4 ms·

They got it backwards. IIRC the max effective power on 2.4ghz is 200mW in the US and 100 mW in the EU. Changing the limit is a software/firmware configuration

They got it backwards. IIRC the max effective power on 2.4ghz is 200mW in the US and 100 mW in the EU. Changing the limit is a software/firmware configuration issue plus a little calibration with a signal meter so it won't have any impact on a worldwide launch date. A lot of people in the EU load US firmware to get more range, even though it's not permitted. The lower default power is actually a good thing. 100mW is fine to cover an average European house/apartment, and it helps cut down on interference and boost total available capacity in densely populated areas.

petercooper 16y ago
I thought it smelled off. Not a big surprise from The Register, I guess :-) I found the 100mW EU limit but curiously the "wifi" page on Wikipedia fails to list the US limit and I believe it claims it varies by jurisdiction.. (state?)
vetinari 16y ago
Loading US firmware has issues - you are going to lose channels 12 and 13 (I found out the hard way - I bought an Airport card for Powerbook in US and had missing channels ever since).
- notauser 16y ago
  In practice nearly all WiFi in London is on channels 1-11 because there are enough tourists who would otherwise complain. Some personal WiFi is on 13 because it buys you two-channel separation for free. (13 and 11 still conflict, but not as badly as 11/12 or 11/11.) I feel your pain though. Apple are horrific about regional settings. Mine Macbook is a US model so it's missing 12/13 and there is no region crack for the DVD drive so it's permanently stuck on region 1. Next time I'm going to buy a Thinkpad.
  - barrkel 16y ago
    Be aware that region free DVD drives don't work with Windows 7 - at least, they don't play DVD movies, but they do work with data DVDs - unless you're using VLC. Some drives have firmwares available which tell the OS that they only support a single region - the region that's on the DVD, which resets upon every disc entry. A bit of a PITA, since region locking isn't really a copy protection mechanism; DVDShrink or similar still work.
  - petercooper 16y ago
    Mine Macbook is a US model so it's missing 12/13 and there is no region crack for the DVD drive so it's permanently stuck on region 1. Can't speak for the MacBook, but all of the Macs I've owned can change region 5(?) times before being permanently locked. Just pointing it out in case you haven't even tried, though I'm assuming you've probably used up the 5 or there's some other factor.
  - ableal 16y ago
    > no region crack for the DVD drive so it's permanently stuck on region 1 Can't it be changed 5 times ? I seem to remember seeing that when I first popped a DVD into the MacBook, and was asked to set region. A DVD which, incidentally, I was going to use RipIt on (http://thelittleappfactory.com/ripit/ http://thelittleappfactory.com/ripit/ - I'm pleased with it, might work for you). Keeping up with the silly tricks to annoy honest buyers seems to require buying commercial apps. Fine, I'll just buy one less DVD to pay for the app ... (P.S. Another "smart" idea is small-kid's games that cost 10 bucks, in copy-protected-play-in-drive-CDs, to fend off those well known penniless pirates and thieves, the parents-of-small-kids. The first I bought was the last - I wanted to use the ISO in an old laptop with a bad drive ...)

petercooper 16y ago

I thought it smelled off. Not a big surprise from The Register, I guess :-) I found the 100mW EU limit but curiously the "wifi" page on Wikipedia fails to list the US limit and I believe it claims it varies by jurisdiction.. (state?)

vetinari 16y ago

Loading US firmware has issues - you are going to lose channels 12 and 13 (I found out the hard way - I bought an Airport card for Powerbook in US and had missing channels ever since).

notauser 16y ago
In practice nearly all WiFi in London is on channels 1-11 because there are enough tourists who would otherwise complain. Some personal WiFi is on 13 because it buys you two-channel separation for free. (13 and 11 still conflict, but not as badly as 11/12 or 11/11.) I feel your pain though. Apple are horrific about regional settings. Mine Macbook is a US model so it's missing 12/13 and there is no region crack for the DVD drive so it's permanently stuck on region 1. Next time I'm going to buy a Thinkpad.
- barrkel 16y ago
  Be aware that region free DVD drives don't work with Windows 7 - at least, they don't play DVD movies, but they do work with data DVDs - unless you're using VLC. Some drives have firmwares available which tell the OS that they only support a single region - the region that's on the DVD, which resets upon every disc entry. A bit of a PITA, since region locking isn't really a copy protection mechanism; DVDShrink or similar still work.
- petercooper 16y ago
  Mine Macbook is a US model so it's missing 12/13 and there is no region crack for the DVD drive so it's permanently stuck on region 1. Can't speak for the MacBook, but all of the Macs I've owned can change region 5(?) times before being permanently locked. Just pointing it out in case you haven't even tried, though I'm assuming you've probably used up the 5 or there's some other factor.
- ableal 16y ago
  > no region crack for the DVD drive so it's permanently stuck on region 1 Can't it be changed 5 times ? I seem to remember seeing that when I first popped a DVD into the MacBook, and was asked to set region. A DVD which, incidentally, I was going to use RipIt on (http://thelittleappfactory.com/ripit/ http://thelittleappfactory.com/ripit/ - I'm pleased with it, might work for you). Keeping up with the silly tricks to annoy honest buyers seems to require buying commercial apps. Fine, I'll just buy one less DVD to pay for the app ... (P.S. Another "smart" idea is small-kid's games that cost 10 bucks, in copy-protected-play-in-drive-CDs, to fend off those well known penniless pirates and thieves, the parents-of-small-kids. The first I bought was the last - I wanted to use the ISO in an old laptop with a bad drive ...)