Google's WiFi in Mountain View sounds ho-hum

July 14, 2006 | Matt Marshall

Google WiFi

We hesitate to criticize anything that comes for free.

But the more we here about Google’s plans for Mountain View WiFi service, which could launch within two months, the less compelling it sounds.

In the latest communication effort at a community meeting, Google says it will work outdoors, but to get coverage indoors you need buy a router to amplify the signal. And if we are outdoors using WiFi in sunny California, we’ll probably want to sit in the shade under a tree. However, Google says tree, buildings and other physical impediments could weaken the signals.

It is early days, and there are lots of people at Google working on this, so we hope they get it right eventually.

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About the Author, Matt Marshall

Matt launched VentureBeat in September of 2006, with the realization that no one else was covering the entrepreneurial and tech innovation scene with the velocity or depth that he was. Prior to founding VentureBeat, he covered venture capital for the San Jose Mercury News from 2001 to 2006. In 2002, Matt was awarded "Journalist of the Year" by the Northern California Society of Professional Journalists. Prior to working at the Merc, he was a correspondent for the Wall Street Journal in Bonn, Germany from 1995 to 1998, and a writer for the Washington Post in 1994. Matt holds a PhD in Government and an MA in German and European Studies from Georgetown University. In addition to VentureBeat, Matt is also the Executive Producer of DEMO, the leading launchpad event for emerging technologies.