Ask Slashdot: Can Any Wireless Tech Challenge Fiber To the Home?

New submitter danielmorrison writes: In Holland, MI (birthplace of Slashdot) we're working toward fiber to the home. A handful of people have asked why not go wireless instead? I know my reasons (speed, privacy, and we have an existing fiber loop) but are any wireless technologies good enough that cities should consider them? If so, what technologies and what cities have had success stories?

Comments

I run a WISP. No.

[hawkeyeMI]

Wireless can do as well as fiber, but it's going to cost a LOT more and you'll have trouble scaling it. I run a small rural wireless ISP, and while wireless is cheap and fast to deploy, it's not fiber, and it's never going to be. That said, with a good high point and backhaul, you can start providing speeds up to 40Mbps for less than $5k.

Re: Short answer?

[Firethorn]

Most FTTH use cases could be replaced with this, although FTTH can roll tomorrow and this is still vaporware - 15 years is a lot of productivity.

But the speed of fiber keeps marching along, even as that of wireless creeps up. You also run into that wireless transmission effectively takes up a lot more 'space' than fiber - so you're always sharing the medium.

You can do a lot with directional antennas, but still not as much isolation as available with fiber. So you have to consider the bandwidth not in isolation, but when all your neighbors want fast wireless internet as well.