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there are many use cases that don’t require you to be connected 24/7. You could while driving under a street light download a movie in seconds. Then go on your

by 14 5y ago

there are many use cases that don’t require you to be connected 24/7. You could while driving under a street light download a movie in seconds. Then go on your way loading your cars infotainment with maps and several movies for your kids in the back or whatever. I haven’t looked into the tech in years but the promised of faster downloads and a city wide array of street lights made it seem like the future.

zbrozek 5y ago
Aperture fouling (dirt / grime) seems like it would make such a service flaky. Aside from needlessly low data caps, the cell network is pretty great for road trip connectivity. High bandwidth intermittent connectivity would be nice for self-driving car sensor log offload. Inside my home it would be cool to have 10 gbps to my laptop, but I don't have a real use case where that's meaningfully better than the 500-800 mbps that I already get with WiFi.
- bogwog 5y ago
  > pretty great for road trip connectivity Until people start getting seizures while driving from all the flashing lights
  - 14 5y ago
    The flashing happens so fast it is invisible to human eye. LED lights already do with with pulse width modulation to make them as efficient as they are and it is not an issue.
    - zbrozek 5y ago
      Correct, though I was actually referring to the existing cell network as great for road trips.
    - dekhn 5y ago
      I can see LEDs flashing out of the corner of my eye when it's moving quickly, it's really obnoxious.
- 14 5y ago
  The sensor could be mounted behind your windshield which we already have windshield wash built into every car and be cleaned effortlessly. I don’t see that being an issue.
  - zbrozek 5y ago
    Maybe, but the other side also needs to be cleaned. And the car side TX won't be anywhere near as bright as a street lamp (and probably IR) and will be more vulnerable. As you point out, all of this is likely surmountable, but... why bother if the status quo is serving the use case?

by 14 5y ago

zbrozek 5y ago

Aperture fouling (dirt / grime) seems like it would make such a service flaky. Aside from needlessly low data caps, the cell network is pretty great for road trip connectivity. High bandwidth intermittent connectivity would be nice for self-driving car sensor log offload. Inside my home it would be cool to have 10 gbps to my laptop, but I don't have a real use case where that's meaningfully better than the 500-800 mbps that I already get with WiFi.

bogwog 5y ago
> pretty great for road trip connectivity Until people start getting seizures while driving from all the flashing lights
- 14 5y ago
  The flashing happens so fast it is invisible to human eye. LED lights already do with with pulse width modulation to make them as efficient as they are and it is not an issue.
  - zbrozek 5y ago
    Correct, though I was actually referring to the existing cell network as great for road trips.
  - dekhn 5y ago
    I can see LEDs flashing out of the corner of my eye when it's moving quickly, it's really obnoxious.
14 5y ago
The sensor could be mounted behind your windshield which we already have windshield wash built into every car and be cleaned effortlessly. I don’t see that being an issue.
- zbrozek 5y ago
  Maybe, but the other side also needs to be cleaned. And the car side TX won't be anywhere near as bright as a street lamp (and probably IR) and will be more vulnerable. As you point out, all of this is likely surmountable, but... why bother if the status quo is serving the use case?