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Today's Wifi vs 802.11ac Beamforming Technology

STORAGE & NETWORKING

• routers,
• wi-fi

All about beamforming, the faster Wi-Fi you didn't know you needed

Eric Geier@eric_geier

• Nov 8, 2013 3:30 AM
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Beamforming is one of those concepts that seem so simple that you wonder why no one thought of it before. Instead of broadcasting a signal to a wide area, hoping to reach your target, why not concentrate the signal and aim it directly at the target?

Sometimes the simplest concepts are the most difficult to execute, especially at retail price points. Fortunately, beamforming is finally becoming a common feature in 802.11ac Wi-Fi routers (at least at the high end). Here’s how it works.

Sometimes the simplest concepts are the most difficult to execute.

First, a bit of background: Beamforming was actually an optional feature of the older 802.11n standard, but the IEEE (the international body that establishes these standards) didn’t spell out how exactly it was to be implemented. The router you bought might have used one technique, but if the Wi-Fi adapter in your laptop used a different implementation, beamforming wouldn’t work.

Some vendors developed pre-paired 802.11n kits (with Netgear’s WNHDB3004 Wireless Home Theater Kit being one of the best examples), but these tended to be expensive, and they never had much of an impact on the market.

NETGEAR

Beamforming concentrates the signals exchanged between a Wi-Fi router and the clients it's paired with.

The IEEE didn’t make the same mistake with the 802.11ac standard that’s in today’s high-end devices. Companies building 802.11ac products don’t have to implement beamforming, but if they do, they must do so in a prescribed fashion. This ensures that every company’s products will work together. If one device (such as the router) supports beamforming, but the other (such as the Wi-Fi adapter in your router) doesn’t, they’ll still work together. They just won’t take advantage of the technology.

Beamforming can help improve wireless bandwidth utilization, and it can increase a wireless network’s range. This, in turn, can improve video streaming, voice quality, and other bandwidth- and latency-sensitive transmissions.

Beamforming is made possible by transmitters and receivers that use MIMO (multiple-input, multiple-output) technology: Data is sent and received using multiple antennas to increase throughput and range. MIMO was first introduced with the 802.11n standard, and it remains an important feature of the 802.11ac standard.

How beamforming works

Wireless routers (or access points) and wireless adapters that don’t support beamforming broadcast data pretty much equally in all directions. For a mental picture, think of a lamp without a shade as the wireless router: The bulb (transmitter) radiates light (data) in all directions.

Devices that support beamforming focus their signals toward each client, concentrating the data transmission so that more data reaches the targeted device instead of radiating out into the atmosphere. Think of putting a shade on the lamp (the wireless router) to reduce the amount of light (data) radiating in all directions. Now poke holes in the shade, so that concentrated beams of light travel to defined locations (your Wi-Fi clients) in the room.

The Linksys EA6900 is one of several 802.11ac routers on the market that support beamforming today.

If the Wi-Fi client also supports beamforming, the router and client can exchange information about their respective locations in order to determine the optimal signal path. Any device that beamforms its signals is called a beamformer, and any device that receives beamformed signals is called a beamformee.

Netgear's Beamforming+

As mentioned earlier, beamforming support is an optional element of the 802.11ac standard, and any vendor offering it must support a specific technique. But the vendor can also offer other types of beamforming in addition to that standard technique.

Netgear’s Beamforming+ is a superset of the beamforming technique defined in the 802.11ac standard, so it’s interoperable with any other 802.11ac device that also supports beamforming. But Beamforming+ does not require the client device to support beamforming, so you could see range and throughput improvements by pairing one of Netgear’s routers (specifically, Netgear’s model R6300, R6200, and R6250) with any5GHz Wi-Fi device (Netgear’s R7000 Nighthawk router also supports beamforming on its 2.4GHz network).

Netgear is not the only router manufacturer to support beamforming, of course. It’s becoming a common feature on all of the higher-end Wi-Fi routers and access points. If you’re in the market and want a router that supports beamforming, check the router’s specs on the box or at the vendor’s website. Here are three other routers you might consider: the Linksys EA6900, the D-Link DIR-868L, and the Trendnet TEW-812DRU

Making car accidents a thing of the past

New Technology Designed to Keep Drivers From Getting Into Car Accidents

Technology has been making driving much safer for decades. From seat belts to anti-lock brakes to airbags, today’s cars are safer than ever.

But one thing technology hasn’t addressed is the prevention of accidents themselves – until now. Because it appears that the technology to prevent accidents not only has been invented, but it’s become readily available as well.

Making car accidents a thing of the past

This technology uses radar, and is designed to address the leading cause of car accidents: driver inattentiveness (otherwise known as “distracted driving”). In fact, according to a study released by the National Highway Traffic Safety Administration (NHTSA) and the Virginia Tech Transportation Institute (VTTI), 80% of crashes and 65% of near-crashes involve some form of driver distraction. And the distraction typically occurred within three seconds before the vehicle crash!

The reasons for distracted driving are varied, and are universal (meaning we all fall victim to them from time to time.) These can include:

• Driving while tired
• Following too closely
• Not noticing a car in your blind spot, or perhaps even a pedestrian or bicycle
• Being distracted by children, friends, the radio, or pets
• Eating / drinking in the car
• Talking or texting while driving
• Drifting out of a lane
• Merging too quickly

We all experience some of these from time to time. And any one of them could have life-changing repercussions. Even if you survive an accident, if you injure or kill somebody else, your life will never be the same.

Radar technology addresses every one of these issues, because it warns you when you are drifting out of your lane, when you are too close to another object or car, and so on. It’s almost like a shield around your car that alerts you to anything wrong within its vicinity, and prevents most accidents by completely eliminating the dangers posed by distracted driving. You could say this new technology will “undistract” you.

Radar Safety for Everyone

This radar technology has been cropping up in high end luxury cars. But now it’s become available to everyone. A company called SafeDrive Systems has released a radar system that is easily affordable by anyone, and can make distracted driving accidents a thing of the past. They have free information available so you can see for yourself how this can help you, your children, and/or your elderly parents avoid accidents, now and forever.

Flying squid outruns Usain Bolt

08/02/13 15:52 CET

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Jamaican sprinter Usain Bolt can brag about being the fastest man alive. However, he certainly cannot be as proud knowing that a species of oceanic squid can move through the air at faster speeds than him.

The Neon Flying Squid propels itself out of the ocean by shooting off water at high pressure, then opens its fins to glide at up to 11 metres per second and manages to fly for a distance of approximately 30 metres.

Olympic Gold medallist Usain Bolt averaged just 10.31 metres a second when he won at the London Games last year.

The reason the Neon Flying Squid uses its flying advantage is to avoid predators, according to Jun Yamamoto of Hokkaido University. He and his team of researchers published their study about Neon Flying Squids in the German science magazine Marine Biology this week.

“There were witnesses who said squid were seen flying. However, no-one had clarified how they actually do it. We have proved that it is true,” Yamamoto stated.

He and his team were tracking a shoal of around 100 squids in the northwest Pacific, around 600 kilometres east of Tokyo, in July 2011.

When the researchers’ boat approached, the 20-centimetre creatures launched themselves into the air with a powerful jet of water that shot out from their stems. “The fins and the web between the arms create aerodynamic lift and keep the squid stable on its flight arc,” Yamamoto added.

The squids remain in the air for about three seconds and therefore travel for 30 metres, in what Yamamoto described as a unique defence strategy to escape being eaten.

Copyright © 2014 euronews

UFO disrupts flights at Bremen airport in Germany

07/01 16:16 CET

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Flights were disrupted when a UFO appeared on radars at a German airport, police have said.

The unidentified aircraft cancelled one flight, diverted another and caused delays at Bremen airport.

The airport said the UFO showed up on its radar several times between 16h30 and 21h30 local time.

Police, who scrambled a helicopter to investigate, admit they still don’t know what the object was.

The incident cancelled a flight from Frankfurt, while another from Munich was diverted to Hanover.

A similar incident in Saxony on Sunday turned out to be a remote-controlled model airship.

Copyright © 2014 euronews

Group unveils Satan statue design for Oklahoma

 

By SEAN MURPHY

OKLAHOMA CITY (AP) — A satanic group unveiled designs Monday for a 7-foot-tall statue of Satan it wants to put at the Oklahoma state Capitol, where a Ten Commandments monument was placed in 2012.

"The monument has been designed to reflect the views of Satanists in Oklahoma City and beyond," temple spokesman Lucien Greaves said in a statement. "The statue will also have a functional purpose as a chair where people of all ages may sit on the lap of Satan for inspiration and contemplation."The New York-based Satanic Temple formally submitted its application to a panel that oversees the Capitol grounds, including an artist's rendering that depicts Satan as Baphomet, a goat-headed figure with horns, wings and a long beard that's often used as a symbol of the occult. In the rendering, Satan is sitting in a pentagram-adorned throne with smiling children next to him.

The Satanic Temple maintains that the Oklahoma Legislature's decision to authorize a privately funded Ten Commandments monument at the Capitol opened the door for its statue. The Ten Commandments monument was placed on the north steps of the building in 2012, and the Oklahoma chapter of the American Civil Liberties Union has sued to have it removed.

Similar requests for monuments have been made by a Hindu leader in Nevada, an animal rights group and the satirical Church of the Flying Spaghetti Monster.

In response, the Oklahoma Capitol Preservation Commission recently placed a moratorium on considering any new requests.

View gallery

This artist's rendering provided by the Satanic Temple shows a proposed monument that the New Yo …

"Anybody can still make their request, but we'll hold off on considering them until the lawsuit is adjudicated," commission Chairman Trait Thompson said.

The push by the Satanic Temple has rankled elected leaders in this conservative state known as the buckle of the Bible Belt, who say such a proposal would never be approved by the commission.

"I think you've got to remember where you are. This is Oklahoma, the middle of the heartland," said Rep. Don Armes, R-Faxon. "I think we need to be tolerant of people who think different than us, but this is Oklahoma, and that's not going to fly here."

While Greaves acknowledges the Satanic Temple's effort is in part to highlight what it says is hypocrisy of state leaders in Oklahoma, he says the group is serious about having a monument placed there.

The group already has raised nearly half of the $20,000 it says it needs to build the monument.

"We plan on moving forward one way or another," Greaves said.

Another Oklahoma legislator, Rep. Earl Sears, called the group's effort "an insult to the good people of the state."

"I do not see Satanism as a religion, and they have no place at the state Capitol," said Sears, R-Bartlesville.

On its website, the Satanic Temple explains that it "seeks to separate Religion from Superstition by acknowledging religious belief as a metaphorical framework with which we construct a narrative context for our goals and works.

"Satan stands as the ultimate icon for the selfless revolt against tyranny, free & rational inquiry, and the responsible pursuit of happiness," the website says.

http://news.yahoo.com/group-unveils-satan-statue-design-oklahoma-224102124.html

Associated Press

Por SEAN MURPHY

OKLAHOMA CITY ( AP ) - Un grupo satánico diseños dio a conocer el lunes por una estatua de 7 metros de altura de Satanás que quiere poner en el Capitolio estatal de Oklahoma , donde un monumento de los Diez Mandamientos se colocó en 2012.

" El monumento ha sido diseñado para reflejar las opiniones de los satanistas en Oklahoma City y más allá", dijo el portavoz del templo Lucien chicharrones en un comunicado. " La estatua también tendrá un propósito funcional como una silla donde la gente de todas las edades pueden sentarse en el regazo de Satanás por inspiración y contemplación. " El Templo Satánico sede en Nueva York presentado formalmente su aplicación a un panel que supervisa los jardines del Capitolio , incluyendo representación de un artista que representa a Satanás como Baphomet, una figura con cabeza de cabra con cuernos , alas y una barba larga que se utiliza a menudo como un símbolo de lo oculto. En la representación , Satanás está sentado en un trono pentagrama- adornado con niños sonrientes junto a él.

El Templo Satánico sostiene que la decisión de la Legislatura de Oklahoma a autorizar a un monumento de los Diez Mandamientos de financiación privada en el Capitolio abrió la puerta a su estatua. El monumento de los Diez Mandamientos se colocó en la escalera norte del edificio en 2012, y el capítulo de Oklahoma de la Unión Americana de Libertades Civiles ha presentado una demanda para que se lo retiren .

Peticiones similares para los monumentos han sido realizadas por un líder hindú en Nevada, un grupo de derechos de los animales y de la Iglesia satírica del Monstruo de Espagueti Volador .

En respuesta , la Comisión de Preservación Capitol Oklahoma colocó recientemente una moratoria en la consideración de nuevas solicitudes .

Rendering Ver galleryThis del artista proporcionada por el satánico ...

La representación de este artista proporcionada por el Templo Satánico muestra un monumento propuesto que el New Yo ...

"Cualquiera puede todavía hacer su solicitud , pero vamos a esperar antes de considerarlos hasta tanto se decida el pleito ", dijo la comisión Presidente Rasgo Thompson.

El impulso por el Templo Satánico ha irritado a los líderes electos en este estado conservador conocido como la hebilla del cinturón de la Biblia , que dicen que tal propuesta no sería aprobada por la comisión.

"Creo que tienes que recordar dónde se encuentra. Esto es Oklahoma, el centro del corazón , " dijo el representante Don Armes , R- Faxon . "Creo que tenemos que ser tolerantes con los que piensan diferente a nosotros, pero esto es Oklahoma, y eso no va a volar aquí . "

Mientras chicharrones reconoce el esfuerzo del Templo Satánico es , en parte, para resaltar lo que dice es la hipocresía de los líderes del estado en Oklahoma , dice que el grupo es serio sobre tener un monumento colocado allí .

El grupo ya ha recaudado casi la mitad de los 20.000 dólares que dice que necesita para construir el monumento.

" Tenemos la intención de seguir adelante de una manera u otra", dijo chicharrones .

Otro legislador de Oklahoma , Rep. Earl Sears, llamó el esfuerzo del grupo " un insulto a la buena gente del estado. "

" No veo el satanismo como una religión , y no tienen ningún lugar en el Capitolio estatal ", dijo Sears, R- Bartlesville .

En su página web , el Templo Satánico explica que " pretende separar la religión de la superstición al reconocer la creencia religiosa como marco metafórico con el que se construye un contexto narrativo para nuestras metas y obras.

"Satanás se erige como el último icono de la rebelión contra la tiranía desinteresada , la investigación libre y racional, y la búsqueda responsable de la felicidad ", dice el sitio web.

4 WAYS TO DETERMINE YOUR BODY FAT PERCENTAGE

If you're in the business of trying to lose weight, the best way to monitor your progress isn't by stepping on a scale. Since a basic bathroom scale measures your entire body weight, it doesn't take into consideration how much of you is made up of fat, and how much is made of healthy stuff like bones, muscle, blood, and organs. For a more accurate picture of your body composition, it's best to measure your body fat percentage, and here are the many ways it's calculated.

• Home scales that measure body fat.They use the Bioelectrical Impedance Analysis method to measure body fat percentage. It sends a low level and harmless electrical current through your feet and uses the data to determine how much of you is fat. They are fairly accurate and easy to use, as long as you follow the directions. A scale like this will cost between $50 and $100.
• DEXA (dual energy X-ray absorptiometry) scan. This test is normally used to measure bone density to check for osteoporosis, but it can also measure fat percentage. It uses two different low-dose X-rays to figure out bone mass and soft tissue mass. Even though it's super accurate and considered the "gold standard" for measuring body fat, it's also super pricey, about $100 or more.

To see the other methods, read more.

• Skin fold calipers (pinch test). You can buy a set to do on your own, or have a professional take your measurements. It basically squeezes your skin folds and measures how thick you are. This test is low in cost but tends to be less accurate than the DEXA scan.
• Hydrostatic weighing (underwater weighing). You sit on a scale in a tank of water, blow out all your air, and then are dunked completely underwater. The more fat you have, the more you'll float. This test is very accurate, but it can be scary for some people to submerge themselves underwater. It costs around $50.

http://www.fitsugar.com/4-Ways-Determine-Your-Body-Fat-Percentage-3644258