WIFI SHOOTOUT

3rd Annual Defcon Wifi Shootout Contest New world record for unamplified wireless networking!! 125 miles! Team iFiber Redwire and their awesome rig at base camp. "Loaded for bear." That quaint phrase means that you have the biggest, baddest gun, loaded with the biggest, baddest bullet, because you may have to shoot a big, bad bear. It indicates that you have gone all out in an effort to be prepared for any situation. "Loaded for bear" describes perfectly a team of determined young college students calling themselves "iFiber Redwire," who, with parents, family and friends in tow, traveled from Cincinnati, Ohio to a rugged desert area near Las Vegas, Nevada to compete in the 3rd Annual Defcon Wifi Shootout Contest. The contest challenges teams to wirelessly connect two computers at extreme distances using the radio technology known as "WiFi," and, on July 30, 2005, the efforts of iFiber Redwire paid off in an impressive way. After part of the team drove a trailer loaded with equipment to Utah Hill, near Beaver Dam in the state of Utah, iFiber Redwire used a fascinating collection of homemade antennas, surplus 12 foot satellite dishes, home-welded support structures, scaffolds, ropes and computers to wirelessly connect to their comrades who were located southwest of Las Vegas at the top of Mount Potosi. The final result was a full 11 Mbps data transfer rate over a distance of 125 miles, a new world record for an unamplified wireless networking connection. In spite of equipment malfunctions, Team 4DI achieved a respectable 10-mile connection, winning the Commercial category. NEW!! Now see the long-distance shot for yourself via Google Earth! The base was located at 35° 53'35N, 115° 29'43W The remote site was located at 37° 06'04N, 113° 49'28W These can also be found by simply using this file: 125mi_shot.kmz. Here's some great media coverage about the 2005 contest. Click the above "Media" link for more! Wired News Frank Keeney's Contest Video