[MLB-WIRELESS] ./: Can 802.11 Become A Viable Last-Mile Alternative?

[Ben Ryan]

> poor spelling fixed:
> "As telcos around the world move from government hands to private
> investors the incentive for them to create competition at the wholesale
> DSL level drops dramatically. The CSIRO in Australia are investigating
> [1] the use of Wireless LAN technology 802.11b as a means through which
> to provide alternative broadband access, achieving range of up to 7km
> with standard components." 
> [1] http://australia.internet.com/r/article/jsp/sid/11942
> slashdot discussion:
> http://slashdot.org/article.pl?sid=02/05/13/0114221&mode=thread&tid=126

The problem with 802.11 technologies is the use of ISM bands.
Was having a convo at a local telco office earlier today about it, it seems the
doubt about wireless networking WRT service delivery is one of reliability, or a
case of too many unknowns. They aren't willing to touch it because their SLA's
then are vulnerable to factors completely outside their control, outside
anyone's control - ISM band.
Any goon can rip the door off a microwave oven, stick it on their roof and sleep
knowing they've DoS'ed the nerds in their neighbourhood. It doesn't take l337 hax0r to do
this (unlike most DoS), just an uncompetitive IQ.
An industry won't invest in a comms technology whose very basis is completely
unregulated, unpredictable and uncontrollable.
And that my friends, is the reason we have to do it.
Nobody in industry is going to do it for us - some may try, but public networks
and commercial networks will never interoperate so it's unreasonable to expect a
cooperative effort.

Don't mean to put a damper on anything with this post.

The inevitable cynicism around a technology when it fails to deliver on all it's
over-hyped promises (no matter who makes them on it's behalf) is a direct result
of that hype. It's going to be damaging in the long run with increasingly
grandiose visions for WLAN tech being sprouted about.
All one can do is be realistic and upfront about what the tech can do, and what
it can't. Oh, and ignore the media ;)

regards
ben

***
**"We control the horizontal, we control the vertical."
**"That's polarization out of the way, now, this friggin EIRP is another story..."
** http://bendigo.wireless.org.au/
***


To unsubscribe: send mail to majordomo at wireless.org.au
with "unsubscribe melbwireless" in the body of the message