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Comcast May Put Wi-Fi Transceivers On Cars, Buses, Humans
An anonymous reader writes "Comcast engineers want to put WiFi transceivers in rental cars, taxis, buses and even on humans to extend reach of its Xfinity WiFi network. They also detail an idea for offering incentives to drivers to move WiFi-enabled cars to areas where it needs WiFi coverage. The plan was detailed in a patent application published today by the USPTO (I wrote a story about it for FierceCable)."
Speaking of extension, this sounds like a logical outgrowth of using wireless routers to grow the network. (I hope they choose their humans carefully, if this plan bears fruit.)
Rule #1 of wireless networking. Don't attach your access point to something that moves or it really throws off your coverage mapping and disconnects people. How about their improve their crappy infrastructure so they can offer better bandwidth instead of wasting their money on yet another "netowork the homeless" caliber idea.
3G and 4G can run down the car battery even more so if packed and discounted car rental rate, free parking make not cover the cost of the new battery (yes car rental places like to rip people off with there damage games) so they may try to bill you the cost of new battery even if they don't put a new one in.
So wouldn't this be a moving mesh network?
I assume there would be issues if you're connected to a taxi that then moved out of range.
except for of course if their patent says Xfinity.
but didn't sxsw pay some hobos a year(or two?) ago to already do essentially this.
how moving ap's to where they are needed is worth is a patent is somewhat difficult to explain, so if anyone can solve explain that they should patent the explanation.
world was created 5 seconds before this post as it is.
I'm surrounded by technology day in and day out. I have a smartphone and tablet, and I'm currently sitting in a room with four servers, two desktops, and three laptops around me (most of the non-server systems are prepping for redeployment). When I get away from the office, I want less digital contact with anything at all, not more. Add this into the excessive tracking of any and all digital footprint, and I'm constantly contemplating shutting off my phone any time I'm not specifically using it.
Sure, the product will get used. That was never a doubt that I had. However, whether it ought to be or not. Now that's a more interesting one. Bring into play more standard anonymization and encryption by default and maybe I'll come around. But I'll still be a skeptic.
In SOVIET RUSSIA... erm...NSA AMERICA, the Internet logs onto YOU!
The insurance industry wants real time data from your vehicle on how, where and when you drive. The first step was the plug in device that give them some delayed data. The real goal is a constant wifi connection so your rates can be adjusted upwards for the slightest reason. They will compare your data with the weather, time of day, congestion, were you on the cell phone, etc.
You didn't come to a complete stop at all those intersections.
That light was yellow.
You were too close to the car in front of you
You were going over the speed limit or too fast for the conditions.
They can't even get their cable internet running correctly. Five months in and I still don't have two hours of connectivity or reliable DNS.
Wake me when an internet service provider does this instead.
Reminds me of an old joke:
Bill Gates, Andy Grove, and Jerry Sanders (CEOs of MicroSoft, Intel, and AMD) were in a high-powered business meeting. During the serious, tense discussion, a beeping noise suddenly is emitted from where Bill is sitting. Bill says, "Oh, that's my beeper. Gentlemen, excuse me, I need to take this call." So Bill lifts his wristwatch to his ear and begins talking into the end of his tie. After completing this call, he notices the others are staring at him. Bill explains, "Oh, this is my new emergency communication system. I have an earpiece built into my watch and a microphone sewn into the end of my tie. That way I can take a call anywhere."
The others nod and the meeting continues. Five minutes later, the discussion is again interrupted when Andy starts beeping. He states, "Excuse me gentlemen, this must be an important call." So Andy taps his earlobe and begins talking into thin air. When he completes his call, he notices the others staring at him and explains, "I also have an emergency communication system. But my earpiece is actually implanted in my earlobe, and the microphone is actually embedded in this fake tooth." The others nod in approval, and the meeting continues.
Five minutes later, the discussion is again interrupted when Jerry emits a thunderous fart. He looks up at the others staring at him in stunned silence, and says, "Quick! somebody get me a piece of paper... I'm receiving a FAX..."
Table-ized A.I.
When comcast installs these points, their transceivers tend to drown out all local wireless routers (3,6,9) or whatever channels they are. I was talking to a friend in philly who can't get a good connection anymore to his own router because Comcast did this.
While expanding coverage is "good" doing it in a way that gives you a monopoly over the airwaves so that people *have* to use you is not.
I am gonna echo the AC's response of LOL. If insurance was such a low margin business, why was it that the fall of AIG caused a nightmare in our economy and was too damned big to fail? If you have ever had to use insurance of damned near any kind, then you know they weasel thier way out of as many claims as possible. If you can't trust them to pay for your claims as faithfully as you paid your premiums, what makes you think any of thier stated earnings are credible? Hollywood accounting doesn't just happen in Hollywood. I'm sure they're always just as broke and scraping along as Exxon. To only be that destitute!
The junior Senator from Minnesota played a crucial role in the early days of this technology
the preceding comment is my own and in no way reflects the opinion of the Joint Chiefs of Staff
No, you're confusing what they do with what has been done to them.
I got here through a series of tubes
You have it backwards. AIG was a counter party to deals far in excess of its assets. When everything fell apart, Goldman Sachs and friends came calling and asked that AIG pay up on all the agreements they made. Since AIG didn't have the assets to pay, well goodbye AIG. The government then stepped in and said it was bailing out AIG, but in reality AIG was just a conduit to send money to the big banks.
"Insurance companies will use them to raise rates (Score:5, Interesting)"
And then they will share all gathered data with the NSA...while accepting money, your money, in exchange. Shareholders, rejoice.
You can surely bet that comcast is writing off the depreciation of their equipment on their taxes each year. If you should lose their equipment, you pay the replacement value, not the depreciated value comcast is claiming on their taxes. Nice money making scheme for them. Each time a customer loses a piece of equipment it is a net profit. If I borrowed your car and wrecked it, I am not liable for the cost of brand new car, I am liable for the damages in the amount of the cars depreciated value before I wrecked it.
The disruption this could cause if you work near a busy bus line as buses run by your window every 5 minutes would be a mess.
Where do you live that gets bus service every 5 minutes? Where I live it's once an hour, never at night, never on Sunday.
Fuck Comcast. Unfortunately I am on a 3 year contract, so even if I move I have to stick with them.
Silence is a state of mime.
I have worked on a similar concept for police back in the 90's and can prove it.
I prefer the "u" in honour as it seems to be missing these days.
They replaced my modem with a combo Modem/Router.... It's a POS. now I have to let strangers use my internet? I THINK NOT! I want to use my 59mbps to download porn by myself!
Central Station serves 17 routes, each about 50 minutes long. Most buses alternate between two routes, such as 8 North and 8 South. Most route pairs have two buses on them and depart from Central Station every 60 minutes at :15 after the hour; a few have four buses and depart every 30 at :15 and :45 after on Monday through Friday. This includes a pause to allow passengers to transfer and buses that are running slow (train crossings, traffic, wheelchair pickups and dropoffs) to catch up.