Nation's First "Super Wi-Fi" Hotspot

Posted by: Mike Pallante on July 11, 2011 at 3:27PM
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When US television made the switch to digital broadcast, there was a lot of griping. The voucher system for digital converter boxes was flawed and some people missed out. Not to mention that the service was less bang for your buck, since digital broadcast has a weaker range than traditional. But after some heavy lobbying by Google and a National Science Foundation (NSF) grant, Rice University has turned the transition into a major "win" for many rural communities.

Google Does Wi-Fi Users a Solid

Until the FCC changed the rules in 2010, all wi-fi activity was limited to the 2.4Ghz or 5Ghz. The problem with these high frequencies is that they have a limited range. You don't need to understand bandwidth - just think of it as if all broadcasting came from only two TV antennas. If you live near the antenna you're fine but if you live on the edge of town you'll have trouble getting a good picture. The same is true for wi-fi. Those in rural areas get spotty signals. But there was nothing to be done about it as the FCC controls what can be done on our airwaves.

So after we switched from traditional broadcast to digital television nationwide, technology giant Google stepped up and lobbied the FCC to allow wi-fi usage in the frequencies between channels. And in 2010 the FCC did just that, opening up frequencies between 50Mhz and 700Mhz. Lower frequencies have a longer range and provide signals as viable as traditional cable modems.

The Nation's First Super Wi-Fi Hot Spot: TEXAS

Armed with a grant from the National Science Foundation, researchers at Rice University partnered up with the Houston nonprofit Technology for All to create the first Super Wi-Fi hotspot in the nation. The network, TFA-Wireless, currently serves over 3,000 residents in east Houston.

Rice University engineer Edward Knightly commented, "We have federal support from the National Science Foundation to develop this technology in an open-source way. Ultimately, we want to develop this technology in such a way that it benefits the most people by accessing the right spectrum for the right users."

"A Quantum Leap Forward"

Will Reed, President of TFA added, "This Super Wi-Fi technology is a quantum leap in terms of the end-user experience that it will allow us to provide to users on our network.”

"The fact that this is happening in a community-broadband setting is significant as well, because this technology has a real potential to break down barriers and bring broadband to underserved urban and rural communities.”