At 12:30 AM 11/23/2003 -0600, you wrote: >> [Ben & Steve snipped...] >There was a point in the past when I understood they >were claiming to actively steer/focus the beam, rather >than simply being a highly integrated, flexible platform. > >-- >andyw at pobox.com > >Andy Warner Voice: (612) 801-8549 Fax: (208) 575-5634 Their site still says this, but would it require moveable parts to perform the antenna steering, or can this be handled similar to the way a CRT's electron gun magnetically steers an electron beam? >From http://www.vivato.net/prod_tech_technology.html : Vivato's Wi-Fi switches deliver the power of network switching with Vivato genius radio antennas. Vivato's switches use phased-array radio antennas to create highly directed, narrow beams of Wi-Fi transmissions. The Wi-Fi beams are created on a packet-by-packet basis. Vivato calls this technology PacketSteering™. Unlike current wireless LAN broadcasting, Vivato's switched beam is focused in a controlled pattern and pointed precisely at the desired client device. These narrow beams of Wi-Fi enable simultaneous Wi-Fi transmissions to many devices in different directions, thus enabling parallel operations to many users - the essence of Wi-Fi switching. These narrow beams also reduce co-channel interference, since they are powered only when needed. Vivato's Wi-Fi switches significantly increase the range of Wi-Fi. Rather than transmit the radio energy in all directions, Vivato's PacketSteering concentrates the same amount of energy into a narrow, long beam. This beam is effectively a high-gain antenna that is formed for the duration of a packet transmission. The result is extreme range - extending the reach of Wi-Fi from tens of meters to kilometers. http://www.vivato.net/press/press02162003.html The list price for the Vivato 2.4 GHz Indoor Wi-Fi Switch is $8,995 and it will be available through Vivato Value Added Resellers in May 2003. A reseller: http://www.micro-wifi.com/vivato.html The outdoor switch is "List Price $13,995". Ouch. "If you're reading this, read it again." _______________________________________________ Twin Cities Wireless Users Group Mailing List - Minneapolis/St. Paul, Minnesota http://www.tcwug.org tcwug-list at tcwug.org https://mailman.real-time.com/mailman/listinfo/tcwug-list