as posted on: http://slashdot.org/article.pl?sid=02/03/07/221224&mode=nested
=========================================================== http://australia.internet.com/r/article/jsp/sid/11942 Can 802.11 Become A Viable Last-Mile Alternative? BY NIKI SCEVAK May 09, 2002 The CSIRO is closely investigating the possibility of using 802.11 wireless technology as a last-mile broadband delivery platform. So far, so good. Scattered on the desks in Boyd Murray's office are numerous network diagrams pondering the position and calibre of wireless access points. Using savvy placement and sound design principles, the telecommunications research engineer is operating a test network that could profoundly affect the way Australian's receive broadband Internet access. Next to the array of technical telemetry sits a letter from the DCITA, http://www.dca.gov.au/nsapi-graphics/?MIval=dca_dispdoc&ID=6326&template=Newsroom inviting Murray's thoughts on how his trial might be deployed elsewhere. Amongst the serene suburbian setting, the correspondence serves as a reminder of the importance of his work. Since beginning the trial in the second half of last year, interest has steadily increased - seeing a growing number of ISP entrepreneurs, Government advisors and technology vendors walk through the doors of the CSIRO's Radiophysics labs in Marsfield, a suburb in Sydney's North-West. Upon entering the facility guests are greeted by a tapestry of large-scale satellite receivers, which Murray says are used to detect Alien life amongst other things. The equipment required for the 802.11 trial is less conspicuous but ironically, a characteristic of why the experiment holds great promise. Using standard components, like Cisco's 350 Aironet access point http://www.cisco.com/warp/public/cc/pd/witc/ao350ap/ and a readily-available antenna, the network is achieving reliable broadband access. 1 kilometre from Murray's office in the CSIRO's North Epping facility, a terminal with a standard 802.11b wireless card and a fixed antennae receives data at the maximum 7.66 mb/s data rate (802.11b portends to operate at 11 mb/s but with the protocol overheads it effectively means the maximum data transfer rate is 7.66 mb/s). Murray says that range could be extended to as far as 7 kilometres, although obviously the quality of service suffers over such distances. The fact that the network is operating at a high quality speed over distance of greater than 1 kilometre through some of Sydney's leafiest terrain, offers great hope to budding broadband entrepreneurs. To date, Wireless ISPs have largely concentrated on the 'hotspot' http://australia.internet.com/r/article/jsp/sid/11146 market - bustling cafes, with laptop purveyors sipping latte and surfing the web. In this scenario both the access point and client have omni-direction antennas, meaning the effective range of the networks is around 30 metres. However, by using a fixed antennae on the client side, that focuses solely on the direction of the access point, range increases dramatically. So much so in fact, that the technology starts to become a viable alternative to Telstra's strangehold on broadband's 'last-mile' - a pertinent opportunity in today's industry structure. Indeed, the chronic complaining over Telstra's wholesale DSL rates will perhaps never be solved, no matter what the Government's intentions to split the incumbent carrier are. Murray is quick to point out that using an 802.11 wireless network as a last-mile distribution technology does not solve all of a broadband ISPs problems, but it does certainly brighten the business case of one. The "cheap and nasty" roots of 802.11 and the largely unregulated 2.4 Ghz spectrum is a double-edged sword. The infrastructure is amazingly cheap, but the chaotic nature of the technology mean that sound network design and co-operation need to be employed amongst carriers. In a sense this is the crux of what the CSIRO is aiming to develop, network design principles that ensure that multiple carriers are able to work in unison, and in an efficient manner. Nevertheless, new ventures sit poised to be launched on the back of Murray's trials, and pricing on equivalent ADSL access packages stand to be pressured. One thing is for sure though - there will be a lot more visitors to Murray's suburban network in the coming months. FURTHER READING Broadband ISP: Wireless And Without Telstra http://australia.internet.com/r/article/jsp/sid/11502 Corporate LANs On The Air http://australia.internet.com/r/article/jsp/sid/11880 Public Wireless Networks Fight Back http://australia.internet.com/r/article/jsp/sid/11840 ===================END FORWARDED MESSAGE=================== -- general wireless list, a bawug thing <http://www.bawug.org/> [un]subscribe: http://lists.bawug.org/mailman/listinfo/wireless
