Call it 802.11baaa: Rural broadband experiment could use sheep as Wi-Fi hotspots<article>
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Call it 802.11baaa: A new research project may look at ways to turn sheep into wandering, wooly Wi-Fi hotspots.</p><p>
According to
Wales Online, researchers at Lancaster University have received a grant of about $260,000 to equip sheep with digital smart collars. The primary purpose is to track the herd's location and measure environmental conditions.</p><p>
However, the collars could also turn the herd into a Wi-Fi hotspot, helping bring better connectivity to rural areas. As the
Atlantic notes, a herd of sheep can form a mesh network that transmits connectivity across large distances. Similar tests in Northern Scandinavia have already looked at offering Wi-Fi to nomadic people through reindeer. (If you're worried about animal safety, the sheep should be fine if the collars don't exceed 2 percent of their body weight.)</p><p class="jumpTag"><a href="/article/2883911/call-it-80211baaa-rural-broadband-experiment-could-use-sheep-as-wi-fi-hotspots.html#jump">To read this article in full or to leave a comment, please click here[/url]</p></section></article>
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Call it 802.11baaa: Rural broadband experiment could use sheep as Wi-Fi hotspots
