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Wireless Video Transfers 100X Faster Than WiFi

Posted by ryuzaki0 on from the that's-a-lot-of-heroes dept.

coondoggie writes "Later today IBM plans to announce microprocessor chipsets that can wirelessly transmit high-definition video at extremely high speeds. 'IBM will do this by teaming with MediaTek to launch a joint initiative to develop these ultra fast chipsets.The companies will be developing millimeter wave (mmWave) radio technology — the highest frequency portion of the radio spectrum — 60 gigahertz rather than 2.4 gigahertz — and digital chipsets that enable at least 100 times higher data rates than current Wi-Fi standards.'"

5 of 147 comments (clear)

  1. Walls by PineGreen · · Score: 5, Funny

    First post: does it go through the walls? It's going to be difficult at these frequencies!

    1. Re:Walls by RadioElectric · · Score: 5, Funny

      Then the way to go would be to put it in one room and then knock holes in the walls for the signal to go through. Even better, if you could concentrate the signal into a smaller width of broadcast you'd need a smaller hole to fit the same signal strength through. For absoulute security and extra directional power (and thus smaller holes) you could put the signal into some kind of insulated metal rope and send it along that directly into the target device. Am I on to something here?

  2. Re:Article is shithouse. by SeekerDarksteel · · Score: 5, Funny

    What you want to know: Practical limitation is 10M, useless through walls.

    Or 82 miles with a pringles can.

    --
    The laws of probability forbid it!
  3. Re:Line of sight only by femto · · Score: 5, Informative

    I would modify that slightly by saying 60GHz will travel through a typical office partition (with attenuation), so it's slightly better than line of sight (ie. infrared). Bricks walls are out, you might get away with a plasterboard wall. You probably can put a 60GHz access point on the ceiling of an open plan office and get a useful signal to each desk through a combination of propagation through light partitions, reflection and directional antennas. It will save having to wire an open plan office with ethernet. I know this because I was involved in a 60GHz project, that included a propagation study, in 1995. Google for the paper "A HIGH-SPEED WIRELESS LAN", IEEE Micro, 1997.

  4. Re:Article is shithouse. by abionnnn · · Score: 5, Insightful

    Well not quite, as well as the square power-law there's also an exponential attenuation factor due to absorption by the atmosphere. It is far greater at 60GHz than at 2.4GHz.

    http://www.everythingweather.com/atmospheric-radiation/absorption.shtml (60GHz ~5mm)