[sweetbitter]

Maybe it is too much data for devices that have to share a channel. But lasers (think: old TV remotes using infrared) do not have to share channels with each other, and can be very high-bandwidth and more difficult to snoop on indeed. Mirrors could even be used for relaying, to save lots of compute. Like fiber cables piercing through the air itself!

[HyperSane]

You are talking nonsense.

[sweetbitter]

I was speculating that the notion of a laser-based mesh network could deserve more attention, if it is economically viable. That seems like a better choice than something like WiFi, because you do not have to share a channel with huge amounts of other devices.

[HyperSane]

https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Free-space_optical_communicati...

It is already a thing but not common due to many limitations, mainly very short useful range.

[sweetbitter]

Several kilometers of range seems tolerable with enough collaboration. I do wonder though, whether mesh networks for bidirectional (synchronous) comms are a good idea in hostile environments. It seems too easy to map out the positions of the nodes. Systems that support distrbuted, asynchronous comms and use of wireless protocols on phones seem like a good match for them though.