[Combined-broadband] WiValley Background Info

[Robbie Leppzer]

Hi Everyone:

          In preparation for our meeting next Wednesday 7pm in  
Shutesbury with a representative of WiValley, I’ve copied below some  
key text from their website which describes their limitations on using  
wireless in a hilly terrain with lots of foliage.

          I also spoke with Wally Bowen from the Mountain Area  
Information Network in Asheville, NC, the largest non-profit ISP in  
the country, who also uses 900 Mhz wireless technology.  He told me  
the home antenna must be line-of-site to a tower for it to work and  
that 6 out 10 people can’t get it because of the terrain.

          It seems like the WiValley is using similar technology.  It  
will be interesting to press them on it’s real-world applications.

          There is an upcoming wireless technology that is much more  
promising for use in rural areas like ours: the white space  
frequencies of the soon to be defunct analog TV signals.  For more  
information on this, visit:

http://main.nc.us/whitespaces/

http://www.freepress.net (type in search box at bottom  of page:  
“white spaces” for comprehensive listing of articles)

Robbie

--------------

WiValley Website Info

Coverage

Our equipment requires Line-Of-Sight visibility from the customer side  
to the Access Point. The technology will penetrate through a limited  
barrier of bio-mass, however if there are hills, dense trees or  
buildings between the customer location and the Access Point, there is  
a chance that the connection will not work.

How does the system work?

The Subscriber Module (SM) is the subscriber termination unit (like a  
cable or DSL modem). It consists of a single Subscriber Module  
transceiver that operates with an antenna selected for your site. SM  
synchronization and control is accomplished via the received Access  
Point (AP) signal transmitted from the tower site. SM's are genearlly  
located on the roof where they can see the tower site. The Subscriber  
Module is connected to your computer or router via a single Cat 5 (or  
Ethernet) cable and powered via an AC power adaptor.

 From the tower sites (or base station), the basic subscriber module  
has a range of 3-7 miles.  We use custom antennas and dishes to  
increase the range to around 15 miles.  This allows us to provide  
service to pockets of customers that are underserved by DSL, (provided  
trees or buildings aren't in the way).

What will interfere with the signal?

Anything in the path between you and the tower site can block the  
signal, especially trees and buildings.  If you have a clear, visual,  
line of sight it will almost certainly work.

What is the difference between this and 802.11 technology?

802.11 technology vastly under uses the available bandwidth and has  
trouble coping under load - the more subscribers it has, the slower  
the system becomes. The WiValley system gives you the same consistent,  
burstable bandwidth.   802.11 based systems have decidedly poorer  
performance as the distance between the access point and the  
subscriber module grows - the further you live away from the tower  
site, the slower your access will be. WiValley delivers the same full  
bandwidth over our entire service area.