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'World's fastest WiFi' uses 'lasers'
We love the smell of a "world's fastest" or "world's largest" claim in the morning. This time it's a team of researchers led by Ernesto Ciaramella at the Sant'Anna School of Advanced Studies in Pisa Italy, saying they've developed the "world's fastest WiFi." Their network beams data at an amazing 1.2Tbps over a few kilometers, more than enough to share your entire Kurosawa collection faster than you can say "Yojimbo." So, performance claims are valid, but we're not sure about that "WiFi" part. Data was transmitted using Free Space Optics (FSO), blinking lasers or LEDs that act like fiber optics without the fiber. This means line-of-sight connections only, so if you get frustrated when concrete walls hamper your WiFi downloads imagine how you'd feel if a little puffy cloud killed all your torrents. So, fastest wireless? Check. Practical solution for high-speed wireless communications? Not so much.
AOptix demos laser wireless links to replace fiber HD connections
Getting HD highlights out of our favorite sports may be getting just a bit easier, now that AOptix has successfully tested a Free Space Optical (FSO) laser communications link to replace traditional fiber runs for an unspecified sports network. With demos from the GM Building in New York and over 3.2Km in San Jose, the company says it can handle up to 10 Gbps,more than enough for uncompressed 1080i or 720p transmissions. Like every other new broadcast tech, it plans for a display at NAB 2008, so just keep in mind the next time the local public access station says they can't broadcast your little snowflake's field hockey game in HD because "there are no HD feeds at the park" they're just not trying hard enough.
