Spread-spectrum RF chirps are low-bandwidth—but they go farther than you'd think. //

Sure-Fi isn't intended to replace Wi-Fi at all. When Ars spoke to Sure-Fi president Mark Hall, he clarified that the company's gear is high tech RF for industrial controls, and it's not intended for a consumer audience. It uses 900MHz spectrum RF chirp communications to establish a low-bandwidth, high-reliability connection between industrial equipment (such as HVAC systems or electronic security gates) and their controllers. //

It's very nerdy-cool to see these things communicate underground, through trees and buildings, and up to a mile away. But unless you happen to be an HVAC or security system vendor, these particular RF chirp devices probably aren't going to be of any direct use to you. The underlying, nearly unjammable long-range technology could, however, lend itself to a lot of consumer-focused applications in the future—and the tech would do it without screwing up your Wi-Fi along the way. After a few makeshift at-home tests, we certainly hope to also see this kind of tech in drone controllers, security system sensors, and similar low-bandwidth applications in the near future