WiFi over water gives new meaning to “surfing”

Off-line after a MobileTechRoundup podcast, James and I found out that Matt owned a boat where he lives in the Northwest U.S. Jokingly, we asked about connectivity and he said the WiFi signal is great provided the boat is parked next to his house! The next time Matt has the boat actually in water, he might still have a good wireless connection thanks to some Purdue University profs and their Broadband Antenna Tracking Solutions (BATS) project.

BATS uses a narrowly focused signal with a a software powered antenna that tracks a moving object like a car or a boat, thereby maintaining a wireless Internet connection. Preliminary testing shows signal stability up to 12 miles over water and that’s without WiMAX, although the BATS team plans to support that long-range wireless standard. There you go Matt; just make sure you stay within 12 miles of the shore on your boat and you’re all set!

(via GigaOM)

-kct

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