Switch may send WiFi four miles
Summary
Topics
"On a clear day, with the wind at your back in an open field, the maximum allowable distance between our WiFi access point and a WiFi user is limited only by the curvature of the earth. In more practical situations, it's about two to seven kilometers."
So says Vivato chairman and CEO Ken Biba. Two kilometers? Wait a minute. I had to install an access point in my attic because I was getting barely 30 feet out of the one in my basement after its signal was struggling to pass through a few two by sixes and a hardwood floor. You can imagine where my jaw went when Biba identified two kilometers as the low end of Vivato's range.
Operating in stealth mode since November 2000, Vivato officially opened its doors for business this weekend expects to start selling its FCC-approved WiFi switches early next year.
At this point, I can only vouch for a smart-looking PowerPoint presentation. I haven't witnessed any of Vivato's gear in action. But if it really does what Biba says it does, the entire WiFi industry, and perhaps the wireless service provider industry, could be turned upside down. Also, if it works as advertised, I doubt that Vivato will last as an independent startup. All the major WiFi infrastructure providers --- Cisco, Symbol, Proxim, et al --- are looking for that secret sauce to set them apart from the rest of the pack in this already commoditized-by-802.11-standards market. Vivato's technology could be the ticket.
How does Vivato manage to achieve such distances where most others have failed? According to Biba, Vivato's WiFi switches use a radar technology called planar-phased array that can focus and elongate a typical WiFi transmission beam between an access point and a WiFi client or another access point for bridging.
The technology's implications could be far reaching. For example, if it takes only one Vivato access point to deliver a large contiguous hot spot that previously required 10, 20 or more access points, the capital investment and management savings could be dramatic. Imagine migrating your WiFi infrastructure from 802.11b to 802.11a or 802.11bg with 30 access points versus one. Vivato will support all three, but maximum distances are shortened by 30- to 40 percent when deploying WiFi's 54 mpbs flavors (a and g). Vivato has yet to disclose pricing but promises that the break-even points, when compared to a traditional access point deployment, will be compelling.
Vivato could be disruptive to the status quo in other ways. For example, imagine if a wireless service provider (WSP) deploys Vivato's technology in such a way that covers entire metropolitan areas. The phone companies, including the wireless ones, are terrified of this prospect--you may no longer need that $100/month cell phone. With such a big metropolitan hotspot in place, all you need may be a handheld PDA with WiFi access and a Voice-over-IP application that can connect with the public telephone system (courtesy of your WSP). Wouldn't a PDA that can handle phone calls and Web browsing (or other forms of data access) at the same time be nice?
If it sounds too good to be true, you're not the only skeptic. I have no idea if Vivato's switch really works. But if it does, the wireless business may never be the same.
Is this the sort of breakthrough that you were waiting for before deploying WiFi? Share your thoughts with your fellow ZDNet readers using TalkBack below, or write to david.berlind@cnet.com.
Talkback - Tell Us What You Think
The best of ZDNet, delivered
ZDNet Newsletters
Get the best of ZDNet delivered straight to your inbox
