> I first wrote an essay about why public wifi is not likely to help > with > digital divide issues, and argued that if the city retains some of the > Skypilots, they should be moved to outdoor event venues like > Waterfront > Park. Then I got a better idea. > > How about the Max lines? Are there enough Skypilots to cover the > stations, and perhaps be placed along the routes so that the 5.8GHz > backhaul could connect them? More ambitiously, could something be > added to the Max cars so that wifi was usable in them, and roaming > was supported, so people could use wifi while they travelled? > > Many Max riders are already carrying wireless devices, and could make > productive use of transit time. The users are concentrated into a > relatively small area - no "hundreds of square miles" problem, no > "reaching through trees and walls" problem. Providing wireless to > a narrow band has got to be easier than covering a whole city. > Power and other infrastructure is already available. > > Financing is a problem for public wireless, but the money collection > system that Trimet has in place could be incrementally expanded - an > additional ticket machine menu item that adds wifi access to your > ticket for a buck, and provides an individual access code. Or $5 > extra for your monthly pass to get an access code. That could easily > pay for the system, and provide additional revenue for Trimet besides. > > There could also be an advertising-supported option a la Metro Fi. > Trimet already handles advertising - this expands existing efforts. > Scheduling information could be available for free. > > The system could also work the other way - your wireless device could > become your Max ticket, which you can pay online while you travel. > > I'm not sure how much reprogramming would be required for the Skypilot > hardware. High-gain directional backhaul antennas might be needed > to reach between stations. There are probably not enough Skypilots > to > reach Hillsboro, and the tunnel would be a problem. But these seem to > be solvable problems, given the overall good fit between capabilities > and needs and financing. > > The vision of PTP volunteers fixing access points while they cling to > the rooftops of hurtling Max trains is just too funny to ignore. :-)
The SkyPilots only have a single backhaul radio using time division duplex, meaning that with each hop, you lose %50 of your bandwidth. After 3-4 hops, your backhaul is effectively useless. TriMet is already planning on adding WiFi to the new commuter line max and if I recall correctly, it's supposed to be free. They'll be utilizing some form of cellular data backhaul which although isn't blazing fast, it's fairly well suited for a train moving along from one point to another. --~--~---------~--~----~------------~-------~--~----~ The Personal Telco Project - http://www.personaltelco.net/ Donate to PTP: http://www.personaltelco.net/donate Archives: http://news.gmane.org/gmane.network.wireless.portland.general/ Etiquette: http://www.personaltelco.net/index.cgi/MailingListEtiquette List information: http://lists.personaltelco.net To post to this group, send email to [email protected] To unsubscribe from this group, send email to [EMAIL PROTECTED] -~----------~----~----~----~------~----~------~--~---
