Rent your roof for better wireless reception

From...

by Rawn Shah

(IDG) -- Most people prefer to see their rooftop as rarely as possible. Sometimes it's unavoidable, though. For example, in the weeks before the summer months in Tucson, Ariz., you can witness an annual ritual: people climbing onto their roofs to clean out their evaporative coolers. Sure, they'd rather not walk on the hot roof tiles and white plastic-coated tops, but that's living in the desert for you.

Pretty soon, you might be able to find a new reason to look at your rooftop, and even beam with pride at it -- not because of how good it looks, but because of how much money it makes.

Instead of collecting pigeon droppings and leaves, your roof could generate some extra cash and even become a considerable revenue source. You do have to sacrifice a little something, though.

A new company called RoofRentals.com has come up with a solution to the growing problems of a crowded wireless spectrum and too many users in the vicinity of a cell. Simply said, the company wants to rent your roof and stick another antenna on it.

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It sounds like a crazy scheme that has a snowball's chance in midsummer Tucson, but it can work. And you could even make enough money to pay your rent or mortgage -- at least in Tucson and other smaller cities.

Paul William Lust and Eric Israel founded RoofRentals.com a few years ago in New York. They now offer this unusual service nationwide and have developed partnerships with a number of communications companies. Lust thinks wireless local loop connections will be even more popular in the future, and his company's work may make it easier to provide such services.

Wireless everywhere

The recent wireless explosion in the US is just the tip of the iceberg. While some wireless cell-phone sales may be slowing down, the use of wireless communications in other technologies is picking up dramatically. In addition to the long-available radio, TV, and wireless phone systems, we now have high-speed Internet, wireless LANs, and even personal area networks.

Not all of those things impact your roof, of course. But neighborhoods are becoming more active in using wireless services, from satellite TV to Internet access. While it may not concern you that information is flying over your head at all times, you might be interested in benefiting from it.

Companies like Qwest and Sprint are considering wireless broadband deployment in cities. That would provide high-speed Internet access to homes at substantially lower prices than wired broadband services like DSL and cable modems. In some locations, wireless can also produce multimegabit speeds at a price comparable to that of analog modem services.

Other companies, such as Metricom, are buying locations atop traffic signals, streetlights, and buildings to provide WAN Internet access for roaming mobile devices. Metricom's next-generation Ricochet wireless service, for example, operates in some major cities at 128 Kbps while in motion. As Metricom's service becomes more popular, it will need more locations for antennas.

Why should users prefer Metricom's WAN service to cheaper and more widespread cellular telephone data services? Most cell phones with modem capability can only handle rates up to 9.6 Kbps. Even ones that can perform cellular digital packet data (CDPD) rates can only reach 19.2 Kbps. While 128 Kbps isn't as fast as fixed wireless or wireline services, it's the best we've got, and for business users who need fast data access on the go, the small premium in cost is nothing compared to the savings in time and work.

Another interesting development is that in a few years, some countries may start testing road information services that use wireless communication between the car and the road to coordinate traffic, exchange road and weather conditions, and even help cars optimize their fuel consumption. While you shouldn't expect this amazing new development to involve your rooftop in any way, the departments of transportation may have to take into account the condition of the electromagnetic spectrum around the roadsides. For now, though, this is still a thing of the future.

No wireless parking

Roof-based antennas are mostly unregulated, although some commercial buildings, particularly tall ones, must consider some local regulatory issues. It's in the interest of consumer-targeting wireless vendors to make antennas as light, compact, and unobtrusive as possible. However, when it comes to commercial wireless equipment, vendors are more concerned with function than form. So if you're already counting on putting an antenna on your roof, you should first know the limitations.

Restrictions for this kind of technology depend on the city and neighborhood regulations. For example, you can't just put a cellular tower anywhere. RoofRentals.com takes care of the local governmental requirements, but you should still be aware of your local setting. Local neighborhood associations may also place restrictions on antenna height or style so as to preserve the neighborhood's atmosphere. While not all such associations mind your having a satellite dish, they may look down on a large rooftop antenna.

Another restriction may be something you can't avoid, such as buildings, trees, or land formations between the wireless service and the antenna.

Unlike power lines, which carry high-voltage, high-current electrical signals along their wires, most wireless services carry fairly low power. The pigeon factor is an amusing note: With older microwave dishes creating point-to-point network links, a bird could fly right in front of them, become disoriented, and drop straight to the ground.

You probably would not wake up one day and find a pile of dead pigeons in your yard near your antenna or dish. It's more likely that a pigeon would fly into your house, pick up your remote control, and change the channels of your TV.

Wireless win-win

This could be the next kind of service provider to become prevalent. Building area networks are gaining popularity, but for the most part, they involve wiring the inside of the building with a T1 or fixed wireless connection for the outgoing traffic. A rooftop service provider could do well by buying roof access in a residential or commercial neighborhood and selling it wholesale to a larger Internet or communications service provider.

Unlike the cost of running an ISP, with all the modems, servers, and communications links in datacenters, selling a rooftop is an abstract concept. You'd need building contractors, teams to help install the communications equipment, liability insurance, and permits from local neighborhood associations or the city. There probably wouldn't be many capital expenditures; that would be the responsibility of the communications service provider. Nor would staffing be a major problem; the plan doesn't require an experienced IT systems administrator or specialist programmer. It would primarily be a sales job. What better way to run a business?

According to Lust, this is "a win-win situation for everybody." The communications company gets better distribution, the rental company gets a rental fee, and the land owners get a recurring revenue stream from something they already had. So, look forward and sell your roof today. Check with your significant other first, though.

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RoofRentals.com
Metricom's high-speed Ricochet network
Sprint Broadband Direct

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