Access to the Internet is poor across the nation. There’s a Digital Divide that has socio-economic impact that echos through current and future generations. Closing the gap is worth it. We should all advocate and fund these efforts. We should reconsider the use of Wi-Fi technology to close the gap.

全国范围内互联网访问情况很差。 有一个数字鸿沟具有社会经济影响，并在今世后代产生回响。 缩小差距是值得的。 我们都应该倡导和资助这些努力。 我们应该重新考虑使用Wi-Fi技术来缩小差距。

Beware of Wi-Fi resellers that promise a solution that appears to work on paper, but fails to live up to reasonable expectations. The users of the service will find it painful to use, and the public entity stuck with a large bill and a deprecated technology once employed.

提防那些承诺会在纸上使用但无法达到合理预期的解决方案的Wi-Fi经销商。 该服务的用户会发现使用起来很痛苦，而公共实体一旦被采用，便陷入了巨额账单和过时的技术之中。

Background / Disclaimer: I’m an Electrical Engineer (M.S.), and a Sr. Software Engineer. I understand the hardware and the software of internet systems. Yet, I don’t practice within the telecommunication industries. My opinion here is subject to a more extensive research. I have taken liberties and reduced the context provided to appeal to a broader audience rather than a technical one. If you disagree with my assessment, let’s discuss over the details. If you agree and you’d like to work on this contact me. I’d love to point you to the right people that have done this for a living (I wouldn’t point you to a Wi-Fi reseller, for example).

背景/免责声明 ：我是电气工程师(MS)和高级软件工程师。 我了解互联网系统的硬件和软件。 但是，我不在电信行业内执业。 我的观点在这里需要更广泛的研究。 我采取了自由行动，并减少了为吸引更广泛的听众而不是技术上的听众而提供的背景。 如果您不同意我的评估，让我们讨论一下细节。 如果您同意并希望进行此工作，请与我联系。 我很乐意为您指出做此工作的合适人选(例如，我不会将您指向Wi-Fi经销商)。

问题 (The Problem)

I’m alarmed by the growing number of cities and school districts (ISDs), for example, that have decided to use Wi-Fi as the solution. Recent examples include:

例如，越来越多的城市和学区(ISD)决定使用Wi-Fi作为解决方案，这让我感到震惊。 最近的示例包括：

• Weslaco ISD provides drive-up Internet.

  Weslaco ISD提供加速互联网。

• Alton taps Wi-Fi 4-U local company for providing service to the city.

  奥尔顿利用Wi-Fi 4-U本地公司为该城市提供服务。

• La Joya ISD sending out buses to different parts of town to provide Wi-Fi.

  La Joya ISD向城镇的不同地方派出巴士以提供Wi-Fi。

• Mercedes ISD provides drive-up Internet.

  Mercedes ISD提供加速上网。

• McAllen and McAllen ISD partner to provide Wi-Fi in specific parts of the city.

  麦卡伦(McAllen)和麦卡伦(McAllen)ISD合作，在城市的特定地区提供Wi-Fi。

In each of the above, you’ll find families struggling with:

在以上每种情况下，您都会发现家庭在挣扎：

• Temporary relocation to get internet. Most Wi-Fi coverage is in specific areas of town which may not coincide with the family’s home location.
  临时搬迁以获得互联网。 大多数Wi-Fi覆盖范围都在城镇的特定区域，可能与家庭居住地点不一致。

• As more people and devices use the Wi-Fi towers families may find they’re unable to use the service since Wi-Fi has a limit of the number of seats per router (max. of 250 devices/users).

  随着越来越多的人和设备使用Wi-Fi塔，家庭可能会发现他们无法使用该服务，因为Wi-Fi对每个路由器的席位数量有所限制(最多250个设备/用户 )。

• For each connected device only a part of bandwidth is available. For remote learning with Zoom and other high bandwidth demand, Wi-Fi will not scale.
  对于每个连接的设备，只有一部分带宽可用。 对于具有Zoom和其他高带宽需求的远程学习，Wi-Fi将无法扩展。
• Wi-Fi signal distribution requires many antennas. The required number increases as obstructions like buildings and even foliage which cause a lossy signal. Lossy signals cause dropped packets which is painful in conference calls and online learning.
  Wi-Fi信号分配需要许多天线。 所需的数量会随着建筑物(甚至是树叶)等障碍物的出现而增加，从而导致信号丢失。 有损信号会导致丢包，这在电话会议和在线学习中很痛苦。

In fairness, an individual tower is not a typical deployment. Mesh network technologies can be used to increase the range of the Wi-Fi coverage and device limits. This approach is very expensive due to the increased number of towers and access points. This is further limited by a known bottleneck: the base station. The base station is where all the data transmitted from the Wi-Fi towers goes to and forth to connect to the Internet. These base stations have transfer limits due to private utilities contract’s. Consequently, a resident may find it’s faster to use a cell service than to use the Wi-Fi network. Example: 1,000 devices connected to a capped 100 Mbps up and down base station. That would mean that per device only has 0.1 Mbps available compared to 3 Mbps from a 3G service. A 4G LTE service would have up to 12 Mbps.

公平地说，单个塔并不是典型的部署。 网状网络技术可用于增加Wi-Fi覆盖范围和设备限制。 由于塔架和接入点的数量增加，这种方法非常昂贵。 这进一步受到已知瓶颈的限制：基站。 基站是从Wi-Fi塔传输的所有数据来回连接到Internet的地方。 这些基站受私人公用事业合同的限制。 因此，居民可能会发现使用小区服务比使用Wi-Fi网络更快。 示例：1,000个设备连接到上限为100 Mbps的上下基站。 这意味着每个设备只有0.1 Mbps的可用速度，而3G服务只有3 Mbps的可用速度。 4G LTE服务将具有最高12 Mbps。

有什么解决办法？ (What’s the solution?)

Like any engineering problem: it depends. Unlike Wi-Fi resellers, however, I’m not here to sell any snake oil that if consumed would remedy all of your problems.

像任何工程问题一样： 取决于 。 但是，与Wi-Fi经销商不同，我不是在这里出售任何蛇油，如果食用蛇油可以解决您的所有问题。

Instead, I’d like for cities and ISDs consider a long term investment. Rather than focusing on the immediate outcome: a newspaper headline that a few residents get to have Internet (whether they wanted it or not). We should discuss sound investments that will have long lasting value for businesses and residents.

相反，我想为城市和ISD考虑长期投资。 而不是着眼于眼前的结果：报纸上的标题是一些居民可以上网(无论他们是否想要)。 我们应该讨论对企业和居民具有长期价值的合理投资。

I would prioritize investments in:

我会优先投资于：

1. Fiber optics (and, if necessary, point-to-point communication).
   光纤(以及必要时点对点通信)。
2. 4G LTE or 5G technology.
   4G LTE或5G技术。
3. Wi-Fi last.
   Wi-Fi最后。

光纤/点对点通信 (Fiber Optics / Point-to-Point Comms)

The city’s development corporation should incentivize for companies to install fiber optics. It’s a win-win. The businesses will have high speed internet and the area could be used for a 4G/5G tower as a localized base station. High speed internet means co-working spaces, and high tech office spaces. Tech startup, anyone?

该市的开发公司应鼓励公司安装光纤。 这是双赢。 这些企业将拥有高速互联网，并且该地区可以用作4G / 5G塔式基站。 高速互联网意味着共同工作空间和高科技办公空间。 科技创业公司，有人吗？

As residential developers are planning new development, incentivize them to wire all the houses with fiber. At the very least at the entrance of each development. Even if the City does not have a nearby fiber junction, the city could prioritize the fiber layout to light up the fiber-ready homes. The developer or (in the long term) the City could provide the Internet access.

当住宅开发商计划进行新的开发时，请激励他们用纤维将所有房屋布线。 至少在每个开发项目的入口处。 即使该城市附近没有光纤连接点，该城市也可以优先考虑光纤布局，以点亮可使用光纤的房屋。 开发人员或(从长远来看)城市可以提供Internet访问。

Aside: Even if this is still argued in court, the City could have their public company (e.g. the Public Works in McAllen) to control of the service since they may not fall into the same problems as a City entity could. I’ll leave it to the lawyers. At least in Chattanooga, Tennessee this has been proven successful model.

撇开 ：即使法庭上仍然争论不休，纽约市也可以让其上市公司(例如麦卡伦的公共工程)来控制服务，因为它们可能不会遇到与纽约市实体相同的问题。 我将其交给律师。 至少在田纳西州查塔努加，这种模式已被证明是成功的 。

This investment has a multiplier effect:

这项投资具有乘数效应：

• Secure networks. Fiber optics is much more secure than going through public networks.

  安全网络 。 光纤比通过公共网络安全得多。

• Faster networks. There’s no more capped bandwidths from Internet Service Providers (ISPs). You are the ISP. This allows gigabit speeds up and down at a (amortized in the long-term) fraction of the cost.

  更快的网络 。 Internet服务提供商(ISP)不再限制带宽。 您是ISP。 这样就可以以成本的一部分(长期摊销)来提高和降低千兆位的速度。

• Redundant networks. Public networks run their connections through the utility poles. These poles are prone to problems (hurricanes, trees, and human error). Fiber optics should be buried.

  冗余网络 。 公共网络通过电线杆进行连接。 这些极点容易出现问题(飓风，树木和人为错误)。 光纤应被掩埋。

• Revenue source. Private and public utilities (e.g. other cities) can use your network. Please be sure to be competitive in the pricing. Don’t under sell the service you’re providing.

  收入来源 。 私人和公共事业(例如其他城市)可以使用您的网络。 请确保在价格上具有竞争力。 不要出售您所提供的服务。

I’ll mention that while Point to Point Communication is mentioned here, it’s not something I would take on. A growing tree could impact the connection. As construction boons and new buildings are erected, that too will cause painful replanning. This may be a good solution, though, if you need to move fast to provide high speed access to very remote areas. I would consider this investment a temporary/stop-gap solution while fiber is installed.

我要提到的是，虽然这里提到了点对点通信，但这不是我要做的。 一棵正在生长的树可能会影响连接。 随着建筑的繁荣和新建筑物的建立，这也将导致痛苦的重新规划。 但是，如果您需要快速移动以提供对非常偏远地区的高速访问，这可能是一个很好的解决方案。 我会在安装光纤时将这项投资视为一种临时/权宜之计。

4G LTE(即将推出5G)服务 (4G LTE (and soon 5G) Service)

This is the reasonable approach to the wireless problem. Fiber does not scale to a large number of homes and businesses, but wireless could. Similar to being an ISP with fiber, cities and ISDs should consider becoming a cell provider.

这是解决无线问题的合理方法。 光纤不能扩展到大量家庭和企业，但无线可以。 与拥有光纤的ISP相似，城市和ISD应该考虑成为小区提供商。

I’m not arguing for cities and ISDs to compete with Verizon and other telecoms, but rather use the technology to provide Internet. This would require the consumer to have a 4G LTE ready device. 4G LTE is now considered ubiquitous due to its availability in laptops, tablets, and phones. An adapter is also available that bridges from the 4G LTE signal to the device. One could pass the cost of the adapter to the consumer, but it would be reasonable to amortize the cost.

我不是在要求城市和ISD与Verizon和其他电信公司竞争，而是要使用该技术来提供Internet。 这将要求消费者拥有支持4G LTE的设备。 由于4G LTE在笔记本电脑，平板电脑和手机中的可用性，现在被认为是无处不在的。 还提供了一个适配器，可将4G LTE信号桥接到设备。 可以将适配器的成本转嫁给消费者，但是分摊成本是合理的。

Here are some of the benefits with implementing 4G LTE / 5G service:

这是实施4G LTE / 5G服务的一些好处：

• Offload costs from telecoms to in-house networks for city or ISD provided devices.
  从电信转移到城市或ISD提供的设备的内部网络的成本。
• Much more extensive range/coverage (miles) compared to Wi-Fi (300 feet).
  与Wi-Fi(300英尺)相比，覆盖范围/覆盖范围(英里)远得多。
• Much better capacity bandwidth and device allotment.
  更好的容量带宽和设备分配。
• Ubiquity in the standard which lowers costs, and enables creative cost savings for everyone. Phones, for example, can use WiFi tethering to allow nearby devices to connect to the 4G LTE signal. Thereby avoiding the number of 4G LTE adapters a home may need.
  标准中的普遍性降低了成本，并为每个人节省了创造性的成本。 例如，电话可以使用WiFi网络共享，以允许附近的设备连接到4G LTE信号。 从而避免了家庭可能需要的4G LTE适配器数量。

Worth mentioning that while other cities have considered WiMax, I wouldn’t call this a suitable option. WiMax enabled devices are few compared to the number of 4G LTE devices in the market. The ubiquity factor is too beneficial to neglect.

值得一提的是，尽管其他城市已经考虑了WiMax，但我认为这不是一个合适的选择。 与市场上的4G LTE设备相比，支持WiMax的设备很少。 普遍存在的因素太有益而不能忽视。

Wi-Fi Last (Wi-Fi Last)

While the first part of this article may have painted a bad light at Wi-Fi there’s still a place for Wi-Fi. That is at providing internet inside of buildings.

尽管本文的第一部分可能在Wi-Fi上表现不佳，但Wi-Fi仍然存在。 那就是在建筑物内部提供互联网。

An analogy for the above is that the fiber optics is the highway, the 4G LTE is the local streets, and Wi-Fi is the residential streets. Would you prefer if cities planned their development in the reverse order (residential streets first)?

上面的类比是，光纤是高速公路，4G LTE是本地街道，而Wi-Fi是住宅街道。 如果城市按照相反的顺序(首先是居民街道)规划发展，您是否愿意？

Due to the many reasons mentioned already, I’d recommend to only spend on Wi-Fi when it makes sense. Here’s a list of Dos and Don’ts for Wi-Fi investments:

由于已经提到了许多原因，我建议您仅在有意义的情况下才花钱购买Wi-Fi。 以下是Wi-Fi投资的注意事项列表：

• DO NOT blanket a large part of the city with Wi-Fi access points. Too costly and impractical.

  不要用Wi-Fi接入点覆盖城市的大部分地区。 太昂贵且不切实际。

• DO NOT use Wi-Fi for parks. This is what 4G LTE is for, and in the heat of the Rio Grande Valley computers/tablets would grind to a halt with built-in thermal limits.

  请勿在公园使用Wi-Fi。 这就是4G LTE的目的，在里约格兰德山谷的热度中，计算机/平板电脑会因内置的热量限制而停滞不前。

• DO NOT use Wi-Fi as remote access points (e.g. in vehicles) that share access point to nearby homes. Unless the vehicle is adjacent to the buildings (impractical) the range is limited. Unless the vehicle is connected via fiber, then the capacity is limited.

  请勿将Wi-Fi用作与附近房屋共享访问点的远程访问点(例如，在车辆中)。 除非车辆与建筑物相邻(不切实际)，否则范围会受到限制。 除非车辆通过光纤连接，否则容量将受到限制。

• DO NOT provide public Wi-Fi for special events. Again this is what 4G LTE should be used for. Unless you provide an exuberant number of Wi-Fi access points the number of devices will be the bottleneck. I had first hand experience at this problem inside of a museum where the number of users in one room exceeded the Wi-Fi access point’s limits.

  请勿为特殊活动提供公共Wi-Fi。 同样，这就是4G LTE应该用于的目的。 除非您提供大量的Wi-Fi接入点，否则设备数量将成为瓶颈。 我对博物馆内部的这个问题有亲身体验，该博物馆中一个房间的用户数量超过了Wi-Fi接入点的限制。

• DO provide private Wi-Fi networks for special events as wiring can be dangerous.

  做特殊事件的布线提供私人Wi-Fi网络可能是危险的。

• DO provide Wi-Fi when people visit city and school owned properties, or perhaps businesses that get community grants. Examples include: museum, libraries, and non-profits (e.g. Chamber of Commerce).

  DO提供Wi-Fi当人们访问的城市，学校拥有的物业，或者也许是得到社会资助的企业。 例如：博物馆，图书馆和非营利组织(例如，商会)。

总结 (Concluding)

My goal with this article is to clarify that Wi-Fi should not be the default answer to all of our problems. Instead, consider investments that create foundational opportunities. I hope this article reaches commissioners, mayors, city and ISD management staff for consideration.

我在本文中的目标是阐明Wi-Fi不应成为我们所有问题的默认答案。 相反，应考虑创造基础机会的投资。 我希望本文可以供专员，市长，城市和ISD管理人员参考。

Have questions? Leave a comment, or contact me.

有问题吗？ 发表评论，或与我联系 。