Wireless ideas (Score 1)

After reading many of these comments, it got me thinking about wireless technologies. It seems to me that using a Linux box with wireless transceivers indoors is fine, or maybe two neighbors setting up a little wireless network, but when it comes to large-scale outdoor deployment, it seems to me that it'd cost more to develop a Linux solution than it would a custom-tailored embedded solution. Anyway, wouldn't it be cool to be able to purchase DSL service from your local ISP, but instead of running the phone line into a house, run it to a little gizmo on top of the pole? This little gizmo would have a DSL router-wireless lan bridge inside, and would be a tiny little thing not worth stealing. If it was damaged by lightning, it would be cheap enough to replace. Possibly it could be powered off of the same telephone line it uses for the DSL...I don't know...I'm not an engineer, so I'm not sure if that's possible. Anyway, it's not to hard to find a pole with a step-down transformer on it, and I'm beting if you contacted the power company (you're going to have to deal with them anyway in order to get the gizmo on top of the pole) they'd be able to get a pole-mounted meter hooked up to the 120V powerlines...just like the meter on the side of your house. And your little gizmo would have a little transformer to step down to whatever voltage/amprage it needs. As far a power consumption charges, i've seen power meters equipt with little transmitters so that the person who checks your meter can get a reading without actually having to read it off the meter. (So these poor people won't have to climb the pole on a Minnesota Winter day with a windchill of -50F, for e.g.) Or, some might even have the little fax circuit to sends a fax to the billing office each month over the same phone line that that DSL service is provided on (my water meter has this.) Hey, even better: wouldn't it be nice if local ISPs got togeather and setup a metro-area wireless LAN. Then all you'd have to buy is the little wireless LAN PC Card for your laptop, and let the ISP deal with what goes on top the pole. Just some ideas...