Gizmodo: 2.4ghz

Are Xbox 360s Interfering with 2.4GHz?

Mark Wilson — Sun, 16 Dec 2007 13:25:03 EST

According to the IT staff at Morrisville State College, Microsoft's Xbox 360 console—without the use of a Wi-Fi adapter—seems to be interfering with 2.4GHz signals like Wi-Fi and Bluetooth on campus. Aside from loads of anecdotal evidence of computers not connecting to the school's wireless LAN network and Bluetooth headsets needing to physically touch phones to pair, they started analyzing the 2.4GHz spectrum and made an interesting finding.

When studying the signal in problem areas, they noticed a peculiar, strong signal that jumped all over the 2.4GHz band...that their diagnostic software labeled as "unknown emitter."

When they plugged in an Xbox 360 in a free area, the IT staff was able to re-create the signal. They believe that the interference is coming from Microsoft's proprietary wireless standard that they use for the 360's wireless controllers. While it's similar to Bluetooth, they designed a system that could be closed to third parties...that may now be making other third parties suffer.

Personally, while I've never had problems with my Wi-Fi, the 360 doesn't get along with my wireless surround sound headphones as the PS3. I couldn't figure out why this was happening, but chalked it up to my own network idiosyncrasies. Anyone out there have similar problems? [pcworld]

Monster iSonicast Turns Your iPod Into a Wireless Remote

Wilson Rothman — Tue, 13 Nov 2007 21:33:58 EST

Sometime late this year, Monster (yes, that Monster) will roll out the iSonicast, a two-piece system that turns your iPod into a wireless remote control that streams music to the base station, located at your stereo. It's a simple system, and at $100, a pretty low price, especially for Monster. It uses 2.4GHz RF to transmit, and though it's currently spec'd to get a range of 30 feet, Monster's Noel Lee tells us they might try to jack up the range, though the downside may be less battery life. I know what you're thinking: I've seen this before. Logitech had something like this about two years ago, using Bluetooth. Not sure what became of it, but the sound quality back then wasn't great. Here's hoping Monster can live up to its reputation and get some decent sound. [Monster]

i-rocks RF-6570 Wireless Keyboard/Mouse Has 8,388,608 Channels and Nothing On

Charlie White — Mon, 28 Aug 2006 12:23:32 EDT

There are so many cordless devices hanging around these days, they can interfere with each other, but not the i-rocks RF-6570 Wireless Keyboard and Optical Mouse Combo. That's because it's using a 2.4GHz wireless link with four automatically-selected frequencies. Using FHSS (Frequency Hopping Spread Spectrum) technology, it's actually able to detect if other devices are using a particular frequency and ID, and if so, politely stays out of the way. Besides that wireless wizardry, we're also digging the keyboard's enlarged enter key, and the way the mouse's scroll wheel glows red when batteries are low.

We've seen a few i-rocks products before, such as the back-lit X-Slim Mac keyboard, and like their clean and simple design. Plus, this RF technology has over 8,388,608 unique IDs, ensuring that it won't clash with your other gear. Might be great for controlling a home theater PC. – Charlie White

Product Page [i-rocks, via uber gizmo]