Making Installed Train Windows Permeable to Mobile-Phone Signals
upstart writes:
Making installed train windows permeable to mobile-phone signals:
Train riders expect to have a good internet connection while on board, yet the insulated window panes currently used on trains interfere with wireless signals. For now, railway companies get around this problem by equipping each railcar with a signal booster, or repeater. But repeaters are expensive boxes that consume a lot of power, are environmentally un-friendly and must be replaced every time there's a new advance in wireless technology.
[...] One-third of the power used by railcars goes to their heating and cooling systems, which means that effective insulation is essential. Around ten years ago, railway companies began adding an ultra-thin metal coating to windows that can double railcars' energy efficiency-but it also prevents wireless signals from getting through. Railway companies and mobile operators therefore decided to install repeaters in each railcar so that passengers can use their connected devices while on board.
[...] But most railcars today are not ready to be replaced yet-each one has a useful life of around 30 years. The researchers therefore came up with a portable version of their system than can be used directly on existing railcars.
[...] The nu glass system consists of a laser housed within a portable casing that operators attach to a train window. The laser can engrave a single window in around 15 minutes and an entire railcar in just a few hours.
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