Souped-Up Mesh Networks

A new wireless network design affords high performance at a fraction of the power, promising more powerful communications without the expensive infrastructure. Kate Green of Technology Review writes:

In an effort to make a better wireless network, the Cambridge MA-based company BBN Technologies announced last week that it has built a mesh network that uses significantly less power than traditional wireless networks, such as cellular and Wi-Fi, while achieving comparable data-transfer rates.

The technology, which is being funded by the Defense Advanced Research Projects Agency (DARPA), was developed to create ad hoc communication and surveillance networks on battlefields. But aspects of it are applicable to emergency or remote cell-phone networks, and could potentially even help to extend the battery life of consumer wireless devices, says Jason Redi, a scientist at BBN. [Source: Technology Review]

[tags]wireless network,darpa,defense advanced research projects agency,mesh network,kate green[/tags]