WiFi on steroids? First "WhiteFi" prototypes hit testing stage from Ars Technica - News by nate@arstechnica.com

WiFi on steroids? First "WhiteFi" prototypes hit testing stage: "

When the Federal Communications Commission (FCC) made the momentous decision late in 2008 to allow unlicensed broadcasting devices access to 'white spaces' in the television spectrum, backers hailed the move as a major step forward for US wireless networking. 'WiFi on steroids,' was how one engineer put it during the debate.

But for white space devices to move from laboratory concept to store shelves, they would need more than steroids; they would need some sophisticated engineering. That's because the FCC imposed two critical conditions: whitespace devices must sense local transmissions from televisions and wireless microphones in order to avoid transmitting on those frequencies, and the devices must also access a geolocation database of known transmitters as a backup solution in case spectrum sensing failed.

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