Businesses are starting to rely on radio signals to transmit information
between their office computers. Instead of using physical cables to connect
their computer networks, IT departments are beginning to set up radio
links to bridge the gaps. These Radio Local Area Networks, or R-LANs conveniently
cut down on the number of cables in the office, but can cause their own
problems. R-LAN services are completely unregulated and businesses can
choose what frequency they use, and how powerful to make their signals.
However, not all these unregulated signals remain neatly contained within
the building they are intended for. Signals can often leak out of buildings,
causing serious inteference problems to other systems that rely on radio
signals to operate.
One service in particular that could be badly affected by interference
from R-LANs is the Mobile Satellite Service. This service uses frequencies
in the same range as the office systems, and so could be particularly
sensitive to unwanted leaked signals. Systems planners urgently need more
information about how microwave signals propagate from the inside to the
outside of buildings.
RCRU aims to provide this information by measuring the strength of signals
that leak through different parts of office buildings, such as walls,
doors and windows. The project team will use these measurements to build
up computer-based models to try and predict how bad the effect of R-LANs
is likely to be.
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