These "Apple airport cards with outside antennas" are an
interesting toy to play with. However, I suspect a system built with
them would ultimately bog down when it got beyond a couple hundred
users. I've been trying to find affordable wireless access for some
time now and still haven't found much. The options I've looked into
are:
1. Amateur packet radio- this is a pioneering system from the '80s
with a few nodes still active. Limited to 9.6K speed and cannot be
used for business. Licence easy to get, low cost, worldwide standard.
This is a real sleeper that could take off with more users.
2. Cell phone- as you can imagine, per minute charges make this
outrageously expensive. Would work in much of U.S. though. Our telcos
still use competing (non)standards, so will not work worldwide.
3. GoAmerica and Verizon's cellular based service- requires $300
upfront for a PC card radio modem and about $60 a month for service.
No coverage in many rural areas, limited to 19.2K speed.
4. Ricochet- this is a clever microcell based system that lives (and
may soon be abandoned) on our Minneapolis street lights. 128K
speed!, but service limited to major metro areas. Costs $100-300 for
the radio modem and about $80 a month there after. Company is in
financial trouble and may soon go under.
Minneapolis content: Amateur packet radio and the hacked
airport cards would benefit from access to the great antenna sites
the city owns. The Ricochet system may soon fall into the city's
hands and we'd be stupid not to put it to good use.
peace,
Dyna Sluyter, who wants her Farview Park tower
(antenna site) back!
--
Dyna Sluyter
friend of Bill W. and Harry B.
USPS TTO, 554 MVS tour 3 operator, 6610142('96 Mack MR tractor, 2.8m
wheelbase ) de N0EGF, qrv 70cm, 2m, 10-80m
proud IBT and APWU member for over 20 years, solidarity forever!
mk.1 Mini Cooper S, mk.2 Golf diezel, Ranger XL 4x4 longbed ("da
service truck")
R100GS mit seitzwagen, R65LS
Teledyne Titan, Santana, Trek 7300
Quickie GP, Fortress AeroEdge
running C/PM, DOS, Linux, and Mac OS. Micro who?
Amtrak 1007, highball!
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