produced comercially in Europe. U.S. Safety laws have prevented them from being sold in Amercia, however some enterprising scientists have built their own for fun.
If the surface or volume of the plasma ball can conduct, it can be used as a radiator of RF, one that can have its shape dynamically changed by the above technique.
-- You are in a maze of little, twisty passages, all different... --
Having directional or narrow beam capabilities is of tremendous advantage ( not that this capability does not already exist to some extent, but this looks to be an improvement) :
1. You mentioned the problem of objects in the way, especially reflective ones. For transmission in both cities and non flat terrain, the path of radio signals to the recever frequently travel along paths that include reflections as opposed to straight from the transmitter. This is not changed by the directional signal; the transmitter and receiver will just focus on the best rout. As for people listening in on signals, wireless will never be free from that. If someone is determined to position a receiver to pick up the signal, then it will happen ( Even if the snoop has to park a satellite in a straight line behind the receiver as the US government has been known to do. ) However directional will allow you to cut out a significant portion of the casual snoops. It is far less likely that the small portion of your neighbors with snooping interests and abilities will regularly coincide with where your stray signal is going if you use directional signals.
2. Most users will not care much about 1, however they will care about the added bandwidth this allows. Directional signals allow for concurrent signals to be sent to different locations with less interference. Your wireless will not interfere as much with your neighbor's. At crowded locations, bandwidth will be divided across smaller areas, perhaps allowing the person a few tables or rows over to get full bandwidth at the same time you are if close enough to the wireless router.