Email Delivery

Receive new posts as email.

Email address

Syndicate this site

RSS | Atom

Contact

About This Site
Contact Us
Privacy Policy

Search


November 2010
Sun Mon Tues Wed Thurs Fri Sat
  1 2 3 4 5 6
7 8 9 10 11 12 13
14 15 16 17 18 19 20
21 22 23 24 25 26 27
28 29 30        

Stories by Category

Basics :: Basics
Casting :: Casting Listen In Podcasts Videocasts
Culture :: Culture Hacking
Deals :: Deals
FAQ :: FAQ
Future :: Future
Hardware :: Hardware Adapters Appliances Chips Consumer Electronics Gaming Home Entertainment Music Photography Video Gadgets Mesh Monitoring and Testing PDAs Phones Smartphones
Industry :: Industry Conferences Financial Free Health Legal Research Vendor analysis
International :: International
Media :: Media Locally cached Streaming
Metro-Scale Networks :: Metro-Scale Networks Community Networking Municipal
Network Types :: Network Types Broadband Wireless Cellular 2.5G and 3G 4G Power Line Satellite
News :: News Mainstream Media
Politics :: Politics Regulation Sock Puppets
Schedules :: Schedules
Security :: Security 802.1X
Site Specific :: Site Specific Administrative Detail April Fool's Blogging Book review Cluelessness Guest Commentary History Humor Self-Promotion Unique Wee-Fi Who's Hot Today?
Software :: Software Open Source
Spectrum :: Spectrum 60 GHz
Standards :: Standards 802.11a 802.11ac 802.11ad 802.11e 802.11g 802.11n 802.20 Bluetooth MIMO UWB WiGig WiMAX ZigBee
Transportation and Lodging :: Transportation and Lodging Air Travel Aquatic Commuting Hotels Rails
Unclassified :: Unclassified
Vertical Markets :: Vertical Markets Academia Enterprise WLAN Switches Home Hot Spot Aggregators Hot Spot Advertising Road Warrior Roaming Libraries Location Medical Public Safety Residential Rural SOHO Small-Medium Sized Business Universities Utilities wISP
Voice :: Voice

Archives

November 2010 | October 2010 | September 2010 | August 2010 | July 2010 | June 2010 | May 2010 | April 2010 | March 2010 | February 2010 | January 2010 | December 2009 | November 2009 | October 2009 | September 2009 | August 2009 | July 2009 | June 2009 | May 2009 | April 2009 | March 2009 | February 2009 | January 2009 | December 2008 | November 2008 | October 2008 | September 2008 | August 2008 | July 2008 | June 2008 | May 2008 | April 2008 | March 2008 | February 2008 | January 2008 | December 2007 | November 2007 | October 2007 | September 2007 | August 2007 | July 2007 | June 2007 | May 2007 | April 2007 | March 2007 | February 2007 | January 2007 | December 2006 | November 2006 | October 2006 | September 2006 | August 2006 | July 2006 | June 2006 | May 2006 | April 2006 | March 2006 | February 2006 | January 2006 | December 2005 | November 2005 | October 2005 | September 2005 | August 2005 | July 2005 | June 2005 | May 2005 | April 2005 | March 2005 | February 2005 | January 2005 | December 2004 | November 2004 | October 2004 | September 2004 | August 2004 | July 2004 | June 2004 | May 2004 | April 2004 | March 2004 | February 2004 | January 2004 | December 2003 | November 2003 | October 2003 | September 2003 | August 2003 | July 2003 | June 2003 | May 2003 | April 2003 | March 2003 | February 2003 | January 2003 | December 2002 | November 2002 | October 2002 | September 2002 | August 2002 | July 2002 | June 2002 | May 2002 | April 2002 | March 2002 | February 2002 | January 2002 | December 2001 | November 2001 | October 2001 | September 2001 | August 2001 | July 2001 | June 2001 | May 2001 | April 2001 |

Recent Entries

In-Flight Wi-Fi and In-Flight Bombs
Can WPA Protect against Firesheep on Same Network?
Southwest Sets In-Flight Wi-Fi at $5
Eye-Fi Adds a View for Web Access
Firesheep Makes Sidejacking Easy
Wi-Fi Direct Certification Starts
Decaf on the Starbucks Digital Network
Google Did Snag Passwords
WiMax and LTE Not Technically 4G by ITU Standards
AT&T Wi-Fi Connections Keep High Growth with Free Service

Site Philosophy

This site operates as an independent editorial operation. Advertising, sponsorships, and other non-editorial materials represent the opinions and messages of their respective origins, and not of the site operator. Part of the FM Tech advertising network.

Copyright

Entire site and all contents except otherwise noted © Copyright 2001-2010 by Glenn Fleishman. Some images ©2006 Jupiterimages Corporation. All rights reserved. Please contact us for reprint rights. Linking is, of course, free and encouraged.

Powered by
Movable Type

« AirFone Will Shut Down | Main | Fon Plans Million Router Subsidy »

June 23, 2006

Metro-Scale Wi-Fi as Ultimate Backup

You know who is going to buy accounts on metro-scale Wi-Fi networks and not even feel the pinch? Those with high-speed DSL, cable, and dedicated line connections already: I haven't seen this issue discussed one whit. Everyone keeps writing and talking about Wi-Fi networks that span cities and towns as primarily serving an audience that has no connection, has a high need of mobile access, or that has dial up and wants to move to broadband without paying a regular rate of $40 to $60 per month. (Let's ignore those promotional $15/month rates unless they really become regular--not for the first 6 or 12 month.)

But here's who is going to be among the other large consumer of $20-odd/month unlimited mobile/fixed Wi-Fi: People for whom Internet access is like breathing a nitrogen-oxygen mix. If you're part of the crowd that spends above average on broadband, say $60 to $100 per month for higher speeds or special features, you probably also own a laptop. Which means that an extra $20 per month for roaming VoIP, Skype, instant messaging, and all the non-business aspects won't be a big deal.

If you're a business owner--home, small, medium, or large--$20 per month as a backup policy against a broadband outage or a line cut that would take down a wired service is a pretty low price to pay just to have it immediately available as needed.

Remember that many of the RFPs issued by municipalities require net neutrality to be enshrined in proposals. Which, in most cases I've read, includes an explicit mention that any device may be attached to the network and used for any legal purpose. Thus sharing a single network connection when a business's wired line goes down is perfectly legitimate.

The municipal architecture for most cities is either switched or mesh throughout, and it's only dependent on a supply of power--I don't know city-by-city requirements for backup power on mesh nodes, and I think there's essentially no requirement for this. In Tempe, I believe six fiber drops serve the MobilePro network, with at least one dedicated to city purposes. Because they're switched, even multiple fiber cuts wouldn't damage the network. Likewise, a network like Philadelphia's, according to EarthLink's description, will be almost entirely wireless until you hit some fiber points of presence.

This alternate infrastructure could become extremely popular. Which then begs the question: When these networks are actually operational and where the operators are obligated to or desire to resell access on a wholesale level, will Verizon, AT&T, Comcast, and others come around and simply make this a checkbox on customers' bills? "Add Wireless Philadelphia for just $17 per month! A discount of $5 per month off retail!" I'm guessing yes, because it will become another tool to reduce churn among its best members, and the equivalent of the limited free dial-up access that broadband providers offered in the early days (some still do).

Metro-scale Wi-Fi as a wired backup? It's a concept.

1 Comment

Glenn, you're right - and I said the same, by the way, as I blogged away after Hurricane Katrina. Go to www.metronetiq.com to the archives, back to Sept 19, and see the blog titled That's What I'm Saying.

"That is what mesh networks would become for a community. Self-insurance, which would ensure that the community could talk to each other after a disaster, and get itself back on its feet ASAP, regardless of the speed of outsiders' help. And such self insurance is within economic reach of every town in the US. If we can't predict where disaster will strike, or how we wil recover, we can at least ensure that we can talk to each other so we can help each other. Mesh networks are a ray of sunshine in these dark times. And FEMA, Homeland Security, Congress, and the White House could earn huge points wth a disenchanted public by helping communities to build such networks, addressing the Digital Divide, conquering the rural broadband deficit, and all the while, making the nation safer, more self-reliant, and more resilient. It could happen. Call your congressman today."

Since the debacle last September in New Orleans, I've thought that these Wi Fi Mesh networks have been sold the wrong way - they should be sold based on their flexibility and affordability, not as substitutes for carrier grade networks, but as complements to them. We could use both, so important is communication to us today. We need insurance, and Wi Fi Mesh networks as overlays would be cheap insurance indeed, good enough until our reliable wireline networks come back on line. We have flashlights with fresh batteries in the kitchen drawer. We don't think to use them to eat dinner by when all is well, although we could. Instead, we have them around for when the lights go out.