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

Posted by timothy on from the fibrous-and-lumpy dept.

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?

2 of 190 comments (clear)

  1. Short answer? by Sycraft-fu · · Score: 5, Insightful

    No.

    Long answer?

    Noooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooo.

    Sorry, but that pesky little Shannon's Law gets in the way. Fibre provides more frequency and better SNR than you'll get in the air, thus more bits. You can't get around physics.

  2. Wireless electronics is like pipeless plumbing by MpVpRb · · Score: 3, Insightful

    Yes, it can be made to work, but a pipe is always better

    Need more capacity, add more fibers

    Once the spectrum is saturated, it's full

    Yeah, clever coding and compression can help, but it's still a finite spectrum