4 ms·

You have a generator every few hundred yards, all the way to where you need to communicate with, and you don't simply have a cable running that distance as well

You have a generator every few hundred yards, all the way to where you need to communicate with, and you don't simply have a cable running that distance as well? I'm not trying to knock them. I'm glad they're trying to solve a real problem. I'm just not convinced that it's as bright and shiny as it first appears. There's a lot of other real-world problems that are going to negate the majority of its usefulness.

marquis 15y ago
In a disaster area cellular technology is often spotty due to massive power outages and people clogging the networks. Running ethernet cable to a series of hotspots would be great also, or using RF to propagate signals, but these things take time. If USAR teams have mesh networks built right into their phones I feel this would be extremely useful, especially in push-to-talk situations, receiving emergency notifications (fire/quake/volcano alerts, USAR needs to get out ASAP), comms back to hq etc. For me, this is an exciting and important area that can save lives and property.
pasbesoin 15y ago
People have car batteries. Just make sure they have a way to hook up to them. In the "first" and "second" world, they are in their cars. In the "third" world, they are charged somewhere and transported to the home (unless they are wealthy enough to have a generator). I'm in the U.S., and with this year's crazy weather, I've observed more and more people who have "thrown their hands up" and purchased a small, gasoline powered Honda or similar generator. When the power goes out, the neighborhood starts humming with the sound of generators. (I hear it somewhat in despair; it makes me worry we are truly heading in the "everybody for themselves" direction, as opposed to actually maintaining our infrastructure. Similar to how people describe the SUV trend in terms of "a way to deal with all the potholes and the streets that don't get plowed after snowstorms, anymore".)

marquis 15y ago

In a disaster area cellular technology is often spotty due to massive power outages and people clogging the networks. Running ethernet cable to a series of hotspots would be great also, or using RF to propagate signals, but these things take time. If USAR teams have mesh networks built right into their phones I feel this would be extremely useful, especially in push-to-talk situations, receiving emergency notifications (fire/quake/volcano alerts, USAR needs to get out ASAP), comms back to hq etc. For me, this is an exciting and important area that can save lives and property.

pasbesoin 15y ago

People have car batteries. Just make sure they have a way to hook up to them. In the "first" and "second" world, they are in their cars. In the "third" world, they are charged somewhere and transported to the home (unless they are wealthy enough to have a generator). I'm in the U.S., and with this year's crazy weather, I've observed more and more people who have "thrown their hands up" and purchased a small, gasoline powered Honda or similar generator. When the power goes out, the neighborhood starts humming with the sound of generators. (I hear it somewhat in despair; it makes me worry we are truly heading in the "everybody for themselves" direction, as opposed to actually maintaining our infrastructure. Similar to how people describe the SUV trend in terms of "a way to deal with all the potholes and the streets that don't get plowed after snowstorms, anymore".)