this post was submitted on 03 Mar 2024
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Neither of those is the case for 2.4Ghz though.
For now, sure. But that's likely because there's not very many bands. After all, with the inclusion of six gigahertz now, there's three bands that must be supported, which is nothing like what the cellular networks have to do.
2.4 has many applications that just don’t make sense for 5 or 6. Sure, the latter can transmit at higher rates, but you don’t always care about the speed. Sometimes you’ve got the choice between blasting 2.4 through an annoying section of wall, or drilling a hole. And you don’t always have the right to drill a hole through a wall.
Consider my student dorm housing in college. The walls were literal concrete with wiring and piping running through them. 5Ghz had issues with penetration, and certain areas you just couldn’t get internet. 2.4 had similar issues sure, but to a much lesser extent. Those dorms are still in use today, and while you might be able to finagle the perfect placement for coverage, hanging the router on the back of a wooden door in the middle of the unit just isn’t a great idea, for many reasons.
Eventually, I suspect that Wi-Fi will be high enough that you will need a router in every single room, just like you need a light in every single room. I'm thinking of those Wi-Fi access points that look kind of like smoke detectors except larger and that are hung from the ceiling.
Eventually, I suspect that Wi-Fi will be high enough that you will need a router in every single room, just like you need a light in every single room. I'm thinking of those Wi-Fi access points that look kind of like smoke detectors except larger and that are hung from the ceiling.
This would be a step back from where we are now.
The concept of wireless is to remove the need to set things up over and over. No wires, to dealing with holes in walls, no need to get to the specific spot that has a plug, etc.
What you’re talking about is making every room require more cables than before, a run to every room that you might want to use internet in, possibly even two.
I’d rather run a cell tower type setup in my backyard than deal with running dozens of cables through my wall just to get wifi.