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> Think about switching your router every 10 minutes. Cellular and WiFi AP roaming are solved problems. For SpaceX, this will be rather straightforward as the

> Think about switching your router every 10 minutes. Cellular and WiFi AP roaming are solved problems. For SpaceX, this will be rather straightforward as the design specifies fixed ground stations that will handle negotiating/maintaining upstream connection(s). > Or you get a rainy day and your signal clarity goes down. That's more likely to be an issue, but having multiple satellites overhead, plus the fact that the constellation will be located in LEO (thus higher signal strength due to proximity) will help mitigate signal attenuation due to clouds/precipitation.

bargl 8y ago
Bleh - the router example was bad. Sorry I didn't think that one through too much. I did an update though. You're right on the signal degradation being significantly lower. But the LEO aspect means that there might be a higher percent of total loss due to rain (and probably adjacent signal interference). Either way it's a cool problem.
kartickv 8y ago
> Cellular and WiFi AP roaming are solved problems. While you may be right regarding the context in which you said this — satellites — as a blanket statement, that's not true: my smartphone loses Internet connectivity when I leave my house, and takes a few seconds before it connects to the cellular data network. I'm surprised that phones don't establish a backup 4G connection when Wifi signal strength decreases suddenly, but before it disconnects. This has been talked about for years, but for whatever reason it hasn't been deployed or doesn't work well, at least with Android P.
- TimTheTinker 8y ago
  Sorry that wasn't clear. I meant cellular roaming between towers, and WiFi roaming between access points -- not roaming between the two technologies. It's currently possible to maintain a single connection (including IP address, open sockets, ip tables, etc.) while roaming between cell towers and WiFi APs. That's not true when switching carriers/providers/technologies, although I agree that would be a great next step for cell phones.
  - kartickv 8y ago
    Makes sense, thanks for clarifying.

bargl 8y ago

Bleh - the router example was bad. Sorry I didn't think that one through too much. I did an update though. You're right on the signal degradation being significantly lower. But the LEO aspect means that there might be a higher percent of total loss due to rain (and probably adjacent signal interference). Either way it's a cool problem.

kartickv 8y ago

> Cellular and WiFi AP roaming are solved problems. While you may be right regarding the context in which you said this — satellites — as a blanket statement, that's not true: my smartphone loses Internet connectivity when I leave my house, and takes a few seconds before it connects to the cellular data network. I'm surprised that phones don't establish a backup 4G connection when Wifi signal strength decreases suddenly, but before it disconnects. This has been talked about for years, but for whatever reason it hasn't been deployed or doesn't work well, at least with Android P.

TimTheTinker 8y ago
Sorry that wasn't clear. I meant cellular roaming between towers, and WiFi roaming between access points -- not roaming between the two technologies. It's currently possible to maintain a single connection (including IP address, open sockets, ip tables, etc.) while roaming between cell towers and WiFi APs. That's not true when switching carriers/providers/technologies, although I agree that would be a great next step for cell phones.
- kartickv 8y ago
  Makes sense, thanks for clarifying.