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Wireless Networking Hardware

Fido Launches New Broadband Wireless Access 209

Posted by timothy from the pant-pant dept.
bug-eyed monster writes "Fido is launching a new wireless internet service with 'Download at speeds of up to 2.2 Mbps,' in Richmond BC and Cumberland ON. It uses a special modem that plugs into a regular network card. The technology providers' websites, Microcell and Inukshuk, inform us that the service uses Multipoint Communications Systems (radio-based) in the 2500 MHz range. The modem can be used anywhere within Richmond and 'up to 2.5km away from any network base station' (no idea if it can also run on batteries). Of course, this is all torture for me since I live next-door in Vancouver, just out of reach of the network."
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Fido Launches New Broadband Wireless Access More

Fido Launches New Broadband Wireless Access

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  • When you say Fido (Score:4, Insightful)

    by Anonymous Coward on Monday March 08, 2004 @01:21AM (#8495813)
    I think FidoNet. And then I get sad.
    • I don't. their ridiculous fees, even after internet access was well entrenched just kept dragging things down until nobody used it.

      I'm not sorry to see FidoNet gone

    • Re:When you say Fido (Score:5, Insightful)

      by Vskye ( 9079 ) on Monday March 08, 2004 @01:53AM (#8495972)
      Well, I think the original thread should be
      modded up since the first thing I thought of
      when seeing this article was the "Fidonet", which
      existed way prior to the internet. Accessing the
      net back then .. when it started was normally via
      a 300 baud modem connect to a local collage VAC
      system, and then only with a terminal program,
      and that would allow you to ftp to sunsite and
      such. Off my ramp now, FidoNet was a good thing
      even though the phone bills could set you back
      hundreds of U.S. dollars a month. (trust me on this!) I've personally known of a few eastern
      hubs that would pass mail to europe and have
      bills that would be over $1k U.S. a month. (and
      people bitch about their $100 a month inet connection...!)

      • Prior to the internet's mainstream popularity, you mean. ;)

        But yeah, that was the first thing I thought of. Visions of free user-supported wireless internet from one side of the globe to the other danced in my head. Email taking over a day to get anywhere...Quake matches taking a lifetime...almost like the ping from here to Mars.
      • Accessing the net back then .. when it started was normally via a 300 baud modem connect to a local collage VAC system, and then only with a terminal program, and that would allow you to ftp to sunsite and such.
        When I was a kid I used to walk 5 miles to school uphill both ways through the worst blizzrd of the century every day - and I liked it.
    • Please Press Esc twice to login.

      Ahhh. Those were the days. That was actually my first internet email address was threw Fidonet. It was ungodly long but I was the first person on my block/ probably town to get an internet email address. Ahh memories where peoples biggest problems were that they couldn't use Windows 3.1 (Back in the old days you loaded windows on top of DOS) and dial out because their mouse and modem were on the same com port. Good times.... Good times....

  • Inukshuk's Logo? (Score:5, Funny)

    by FractusMan ( 711004 ) * on Monday March 08, 2004 @01:21AM (#8495818)
    "Now The People Will Know We Were Here."

  • Torture (Score:1, Funny)

    by agildehaus ( 112245 )
    This tortures me and I live in Saint Louis, Missouri.
  • I'm curious to know if this is one of those "only option available" or if these guys are providing real competition.
    I like the thought of broadband providers competing for my business...

    • Shaw (cable) and Telus (DSL) both serve the Richmond area as well. I'm sure this is the only option available for WIRELESS broadband, though.

    • Re:Competition? (Score:3, Interesting)

      by LostCluster ( 625375 ) *
      They're really a specialised use entry more than anything else. Because this service has a 20 GB download and 5 GB upload cap before you start paying through the nose for bandwidth, both cable and DSL broadband seem like a better deal.

      You'd have to be quite a road warrior to need your broadband access to follow you all over town. Wouldn't it be easier to just rely on wired access being where you need it, and then putting it up with WiFi?

  • Cantenna? (Score:3, Interesting)

    by SuperBanana ( 662181 ) on Monday March 08, 2004 @01:30AM (#8495870)
    Of course, this is all torture for me since I live next-door in Vancouver, just out of reach of the network.

    If you're desperate and the terrain will cooperate, perhaps build a cantenna(or buy one of those wire-dish highly directional antennas). You might have to open up the modem to get an external antenna installed...although the modem might be leased, making that a no-go option.

  • Three problems with this business model:

    1) Extra peripheral. When I'm mobile, the last thing I want is to take along yet another notebook thingie. I've already got a wireless minicard; why should I take along a freaking *modem* too?

    2. What possible use could anybody have for wireless net access 24x7 in a localised area? If you're at home, you generally have wired internet access (or, if you live in an apartment building, perhaps free wireless ;) If you're at work, you have wired access or access fro

    • 2) Just like you said in #1, skip the WAP alltogether and get it direct.
    • 1) If this takes off there certainly will be a compatible minicard for your laptop too.
      2) Cheaper than paying your DSL, Starbucks, etc. Commuting, in the park, etc.
      3) While stealing is a nice thing some of us don't have that advantage. We might want 2.2 Mbps throughput at a decent price. Last time I checked it was $500 set up fee including a stationary antenna, and $100 for that kind of throughput to my house. This is also MUCH cheaper than my $60 Cable 1 Mbps connection.
      This would make for a very nice
    • We have a new one for the list.

      - I think there is a world market for mabye five computers. Thomas Watson
      - Where a calculator on the ENIAC is equipped with 18,000 vacuum tubes and weighs 30 tons, computers in the future may have only 1,000 vacuum tubes and weigh only 1.5 tons. Popular Mechanics
      - There is no reason anyone would want a computer in their home. Ken Olson
      - What possible use could anybody have for wireless net access 24x7 in a localised area? Txiasaeia

      (Note: some people report that the T
      • You didn't specify exactly what problem you had with my statement. If you're at home, use wired (quicker and more reliable). If you're at work, use wired or work-sponsored WAP. If you're at a coffee shop, most of them now have WAPs. With current technology (notebooks instead of brain implants, for example), how would anybody expect to take full advantage of a wireless modem? Are you planning on driving around Richmond and surfing the Net at the same time?

        I wasn't making a prediction about the future

    • Has someone made a nice and convenient area map of the saturation you mentioned? I'd love to spend some time downtown with my laptop, but I don't have a clue where the hot spots are.
    • This is intended as a *REPLACEMENT* for your home broadband, not as a portable solution. The "portable" modem is about as big as your cable modem is. The pricing is about the same as Shaw or Telus. The portability of it is just an afterthought, and a nice touch if you want to move your computer around from one room to the next.
      As for why you would want this, there are still lots of places in the GVRD where you can only get Telus OR Shaw or possibly neither, and if it turns out your Telus connection drops

  • Visionary Company (Score:4, Interesting)

    by IANAL(BIAILS) ( 726712 ) on Monday March 08, 2004 @01:32AM (#8495879) Homepage Journal
    I'm more and more impressed with Fido as time goes on. For those of you who aren't on the West Coast of Canada, Fido's cell plan is something like $45 per month, unlimited local calls. I'm not sure what other cell plans are like in the US, but for Canada, Fido's the first to try anything like that... makes it easy to simply replace your landline with a cell for not much more $$.
    • In the USA, we have one oddball cell company called Cricket that offers unlimited local calls and a decent rate for long distance. The problem is that roaming isn't available from these guys at any price... stray outside of your home zone and the phone simply doesn't work. They only exist in spotty metro areas, nowhere close to coast-to-coast availabity.
      • In my experience, Fido is quite similar. My girlfriend and I drove to Banff for a weekend away from Calgary (it's a one-hour drive for those of you not familiar with the locale) and her cell was totally useless. On the other hand, I've had no problems with my provider (Telus) and I've used it all over North America.

        I do think this Internet thing sounds like a decent idea and (unlike most readers here) I don't think the bandwidth limit is a big deal. My only question is as follows: Didn't Telus buy Fido ju

      • Fido is pretty much exactly the same. They undercut every other cell provider for their per-minute rate, but their coverage is just absolutely terrible. I can use my fido phone anywhere in Edmonton, anywhere in Calgary (the two largest cities in this province), and anywhere on the highway in-between, but if I go anywhere else the phone becomes dead weight.
        • That's because Fido is targetting their coverage exclusively at large cities that have the highest density of customers.

          Making lots of cell sites in the middle of nowhere (ie: outside calgary / edmonton, and the corridor inbetween) does provide great cell service for Alberta's wildlife, but doesn't rake-in profits for the company.

          Here's what I do:

          I use my CityFido service in Vancouver and save bigtime. $40 (early subscriber price) for unlimited local calling each month is just heaven compared to Telus a

          • Re:Visionary Company (Score:4, Interesting)

            by Feztaa ( 633745 ) on Monday March 08, 2004 @04:27AM (#8496409) Homepage
            You can switch SIM cards between providers on the same phone? Every time I talk about switching my fido SIM card into a roger's phone, they're always like "you can't do that" and whatnot.

            That's what bugs me the most about cellphones, each provider has their own network, and each phone only works on one network. I wish cellphones were more like the internet; it doesn't matter who your ISP is, they all connect to the same internet.
            • Every time I talk about switching my fido SIM card into a roger's phone, they're always like "you can't do that" and whatnot

              Actually, all the newer Rogers phones are compatible with the Fido network -- They both use the same GSM standard.

              That said, as a rule, you can't simply place a Fido SIM chip in a Rogers phone (or vice versa) as the phones are "Subsidy Locked". Place a non authorised sim in and it will ask you for an unlock code. This is done as the phone companies usually give phones out at sub
    • And just so you know, $45 CDN is $34 US/month for unlimited cellular, and there's no contract to sign. All of Fido's plans are no contract. You can even (for free) transfer your home number to your cell phone. Long distance is reasonable too -- 10 cents/minute (about 7 cents US) in North America. The only drawback is roaming. You pay through the nose once you get into analog territory.

  • Warning: Bandwidth limited... (Score:5, Informative)

    by LostCluster ( 625375 ) * on Monday March 08, 2004 @01:32AM (#8495880)
    This won't satisfy most /. readers. The CAN$40 a monthly fee only covers 20 GB down and 5 GB up. Extra GBs cost CAN$10 each.
    • Extra GBs cost CAN$10 each

      ...which in $US is more or less free. :P

      I'm willing to pay for good services that I can actually use, BTW.

      Soko
    • I'm in Australia, most Australian geeks don't even dream about download more the 3-4 gigs a month.
    • Christ, on some 56k dial-up plans Australians are charged AUD$140 (USD$100+) per GB. $10 would be fantastic!

      And that's a 20GB allowance. Dial-up plans here these days have 200MB/month (!), and ADSL plans are often the same for the cheaper (AUD$30) plans.

      If you were giving away 20GB for $30-40/month here, you'd have everyone buying into it.

    • Re:Warning: Bandwidth limited... (Score:5, Insightful)

      by jonbrewer ( 11894 ) * on Monday March 08, 2004 @03:43AM (#8496322) Homepage
      Warning: Bandwidth limited... This won't satisfy most /. readers. The CAN$40 a monthly fee only covers 20 GB down and 5 GB up. Extra GBs cost CAN$10 each.

      Idiot. Alarmist too. It's a traffic limit, not a bandwidth limit. And besides, 20GB is well beyond what 90% of users (of broadband connections) use.
      • However, increasingly, the absence of a bandwidth limit is becoming an important marketing tool on the competitive Canadian DSL market (even though Bell runs everything from behind the scenes).

        In Toronto

        Sympatico [sympatico.ca]

        Golden [golden.net]

        and

        Echo Online [www.eol.ca]

        all currently advertise no bandwidth limits on residential DSL.
        • But they used to have limits, Sympatico's limit used to be 10 GB (5 up and 5 down), a lot of other DSL providers followed suit, while many tried to compete by providing "unlimited". Sympatico (which is a subsidiary of a company that owns the biggest backbones in the country) eventually decided to drop down to "unlimited".

          But that's DSL. I'm guessing that this wireless thing is like cable - whatever you do affects other people on your shared bandwidth - I can't imagine you getting your own frequency alloc
    • Wow! 25 gigs for only $40 a month? That's a great deal! Considering that most isps [secure.shaw.ca] around here most certainly do have traffic limitations. And those of us slashdotters who work for companies that have large internet connections know full well what bandwidth is really worth. For instance on an OC3 (155Mbps) you're getting a wholesale rate of only $3 per gigabyte, plus the connection fee of $300 a month and a setup fee of around $3000 or more. Included bandwidth? None.

      So $40 per month for 25 gigs? And extra
  • how cool it would be if everyone had a Wireless Access Point on their rooftop, and formed a p2p wireless mini-internet with no bandwidth restrictions and free for all (minus the cost of the hardware).

    No restrictions in dense areas such as urban centers, since you could always route around a full AP, and free as in not having to pay some ISP by becoming you're very own.

    I currently have the only AP for at least 4-5 blocks, it would be great if I had geeky neighbors who'd like to give it a try. I'm sure this idea is as old as dirt by now, but it was the first thing I thought of when I read this.

  • "Up to" - uh oh (Score:5, Insightful)

    by Animats ( 122034 ) on Monday March 08, 2004 @01:37AM (#8495898) Homepage
    "Up to" probably means "when nobody else is using the network". How many people share spectrum with this thing? This is, really, a desktop 3G cellular modem.

    Also note that data transfer costs $10/gigabyte after the first 20GB (down) or 5GB (up) in a month.

    Personally, I think it should be considered false advertising to advertise "up to" anything. Vendors should have to provide a guaranteed minimum.

    • Comcast hasn't been that bad with their latest network upgrades. They say "Up to 3 MB/s down" but I've actually clocked some downloads from a server I control at 3.75 MB/s. 25% overdelivery, not bad.

    • Re:"Up to" - uh oh (Score:2, Interesting)

      by Anonymous Coward
      >Personally, I think it should be considered false advertising to advertise "up to" anything. Vendors should have to provide a guaranteed minimum.

      Personally, I think it's up to the consumers to decide which non-essential service is right to them based on accurate information provided. Fido isn't lying to you, this is the maximum possible speed. If it isn't enough information, and you can't manage to get more info from Fido, it's absolutely Caveat Emptor.
    • Also note that data transfer costs $10/gigabyte after the first 20GB (down) or 5GB (up) in a month.

      That's a whole lot better than kicking you off the service when you exceed some limit (as covered in previous slashdot stories). Better still if they give you a way to track your usage so far in a month (via an "odometer" on the modem or an ISP webpage).

      I still haven't gotten around to rigging up an iptables based meter for my Cox cable service (which has stated limits, but no way to monitor).

  • Wow... (Score:4, Interesting)

    by Zakabog ( 603757 ) <.john. .at. .jmaug.com.> on Monday March 08, 2004 @01:39AM (#8495919)
    I saw this -

    $20 per month for the first 6 months (regular price: $40 per month)

    and thought, damn that's really good for 2.2mbps down wireless internet, then I saw

    Monthly transfer: up to 20 GB (download) and 5 GB (upload)

    I wouldn't want any kind of internet that gives you limits. I don't know how often I'd use 20GB a month but I'm sure it's very often (lots of bittorent downloading, websites full of flash animations and streaming video, and even games.) If you play UT 2K3 for just 4 hours a day, 25 days a month (that's like coming home from school or work, and playing a few hours) that's around 2 gigs or 1/10th your total bandwidth, for something that uses hardly any bandwidth (around 5-6K/sec and remember there's also hundreds of mutators on like every server and then 10 meg maps.) And how's the upload speed? Latency? I dunno I like the idea of having a wireless ISP and it'd be really cool for a laptop, I don't think this should be uses as your main ISP alone.

    • Re:Wow... (Score:5, Insightful)

      by shepd ( 155729 ) <slashdot.org@gmail.COMMAcom minus punct> on Monday March 08, 2004 @01:46AM (#8495947) Homepage Journal
      This is standard for most ISPs. At least, unlike certain others, they are being upfront about the limits. No ISP can afford a 24x7 leech @ $40 monthly.

      Other ISPs, who either don't want to kick users, or weren't upfront about their limits will find other methods to "fix" the problem users.
      • ..huh? take a look around will you?

        around here isp's can't really advert it being unlimited if it is limited(scamming isn't good for citizens so it should be illegagl, and is). IT IS NOT STANDARD for most isp's(I know dozens of guys around here, Finland, that do 24/7 leeching on their dsl's or cable modems - with no problems at all since that's how the service was sold to them).

        the reason why they need such drastic limits on this wireless connection is probably that if they didn't the freqs they got for i
    • The only people with no limits are dialup and cellular internet providers. For example T-Mobile will sell me unlimited internet for $19.95/mo and supposedly one gets about 40kbps with decent signal. I have a motorola phone with a USB cable (actually it's my girlfriend's, mine is a crappy siemens phone that I hate hate hate) and I could use that service, but until I get the computer installed into my dash (it's not legal to have them sitting on the seat but it is legal to have them installed in the dash here

  • Sounds good to me. (Score:4, Interesting)

    by Dekar ( 754945 ) on Monday March 08, 2004 @01:40AM (#8495920)
    "To enjoy iFido wireless high-speed Internet, all you need is a standard Ethernet card and Windows 95/98/Me/NT/2000/XP or Mac/OS/Linux/UNIX."

    The above sounds good, but I'm more worried about the small prints:

    "The monthly price is for data transfer of up to 20 GB (download) and 5 GB (upload). A charge of $10 applies per additional GB per month. If you didn't opt for a 24-month Fido Agreement, you're eligible for a smaller discount and your service must remain activated for 90 consecutive days."

    20GB/5GB should be enough for anyone really using it as a 2nd connection, but considering the price (40$/month after the 6th month), most people will want to use this as their primary connection and better watch out for extra charges (although people using cable might already be used to those transfer limits).

    The whole package seems like a nice deal anyway, but I'm kind of worried about the saturation of frequencies these days...

  • why richmond i wonder? the area is built-up with an airport and many commercial buildings...but wouldn't the prime area be in vancouver or burnaby where the residential population density is higher?
    • why richmond i wonder?

      lemme see: Flat like a pancake, (also refers to your house after the first earthquake).
      Good demographics (lots of affluent chinese business imigrants)
      reasonably contained
      mostly residential, (some industrial) -> fewer businesses freaking out if/when their connection drops

      I think it's mostly being FLAT. This is a test market, so they don't want people complaining about dead spots a lot. If you get into the hilly areas of Vancouver (or, even worse, North Vancouver) you can

  • The up/down cap (Score:2, Interesting)

    by yellowcord ( 607995 )
    Lots of people are mentioning the 20/5 GB cap for this service and I was wondering if anybody has Telus DSL with their (insanely low, in my oppinion) cap of 5/1 GB cap [mytelus.com]. Do they ever come after you after that? I avoided them like the plague when I came to Alberta.
    • I routinely download Ghost images from a dedicated computer at home to wherever I am and I regularly exceed 5 GB/month.

      I am not sure if the bandwidth limits are specific to the pricing package, but I am on the 2.5 Mb/s plan. I have yet to receive any sort of bill or indication of said limits.

      Perhaps it is similar to Shaw -- they only go after those who are burden to the network. Shaw has bandwidth limits as well in their terms of service, but from what I remember they were never exactly spelled out.

  • Verizon (Score:3, Interesting)

    by RzUpAnmsCwrds ( 262647 ) on Monday March 08, 2004 @02:29AM (#8496098)
    On a side note, Verizon Wireless is rolling out CDMA2000 1X-EVDO throughout the US. Currently, Washington DC and San Diego are online. Service is $80 a month for unlimited. It runs 1-2mbps. Where there is no 1X-EVDO service, it drops back to 1X-RTT (~60kbps).

  • Fido... (Score:2, Interesting)

    by Nexzus ( 673421 )
    Also has a GPRS network [www.fido.ca] for use with a Novatel Wireless Merlin card. Not quite sure of the speed, but I'd imagine being able to access the net from anywhere would come in handy. Price for the card, and monthly package, is a little steep, though. Plus, like other posters have mentioned wifi access is pretty ubiquitous.

    OT:

    Anyone else notice the ads for the "ROKU network music player" Quite a nifty looking device, and if I were looking for a network music player, I'd look into it. But you'd have to pry my

    • Re:Fido... (Score:2, Informative)

      by Random Frequency ( 34459 )
      GPRS has a latency that's just high enough to prevent voice over IP. FIdo is no exception. This appears to be some sort of 802.11 concoction that operates on a higher frequency range much like fatport or the other wireless providers out there.

  • Out of RANGE?! (Score:4, Informative)

    by Anonymous Coward on Monday March 08, 2004 @02:37AM (#8496127)

    >> Of course, this is all torture for me since I live next-door in Vancouver, just out of reach of the network."

    Two Words...

    Names, actually...

    Yagi - Uda

    Many years ago, these two Nipponese rf engineers designed a nifty, easy to build yourself, high gain antenna, that at the frequencies you need, is quite a small package.

    You see them all over, they look like sideways, one dimensional xmas trees. They are made in many sizes, for different frequencies.

    They are however, mostly line of sight, with increasing signal attenuation (crappier signal) if the path is blocked by anything, like mountians, buildings, big trees, etc..

    Don't give up hope. Experiment a little, and see if you can't connect to their network.

    You may even be able to find a techy inside the company, who is willing to go above and beyond the call of duty, and help you out, over time, to see if you can make the connection.

    Don't give up, go for it!

    • Yagi's are not that effictive at that frequency. Dish's offer anywhere from 18-30dBi and beyond, just build it bigger...

      The problem I can see is that I bet their hardware dosn't have an antenna connector, and the antenna is built on. Then you could just put the entire unit at the focal point of the dish.

      Another problem people are going to have with this service is that its pretty much strickly line of site, so your going to have to be facing/able to see the tower to get on, even in the 2.5km radius.
    • Um, doesn't a 1D Christmas tree look just like all the other 1D shapes: a line? I would describe this [hyperlinktech.com] as more like a double-sided saw. And since Yagis are so regularly encased in a tube, I think I'd just say they look like this [wireless.bur.st].

  • This is a bit bothersome... (Score:4, Insightful)

    by AnimeFreak ( 223792 ) on Monday March 08, 2004 @02:42AM (#8496140) Homepage
    I am on Fido in Greater Vancouver -- Richmond is a part of the area, and Fido's reception is varying. I go to Richmond on a bi-weekly basis, and it gets a bit irritating that sometimes when I enter certain buildings, my reception drops considerably, sometimes to the point where it is unusable.

    Fido (Microcell) uses GSM, which most likely means that this service is GPRS-based, which works on the same waveband if I remember right. They're notorious for offering awesome packages, but pitiful reception in certain areas.

    I hope that if they're going to introduce this service that they actually improve the signal quality, because it isn't GSM that is the problem -- Rogers AT&T Wireless uses the same system, but it is the fact that there isn't enough nodes for me to connect to.

    I am a very happy Fido customer regardless, but there are times where the reception blackouts do piss me off.
    • I don't think this problem is just limited to Fido. I am on Telus, and I have the same problems in some buildings, which I think is just a function of their construction. By far the worst is my school, SFU, which is all concrete with lots of mesh metal girders (if you know it, take a look at the convo mall roof some time) that totally kill my cell reception. I'd say 99% of the time I have absolutely no cell reception. Pretty much I just have to rely on voice mail at school, and then check it out doors, then
    • Looking at the page for this product, it looks like the same form-factor as a DSL or cable modem, so I'm guessing that this is not intended as a portable Internet connection. Therefore, it doesn't really matter if it doesn't work in some buildings as long as it works in yours.

  • should be easily fixed (Score:2, Interesting)

    by rkoot ( 557181 )
    if you have a friend who is lives on the border of the richmond network area, couldn't you get him to point a wireless antenna (I believe there 15 miles and more success stories, search slashdot) to you, so you could use your friends box as a router to the richmond Fido network?
    just the thought..

    r.

  • wow, my home town got ./'ed =b

    This is cool news. I switched to Roger AT&T on my cell and i kinda regret it, with the Fido $40 / month unlimited cell plan.

    And although the promised wireless internet speed seems to be somewhat less than my current cable broadband, the portability would make many drool. If you can carry the modem around easily with your laptop that is. That is its selling point (the price isn't cheap)

  • Directional? (Score:3, Informative)

    by dj245 ( 732906 ) on Monday March 08, 2004 @05:26AM (#8496589)
    These kinds of service are not even close to being new. There is a service here locally that has wireless internet, and they have been operating for the past three years. Why is slashdot covering a press release from an ISP web page anyway? Mod me down, troll, but its been my experience that these pages/ads are 90% hype , 5% marketing, and 5% service agreement. The only thing somewhat interesting about this is that this is non-directional, and the local service in my town just rolled out non-directional modems only six months ago. On second though, not very interesting at all. Move along, nothing to see here.

  • Virginia Coverage (Score:3, Informative)

    by ThoreauHD ( 213527 ) on Monday March 08, 2004 @08:23AM (#8497233)
    If you are in the state of Virginia, USA. There is a 3 MBit wireless host called:

    http://www.r-comm.net/

    They are friendly fellas and their rates are comparable with DSL pricing. Nice if you are out in the sticks.

  • Fido's offering is MMDS (Score:2, Informative)

    by puzzled ( 12525 )

    MMDS is Multipoint Microwave Distribution System. The system uses RF spectrum between 2500 and 2700 MHz and if I recall correctly is required by the terms of the license to use only horizontal polarization.

    The radio physics behind it are exactly the same as an 802.11b network - line of site required, free space loss, etc are all very similar.

    The MAC layer is designed for access rather than wireless lan so it'll act much better than an 802.11b cell - think 802.11b with Karlnet or Alvarion Breeze Acce

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