Could Lowell Have Cheap WiFi?
This could bring a whole new dimension to the wifi debate in Lowell:
Intel’s researchers have come up with a way to send Wi-Fi signals up to 60 miles (100km), while maintaining a usable throughput of up to 6.5Mbits/s.
[…]
The technology is innovative on a number of levels. It works using a point-to-point design, which automatically lowers cost to a quoted region of $500-$1,000 (£250-£500) for a single connection – way below rival systems such as cable broadband or satellite.Once terminated at the remote location, the connectivity it provides could be distributed using off-the-shelf Wi-Fi hardware.
It is also low-power, using around five to six watts for a system with three radios in a link, making it possible to power it during the day from solar power or by battery during the night.
So, what say you, Bernie? 
March 21st, 2008 at 6:36 pm
Last summer, I was in Manchester outside of a UNH building and looked at a pole which indicated that the pole was a hotspot. Apparently Manchester has public WiFi around the downtown area. I was suitably impressed. I didn’t try it out as I didn’t have a computer with me but it may be an attraction to the downtown area.
Lowell is densely populated enough so that you don’t need a technology like this new stuff from Intel to provide WiFi. The WiFi would still be provided by local routers. Intel’s stuff just gets you from one point to the next.
In our Lowell apartment, I can see about 30 to 40 networks on my laptop. The number depends on the time of day as some are in businesses and get shut down at night.