RR WiFi Was: RR dialup

[Patrick Miller]

I brought this (RR WiFi) up at Dennys a few weeks ago. The cable company is
in an ideal situation to offer WiFi. 

To me they could put WiFi on there cable modems, and allow there customers
to log in to the WiFi network anywhere in there coverage area. They are in
thousands of homes in the city--Probably at least one on every block--and
nation.

Think of it no need to get a separate provider i.e. Starbucks--although they
are nearly on every other corner :) .  Unlike DSL it won't affect upload
speeds of the customer (they can even give the household customer priority),
they can add as many channels as necessary--perhaps one of those many shop
at home channels. With digital cable services they are also carrying many
channels in a single channel (Guess 12:1), and they have over 136-158 cable
channels (more when they go over 1 Ghz in the future--
http://www.ispworld.com/iwp/ULTRAWIDEBANDWhitepaper.pdf). 1 channel can
provide about 40 Mbps (not 4Mbps--see note at end below). In those busy
neighborhoods (i.e.surfers on the plaza) they can have a fiber head-end
close and carry tons of data. In areas too far from a cable box (i.e. mill
creek park) they can add a WiFi box on there pole on the block.

How would they get wifi out there. Simple, 1st new subscribers would get the
WiFi enabled boxes, second tech savvy people will request them so they can
get around there house wirelessly, third they can offer a free month to
subscribers, fourth they can put them on the pole, and finally they can
break/turn off peoples boxes requiring them to change them out--after
calling to request the change at the customers convenance before the
required change.  

With the number of people signing up and/or requesting new boxes, and the
ability to add boxes on the pole, I doubt you will have to coerce many people.

> 
> Right now it is free if you have a RR account.  On their web site it
> comments that sometime in the future they will charge if you go over ten
> hours a month.  I've used it for over a year and their web site had the
> same comments when I started.  I've used it on my laptop and have been
> very satisfied with it.  Their website offers some more information 
> http://help.rr.com/getpage.asp?/asp/dial_access_help_topic.asp.
> 

Cable Bandwith: 
From: John McPherson <johnm at erg.sri.com> 

I tell  people that cable modems have a far greater potential for higher
bandwidth than the DSL lines.  The DSL systems I have personally touched top
out 8 Mbps downlink in ideal conditions in a lab.  Even more the
documentation which comes with the system states that the devices top out at
8 Mbps.  The documentation which comes with my Toshiba cable modem says it
tops out more around 45 Mbps, and the references to the new Motorola
Surfboard suggest it can handle 38Mbps in a 6Mhz video channel.  This
terminology suggests to me that it may be possible to use several 6Mhz
channels to carry Cable Modem service - perhaps different channels assigned
to different groups of users or different neighborhoods, leaving the
possibility of several 38Mbps sessions on a single coaxial cable.  I am sure
some of the Sunflower Datavision folks can correct me if the technical
possibility is not there.  As far as I know DSL still tops out at 8 Mbps
over the single copper pair.