The main goal of the RF Explorer project is to offer an instrument everyone can afford. Almost every week we get some report from users over the world with exciting news on how RF Explorer helped on a RF problem diagnosis, a RF design fine-tuning or by avoiding a RF interference RC plane crash by inspecting the spectrum.
We are really happy and motivated by learning that professors Ermanno Pietrosemoli and Marco Zennaro, among others at Trieste, Italy, are readily using RF Explorer as part of their initiative to teach and help deployment of Wireless Network Infrastructure in the developing areas over the world, including Asia, Africa and Latin America.
You can see RF Explorer in action in this short news in the APC site (http://www.apc.org/en/faq/citizens-guide-airwaves):
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Participants from Albania, Nepal, Malawi and Italy testing an antenna with the RF Explorer Spectrum Analyzer in Trieste, February 2012 |
If you are not familiar with the work APC, Wireless@ICTP and EsLaRed are doing to help on bringing Wireless connectivity in areas with poor or no coverage, check out their sites below. There is a lot of interesting information, including the world record for a direct WiFi link by reusing refactored dish sat antennas:
- APC - Association for Progressive Communication: http://gb1.apc.org/en/spectrum/about
- ICTP - Wireless Dept at International Centre for Theoretical Physics: http://wireless.ictp.it
- WNDW - Wireless Network for Developing World: http://www.wndw.net
- EsLaRed - Fundación Escuela Latinoamericana de Redes: http://www.eslared.net/english
Interesting reading material:
- Wireless Networking in the Developing world: A nice free PDF book with a comprehensive report, available in different languages, of the WNDW vision. It includes extensive documentation on how to deploy wireless networks efficiently by reusing readily available materials, as well as radio physics, antennas and electronics intro material. A must read!
- Radio Laboratory Handbook: A great, outstanding reference guide for all RF related materials. Free PDF downloadable, maintained by ICTP.