Comments on: New wireless record claimed

A wireless Internet provider in Idaho claims that it has beaten a record recently set at the Defcon Wifi Shootout Contest.
Photos: A Wi-Fi challenge

[pigonthewing]

Big deal. Nonstandard equipment.

The kids that set the record at the Defcon challenge had an accomplishment. They used stock-level 802.11 networking cards, unmodified power levels, and abided by frequency standards for existing wireless networking.

"The equipment used was not based on standard 802.11 wireless technology, but instead was based on proprietary radio technology from Trango."

So these guys used their own frequencies, their own transmitters -- they didn't accomplish anything. 137.2 miles? Big deal. Have those guys ever heard of AM radio? That stuff can transmit a signal THOUSANDS of miles, completely wirelessly.

The only accomplishment of something like this is in finding a way to do it _without_ breaking the rules of the game.

This is still a great feat

OK, FCC still regulates the amount of power that can be transmitted within the 2.4 and 5.8GHz region. Therefore, even using a proprietary protocol, they can only transmit at the same power level as say the 802.11x protocol can.

Add this to the fact that they only used 2-foot dishes whereas the DefCon people used 12-foot satellite dishes... sure, the DefCon wins the coolness factor of homemade surplus parts, but the MicroServ people should be given credit where it is due.

Not WiFi equipment. Not a record

Non-standard non-WiFi equipment. Not a record.

To see the video of the real WiFi worlds record here: http://pasadena.net/shootout05/

Hello, Physics!

Power / Frequency Factors = Transmission Link Distance

Amazing!!