back to article Microsoft carves up Wi-Fi into White Spaces

Researchers from Microsoft have proposed running Wi-Fi in White Spaces, by slicing up the Wi-Fi signal into bundles small enough to fit between the broadcast TV channels. The proposal, termed Wi-Fi Narrow Channel (Wi-Fi NC), means reusing lots of Wi-Fi technology. But unlike those who want to just squeeze the existing wireless …

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  1. Mage Silver badge

    OTOH

    It would be better for TV watching if there was none of them.

    "White space" is a misnomer. These are not empty spaces between channels.

    1. C-N
      Pirate

      TV watching

      Digital television reception is terrible (in my locale) anyway, may as well use it for something.

    2. Matthew 25
      FAIL

      Agreed

      I would hate to be on the receiving end of a 'leaky' WIFI transmission while trying to watch TV.

    3. Anonymous Coward
      Anonymous Coward

      Indeed, I'm going to be a bit miffed in my fringe reception of a distant transmitter (in a distant region with other channels available) is messed up by a neighbour using this.

      It's ridiculous how much spectrum lies totally unused and yet they squeeze all the stuff billions of people use into two small bands at 2.4 and 5 gigs, and now want to mess up the telly too! I despair at the human race, I really do :(

  2. Someone Else Silver badge
    Megaphone

    We'll see how well this flies...

    ...once 70,000 folks in a (U.S.) football stadium fires this system up to twit...er...tweet..on their smart phones, and completely locks out the referee's announcements to the crowd.

  3. Timo

    I bet it is "carrier aggregation"

    The other big Wireless Broadband technologies (EVDO, LTE for sure) have the ability to do "carrier aggregation" which operates pretty much how you describe. Take data traffic, and split it up to carry across the multiple carriers operating in different frequency spots. I think on the wired side it is called "bonding" where you glue a few pipes together to make one virtually larger pipe.

  4. Mr Anonymous

    Ha

    WiFi has been able to use 5MHz chunks for years if you use the right (not expensive) equipment. Gigabit WiFi will be here before this and when has MS ever developed something that works properly?

    "MS Hyper-Shite" (tm), 'now all your servers can crash at the same time' (tm)

  5. Anonymous Coward
    Anonymous Coward

    I'll bite...

    Is layer 1/2 networking a new market MS is getting into? I didn't know they do wifi bridges & routers.

  6. T J
    FAIL

    How Quaint

    How quaint

    Look, we don't actually *care* what M$ do or think or say from now on, because they wont exist in 2 years time. Its so galling how they see themselves as some kind of Institution, rather than the fast-food outlet they equivalently are.

    1. Ken Hagan Gold badge

      Re: won't exist in 2 years time

      Given the size of the company, the only way it can disappear in 2 years flat is if someone lands a nuke on Seattle. (The law doesn't move that quickly.)

      Does T J stand for Tehran Jihad?

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