How to see your wifi networks

Published by Tony Quinlan on

One of the things I'm always on the look out for is interesting visualisation – ways of presenting information that make it more engaging, understandable and hence easier to make decisions from. This one has nothing to do with any of that, but it's lovely.
Take a tool from one discipline – in this case surveying – throw in a little technology – wifi and LEDs – and some long-exposure photographs. And here you get to see the shape and strength of the wifi networks that cocoon us.
It's taken from YOUrban.

Immaterials: Light painting WiFi from Timo on Vimeo.

This project explores the invisible terrain of WiFi networks in urban spaces by light painting signal strength in long-exposure photographs.

A four-metre long measuring rod with 80 points of light reveals cross-sections through WiFi networks using a photographic technique called light-painting.

More here:
http://www.nearfield.org/2011/02/wifi-light-painting
http://yourban.no/2011/02/22/immaterials-light-painting-wifi/

Photos:
http://www.flickr.com/photos/timo/sets/72157626020532597/

In case Vimeo has video problems, there is also a Youtube version here:
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=cxdjfOkPu-E