THE FUTURE AS SEEN THROUGH TECHNOLOGY

Wi-Fi hot spots are by no means the technological equivalent of a cop — i.e., there usually is one around when you need one. Of course, there are still areas of the world so remote and far-flung that there's no need for Wi-Fi in the first place. At least not most of the time, that is. When those circumstances change, that's where wireless ISP WanderPort's WanderPod — a totally self-contained Wi-Fi hot spot on wheels — comes in.

“We bounced the idea back and forth about creating a remote-type unit we could bring to one-off locations where they might need connectivity,” said Inder Arya, WanderPort chief operating officer. “For example, we're based in Montreal, and there's a lot of film locations here — people are shooting movies, and they'll be there for a week or two, and it's really expensive to bring in a broadband hook-up through wireline for such a short period of time. The idea is bringing wireless connectivity to these kinds of locations.”

Comprised of a small trailer fitted with a diesel generator, an antenna, access point equipment and a satellite dish that acts as a broadband data link, the WanderPod was created in late 2004 by WanderPort in collaboration with vendor Wisp Gear. In addition to sites like film shoots, Arya suggests the WanderPod would prove useful in areas decimated by natural disasters.

“It could also serve one-off sporting events or a blogging unit at the Oscars — anything from the most dramatic situation affecting people to something relatively innocuous,” Arya said. In either case, he said the WanderPort represents a short-term solution to connectivity issues, not a long-term answer. “I wouldn't suggest it be used longer-term — it's an expensive piece of hardware. The pod is self-cooled and self-powered, so in more fixed locations, you don't need all the extras we built into it. You can set up something a little more permanent that's less costly.”

The WanderPod made its public debut last October when it provided connectivity for competitors, spectators and media in attendance at the Ansari X Prize contest in Mojave, Calif. When the annual event, created to spur innovation in civilian space flight, suffered problems with its planned wireless network, the WanderPod — originally intended to serve solely as a back-up system — ended up providing access for everyone onsite, including a documentary crew filming the competition.

“It was an open network, so anyone in the radius of the transmission could use it,” Arya said. (That radius extends about 2000 feet and can support up to 200 users.)

At a price tag of about $50,000, there is currently only one WanderPod in existence, although interest has proved so significant that WanderPort is considering spinning off a stand-alone business to manufacture and market the product.

“We're working on configuring it for specific cases,” Arya said. “Right now we're working on a box, one with a big hook on the top that can hook on the bottom of a helicopter. It can be tailored to any use you might need it for.”