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Rio Rancho, New Mexico: 103 Square Miles of WiFi
An anonymous reader submits "Rio Rancho, New Mexico is going to have 103 square miles of wifi coverage thanks to Intel & Usurf. The Albuquerque International Airport also has free wifi available. (By the way, Rio Rancho also has one of the largest chip factories in the world. Owned by Intel of course.)" The airport service will be free, but though the site is coy about pricing, users will need to sign up (and pay) for the Rio Rancho mesh network. Update: 06/20 03:56 GMT by T : Rio Rancho, not Rio Ranch. Mea culpa.
Can someone fill in the blank? I mean mad props to the engineers on the project, but... ?
I want a new world. I think this one is broken.
Awww... this'll take all the fun out of the hunt!
They'll be able to download music right from area 51.
My Karma is so low that even my own postings are beyond my current threshold
On large wireless projects like this, how do you keep the scum of the earth from using it to their advantage? Can a pedaphile buy a cheap wireless card log on for awhile and get his pictures and then just throw out the card when done. Will we have to one day register our mac address's?
I am a nanotechnologist this means nothing to me.
anime+manga together at last.. in real time.
and not near my house?
I'm against picketing but I don't know how to show it.
To be honest I've never never heard of RR, and of all places it is in New Mexico, which is THE king of all states for lack of radio stations while driving on the highway... just think, maybe your or my city is next.
http://www.fsckin.com/
The whole of Albuquerque is moving that direction. Solely due to Intel. People who live all the way across town are moving there for the cheap house prices. Props to them for building and supporting a community. They're spurring a lot of good development in Albuquerque.
I would shudder to think of what would happen to that whole area if Intel shut shop.
Now the cacti will have wifi and I still don't, this is a huge step for mankind
They have the Internet in New Mexico?
During the 2004 Balloon fiesta you can bet people will be using their laptops in mid air.
Couldn't this be placed in a more, you know, useful location? I hate to offend the New Mexicanites but why is this not in San Diego where I live?
Fin
mooo.
So they have the internet on computers now?
Okay, I have the ideas of a mesh (aka net-through-clients) network, just... how does the WiFi cards do it?!? Or do we have to have the software impliment the mesh?
--
# Canmephians for a better Linux Kernel
$Stalag99{"URL"}="http://stalag99.net";
I think the parent was being funny. (you know... "cowpuncher" being another slang term for cowboy, ranch hand, etc.) :)
:::shudder:::
Now, if s/he had said "wardonkeypunching"...
A couple of days ago there was a ./ story that mentioned that Spokane was going to have WiFi all over town and now a Rio Ranch, New Mexico - what gives? Why do these rather out-of-the-way places get this sort of wonderful setup before many larger, more hi-tech communities? What's the deal?
Do they just want to try this sort of thing out first in small communities before they move on to larger ones?
That's right... leave the Linux administration textbooks at home, because everyone knows the ladies only go for FreeBSD admins!
Houston: 617 Square miles in city limits, greater Houston metro area: 8778 square miles
On a different note, I don't think most people have ever heard of Rio Rancho.
Also is this a picture of a panel antenna?
If Intel wants to create such large free wifi areas, they should consider the entire Portland Metro Area!! :-(
I mean they have over five campuses in the Metro area........
Don't underestimate the significance of all this. Consider the impact on the cellular industry if WiFi providers can compete at the metropolitan level. If 3G was in trouble before...
Health professionals point out that all of the studies have been paid for by the WiFi Industry. "They used to say that there was no connection between lung cancer and smoking." Dr. Lucas Steiner an world renouned cancer expert said, "Its the same with WiFi."
"This could be mean billions in settlements," noted Ben Scheisster, president of the Ambulance Chasers of America, formerly the American Bar Association. "For out clients, of course."
"There is absolutely no connection between the wide spread incidence of cancer in high WiFi concentration areas across the country," insisted Jacob Wieselheimer of the WiFi Internet Providers Council. "All of the studies that we funded prove this, and the government agrees."
"Of course the government agrees," said Dr. James Goodfellow. "The President of the United States is a Republican. There is a reason that their party's motto is Corruptus in Extremus which they filtched from The Simpsons the longest running cartoon in history."
Dear Intel,
You've got a lot more employees in Oregon than in New Mexico, when can we expect to see something like this in Hillsboro/Aloha/Beaverton?
Pretty soon please...
For pete's sake, timothy, it's "Rio Rancho", not "Rio Ranch". The submitter spelled it correctly twice, and you didn't double-check before "correcting" it for the title?
The airport has had free WiFi for some time now, although you get what you pay for. My average time connected before getting dropped is about 2 minutes.
And as far as why NM goes....it's really not *that* surprising for those that know the area as Intel and Sprint are the two largest employers in the area. I'm sure they had a hand in encouraging it....
Theres a New Mexico now?
"Sic Semper Tyrannosaurus Rex."
With the recent slew of stories about new WiFi hotspots, it looks like it's becoming a pissing contest among the Slashdot faithful to find the next biggest hotspot and report it to millions of readers who won't be going there anyway.
Let's see, 103 square miles.
WiFi would be spherical, or since we're using SQUARE miles, we'll just pretend it's 2D and use Circular.
The equation for the area of a circle is PiR^2 = A where A is Area. The Area is 103 miles, so PiR^2 = 103.
The square root of (103 divided by Pi) = 5.49, approximately.
So this "103 square mile" network is 5.5 miles radius. Not bad, though the number 103 miles makes it look bigger than it is.
...if only I were smart enough to say, "I see your hotspot is as big as mine."
Alas. Hindsight is 20/20.
"I would shudder to think of what would happen to that whole area if Intel shut shop."
The air might be breatheable again? Ask anyone down wind of their facilities. Hell just drive by, the smell is so noxious. I just love how they dance around the EPA too. Thanks a lot, Intel.
My father likes to call Rio Rancho real rathole. And honestly it fits. Since they widened 528, the traffic has gotten a tad better, BUT atleast now i'll have somthing to do when i'm stuck in a traffic jam instead of staring boredly at the intel building.
Actually most the book stores sell these cute little yellow New Mexico Passports. Unfortuantly I can't find a photo of one online.
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Chill. I live in the NE heights
New Mexico seems to have lots of cacti. Perhaps you have not noticed all the cane cholla? Which also seems to have small amounts of Mescaline Maybe that will get you to notice them. (of course i doubt that there is any usable amount in them.)
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I thought Rio Rancho was a figment of Mamet's imagination.
I've lived in Albuquerque(next to Rio Rancho) half my life, and the rest of New Mexico for most of the other half, and I've gone years without seeing a cactus.
Albuquerque PC
I personally seriously doubt that this is ever going to happen. I've had relations with Usurf before and I have nothing positive to say about their management or their tech staff -- the vast majority of which is outsourced to other companies.
Usurf was recently delisted from NASDAQ because they didn't meet the minimum listing requirements. Their stock was near worthless, and is now traded over the counter. Usurf is also currently in receivership to Pipeline Networks, a Colorado ISP they "purchased" and never paid for. There is a _long_ list of local Colorado Springs companies that have been burned by them.
I like the grand aspirations, but I have serious doubts about their ability to produce.
Receivership Link
Recent (horrible) financials
Bleak 10QSB filing
Back when I lived in Albuquerque, we called it "Rio Raunch-o". 103 square miles of tract homes, butted up against the West Mesa. It's like a little Phoenix out there.
I live about 10 minutes north of Bernalillo. I see fields of them many places in surrounding areas. They basicly grow like weeds in many places. Of course perhaps all the siberian Elms and Salt ceders are blocks the views of them. *shrug*
-+-=-+-=-+-=-+-=-+-=-+ *** http://www.mountainfort.com *** +-=-+-=-+-=-+-=-+-=-+-
Smithers: Sir, I have a small personal request.
Burns: Oh, of course, Smithers. Anything.
[repeatedly pushes a button marked, "Trap Door"]
Smithers: I disabled the button, sir. [Burns keeps pushing it] Anyway, I need some time off. As you know, I've been writing a musical about the Malibu Stacy doll--
Burns: [gives up on the button] A show about a doll? [laughs] Why not write a musical about the common cat? Or the King of Siam? Give it up, Smithers.
Smithers: Actually, sir, we're booked into a small theater in New Mexico.
Burns: Whoa, slow down there, maestro. There's a *New* Mexico?
"Sic Semper Tyrannosaurus Rex."
Yes, this was an attempt at humor, something that seems lost here in the Slashdot wastelands. Sorry to upset the post-modern, neo-Gothic, nihilistic vibe in here. I'll go play with black mambas as penance.
Rio Rancho, not Rio Ranch. Mea culpa.
Kinda funny that they corrected the spelling with the name of the town yet utterly fail spanish spelling immediately afterwards. Spanish spellings should be easier since they're phoenetic. I'm assuming that it should be "Mi culpa"... a rough translation of the gutter-english phrase, "my bad."
Then again, who am I to say anything about spelling or grammer when I have an error in my sig that I'm too lazy to correct?
"Operating systems suck: you're better off using only the BIOS" --trainsaw.com
Try Latin. 'Common usage' is 'mea culpa', usually taken to mean 'my fault'. Def'n
Not trolling, but since when would this constitute 103 square miles? I read the headline and thought "Wow!" When looking for more information on the project, the most I can find regarding their actual coverage is as linked above. :/
Oh well. C'est la vie.
...Rio Rancho is way oversold. Wait until they get the new Glengarry Wifi network. That old Rio Rancho stuff, it's just not moving like the new stuff is. Ya give me that new network and I'll tell ya it's going right out the door -- right out the door -- that's what I'm telling you!
...the WiFi adaptors are manufactured in China.
*EVERYONE*: China?
*homely man*: Jew man, now bout yoos get the best seat in the house: on the tallest sappuro.
I live in Albuquerque, which is the big city that Rio Rancho lies on the outskirts of. ("I KNEW I should've taken that left turn at Albuquerque!")
For years, trying to get high speed internet access in this city/state was like getting teeth pulled. While everyone else was first getting high speed internet access, we were left in the dark even though we had Kirtland Air Force Base, Sandia National Labs, the University of New Mexico, and Intel all in the same area. While everyone else was getting DSL, our local telephone company dragged their feet on the issue. (To this day, in the middle of Metro Albuquerque, I STILL couldn't get DSL at my home, even if I wanted to!) Several years went by with them promising us high speed internet access... but they were all empty promises.
It wasn't until @Home brought us internet cable that we were finally able to join the high-speed era and get away from our 36K modems. (The networks were too noisy for 56K to work.)
It makes me happy to know that New Mexico is finally on the leading edge of something involving internet access, but I imagine this will make QWest very unhappy in that city... I suspect many people won't bother to get DSL from them, but will instead opt for the new wireless option so they can take their laptops with them everywhere they go.
Not that I care. Serves the phone company right.
-Chiem
...especially the corporate sponsorship of otherwise obvious projects. Oh, this isn't a sarcastic message. Nope.
Finest word processor ever.
Rio Rancho was the name of one of those properties the salesmen in Glengarry Glen Ross were selling to scam people out of their money.
A always B be C Closing!
How is this post considered insightful?
Are this many people so bad with numbers that they can't quickly guesstimate that 100 square miles is an area about 10 miles on a side?
This number is deceiving like saying that my house is 1500 square feet is deceiving. What? How can it fit on a lot that is only 100 x 60?
Using numbers correctly isn't deceiving to anyone who isn't already clueless.
I live in Rio Rancho and my house is inside the coverage area! WOO HOO!
Roadrunner Wireless Services,Inc is allready doing wireless intenet in Rio Rancho.We have used the ism bandwidth up serving our customers
The ISPs are going to be selling air and watrer soon-maybe they are going to buy the air rights-now what waas an ISP anyways.
How in the heck was that a troll?
Albuquerque PC