Quote:
Originally Posted by steambender
Each time a new frequency band is made available, and the chip companies make cheap silicon to support, people are conned into the new "better" frequencies.
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The FCC (due to limitations by a more important group – ITU – because international standards are more important than domestic ones) has provided only some narrow frequencies for general, low power, unlicensed operation. These frequencies are called ISM (if I remember correctly: Industrial, Science, & Medical). For example the 900 Mhz is something like 918 Mhz plus/minus maybe 10 Mhz. Other frequencies are 433 Mhz, 5.8Ghz, 24 Ghz, and now 60 Ghz. 60 Ghz has recently taken interest in the movie industry where range is limited (apparently) because oxygen absorbs the signal; therefore preferred for wireless operations where one does not want remote monitors recording those signals. Manufacturers are only just starting to design commercial silicon for 60 Ghz - once only the domain of the military.
Some higher frequencies are also approved for ISM use - but the hardware is not yet available. It is not new frequencies made available. Limitation is getting hardware to work at those 'state of the art' frequencies. Reason for 'hyping' these new frequencies are so many appliances already using those lower frequencies. For example, add Blue Tooth to the list of 2.4 Ghz users. No wonder the 5 Ghz portable phone is now preferred.
Many of these ISM frequencies are not standard throughout the world. Wifi 2.4 Ghz is standard on the first (so called) eleven channels. Whereas the US allows ISM for 11 channels, I believe the Japanese (overlapping) version is a wider band (14 channels). BTW its 2.45; not 2.54 Ghz. 900 Mhz is available only in limited regions such as North America and a few other nations.
How to get your enemy to waste $1million. Setup a microwave oven so that it operates with the door open. Microwave ovens output massive power as to appear to Hellfire missiles as a radar site. One only loses a microwave oven. But the enemy wastes a $1million missile trashing that oven. Welcome to the Balkans.