Internet at Competitions

[techhelpbb]

Originally Posted by yash101

Yeah. That's totally true. However, I still have doubts on how much research was done to change the frequencies into less-used ones! Other than that, they seem quite stable!

I can see others are offended by this and I can see why (at one time or another I was involved in the fundamental engineering to get here as well).
However, in fairness, he's a kid - he wants to understand - and he just doesn't know.
So instead of being annoyed I am going a different direction:

You have the luxury of seeing today the exact use of the technology and the ramifications of - and I will say this clearly - the misuse of this technology.

Do not say - well why didn't the designers design it better for this fringe case - because frankly this fringe case is just not that special.

TCP/IP is a general purpose protocol and in the past I've written *huge* posts on this forum about it's weakness in an application such as the way FIRST uses it.

WiFi was not designed with the intent to have so many people so close together using the spectrum. It's a fringe case. It's also the reason more spectrum will eventually be required and really FIRST is a trivial to that end result.

The fact that FIRST uses it - as I've written before in this topic - was probably at the time it started less of an issue because there was less opportunity for this sort of issue. Unfortunately this usage comes with a ticking timer. Eventually it *will* be impossible for FIRST to get adequate bandwidth with their current field.

FIRST can pass all the rules they like. Make all the demands they like. The fact that spectrum competition exists means that FIRST will eventually be overwhelmed and eventually this will become such an issue that even the FCC will have to work out alternatives for WiFi. However the FCC is designed to move slowly and FIRST is not big enough to push this issue.

All that said: FIRST has an investment in this technology. In 2015 they've made alterations. They can get better control over the details (like discovery of 2.4GHz networks when they use 5GHz by controlling the lower level software of the devices and being highly selective of the hardware). In the end there will come a time where FIRST will find itself in the void between the overuse of this technology and the slow methodical movement of the FCC.

In the meanwhile FIRST has setup a situation that will consume time and energy that in my opinion would just as easily be entirely avoidable if they put the critical field communications on licensed spectrum. If that field safety system is so very critical then it is worth the investment. For the rest, like sending video to the driver's station, use WiFi but make it an option. A vast number of teams have played happily every year without sending video and therefore by removing the field from the competition for spectrum. The spectrum the teams need for their video which they will now have less issue to get.

It makes far more sense for FIRST to get licensed operators to use spectrum than for that same request to be made of random people who are not qualified to be licensed. The system exists as it does to create this division. FIRST expects us as teams to comply with their rules why should FIRST buck a system designed by an authority impacting them?

Originally Posted by DELurker

Here's a thought which skirts the ragged edge of one of the rules. Since FIRST Championships is a huge event with 55,000 attendees (or so, right?), could someone get Sprint to become a sponsor? I know from personal experience that they have mobile cellular towers that they deploy at NASCAR events, partly as a sponsor, partly to handle the increase in local cellular traffic. Could they deploy some of their NASCAR towers around the Championship venue as their sponsorship? This would improve the reliability of communications within the dome while giving 3G/4G capability.

That solves one problem but I can see a counter point to it.

Is FIRST really better off with people distracted by phones on the field?

I need my phone for critical communications only and really I don't even have a Facebook page. I am only on Twitter recently because I dealt with a person that gave me a good reason. How much will I Twitter in the future is likely almost zero.

I have no use for 'social media' as typically referenced because I prefer to ration my time to things of more immediate social impact - like FIRST. My posts are usually technical, hopefully help people and are more vital than talking about the latest 'hottie'.

That said each to their own. Unless that own distracts from the field and the movement of people in the area of that field. My suggestion earlier about providing wired Internet in the pits was loaded with the idea that it would be less inviting to be distracted by social media unrelated to anything really urgent if it was less convenient.

Other than for emergencies or in the exception it's vital to actual business what good reason should people in proximity to that field be distracted?

Course the counter point is that the loud music often is a distraction as well as it is designed to be.

If MAR or someone asked I bet we could get wired Internet in the pits for a relatively low cost. Whether or not a wireless (WiMAX, 3G/4G) back haul is really needed would be subject to experience with all the relevant venue and something that could be worked out. I suspect once it becomes obvious this can be done it will be that much easier to spread it around.