I guess they’ll have to cancel their building like they cancel everything else they do.
Google’s self-designed office swallows Wi-Fi “like the Bermuda Triangle”
Submitted 8 months ago by neptune@dmv.social to technology@lemmy.world
Comments
tsonfeir@lemm.ee 8 months ago
brlemworld@lemmy.world 8 months ago
They have to build it first and then use it for a few months and then demolish it
homesweethomeMrL@lemmy.world 8 months ago
First they have to kick out the people who were enjoying it
BossDj@lemm.ee 8 months ago
Didn’t forget renaming
hitmyspot@aussie.zone 8 months ago
Nah, they’ll just add a chat app. Then destroy it.
TheGiantKorean@lemmy.world 8 months ago
But unlike a lot of the other products they cancel, I’ll have actually known that this existed first.
pete_the_cat@lemmy.world 8 months ago
This is why Wi-Fi is annoying, I’ll take a wired connection over Wi-Fi any day.
brlemworld@lemmy.world 8 months ago
I’m just picturing you walking around a room on your phone with an Ethernet adapter and cable hanging out all over the place
nxdefiant@startrek.website 8 months ago
This is how phones used to work!!! The cable was all spirally and you could get really long ones!
ShepherdPie@midwest.social 8 months ago
Like we’ve gone full circle back to the corded-phone days.
drawerair@lemmy.world 8 months ago
The moral is – Wi-fi intensity should be part of modern architecture.
I’m all for 👍 architecture. Just consider Wi-fi before building it.
neptune@dmv.social 8 months ago
That was my interest in the story. Technology is so ingrained in our lives. It’s weird more furniture doesn’t have power chargers and other cords better designed into them. It’s weird our houses and electrical codes haven’t caught up.
But this is just a huge step back. Unless I’m unaware of lots of other new and old buildings with similar issues.
circuscritic@lemmy.ca 8 months ago
No, please do not start adding electrical components to furniture en mass.
If you do, I give it 1, maybe 2 generations, until furniture is subsidized by tech companies and it becomes niche to NOT have a “smart couch”.
drawerair@lemmy.world 8 months ago
In my country, from what I observed, not many study tables and work tables with power outlets. 1 may say, “Add usb-c sockets too.” But the future is hard to predict. Will there be usb-d? Will 150-watt charging be the norm? The safe thing to do is just outlets. Power bricks for phones are cheap anyway.
asbestos@lemmy.world 8 months ago
I fucking love 👍🏻 architecture
doubtingtammy@lemmy.ml 8 months ago
The two genders: engineers and architects
steventrouble@programming.dev 8 months ago
The ideal way to handle this would be to add an EM absorbing material to the ceilings. The reflections off the ceilings are causing self-interference, and because it’s curved and complex, standard noise correction doesn’t work.
Natanael@slrpnk.net 8 months ago
To support MU-MIMO / beamforming (multipath signals for multiple devices) they could also just add more flat surfaces inside the ceilings to make radio reflections/echoes less complex so that the signal processing doesn’t get overwhelmed when the source is some distance away.
Plain absorbing material removes interference but doesn’t let you use MIMO tech as effectively, because the newer higher end routers can use those reflections to boost the signal
drawerair@lemmy.world 8 months ago
I thought of interference too. If the Wi-fi was bouncing all over, there may be many areas with destructive interference – weak or no Wi-fi.
fidodo@lemmy.world 8 months ago
It’s a Google office building, they definitely considered Wi-Fi before building it but they made a mistake. Compared to that building in England that turned into a glass death ray I think this was a less obvious mistake.
drawerair@lemmy.world 8 months ago
Obviously they didn’t do a Wi-fi intensity study.
Natanael@slrpnk.net 8 months ago
I’m pretty sure the problem is the shape and reflections. This type of design creates echoes from many directions which makes it harder to pick up the signal at a distance
tal@lemmy.today 8 months ago
Googlers assigned to the building are making do with Ethernet cables,
If I’m working at a desk, then I’d definitely rather have a cable than rely on wireless.
rem26_art@fedia.io 8 months ago
lmao sounds like they just need to all stand right at the spot where the parabolas of the ceiling have a focal point.
moody@lemmings.world 8 months ago
The parabolas’ focal points are outside of the building, which incidentally is also the best place to be.
rem26_art@fedia.io 8 months ago
"Please return to the office. Or at least outside the office. We built the office inside-out accidentally"
rowinxavier@lemmy.world 8 months ago
Do you want a grilled human? Because that’s how you get grilled human.
MamboGator@lemmy.world 8 months ago
Eat the
richsoftware engineers.
rageagainstmachines@lemmy.world 8 months ago
Reminder: this is the company that holds a monopoly on the internet and dictates web standards.
Osito@lemmy.world 8 months ago
I would say aws is super important too lol
LazaroFilm@lemmy.world 8 months ago
I bet there is a strong WiFi spot a few feet above the building.
0x0@programming.dev 8 months ago
Funny how there’s a lot of wired vs wireless hate in the comments, can’t really pin down the reason. Generational?
Wired will always be more stable and faster, whereas wireless is more ubiquitous. If you work at a fixed position, prefer wired. If wired is unavailable, well, you’ll have to make do with wireless. USB-C dongles and docking stations are a thing, so the laptop doesn’t have it argument doesn’t hold.
GiantBalls@lemm.ee 7 months ago
Thank god for a lick of sense. I literally do low voltage and controls design, they both have their place. Building a cluster of cubicles for accounting? Yeah, run some Ethernet to their docks. Building a warehouse production floor? You better have enough WAPs to confuse Cardi B installed so the little manager with his iPad can edit processes on the fly.
nikscha@feddit.de 7 months ago
Wired is not always faster. I have a WiFi 6 router at home that (only) has gigabit ports, and wireless speeds are often faster than wired. WiFi 6 is quite common in consumer electronics, but 2.5gbit is not.
RememberTheApollo_@lemmy.world 7 months ago
Then that’s the fault of the device design, or using incorrect cables, and not of the communication standard. Using cheap CAT 5 cables that max out at 100Mbit instead of good quality 6a cables is going to mess up speeds too.
WiFi 6 offers ~9Gbps under ideal conditions, and that deteriorates with all the usual reasons for WiFi, and wired is 10 Gbps for whatever distance.
Rakonat@lemmy.world 7 months ago
Wireless is only faster if wired is using outdated or underdeveloped gear. If a box has faster wireless than wired connection, then it was clearly designed to cater to wireless. GbE can hit up to 100gb.
evergreen@lemmy.world 8 months ago
“Googlers assigned to the building are making do with Ethernet cables, using phones as hotspots, or working outside, where the Wi-Fi is stronger.”
How the fuck is a person that writes articles for a living not aware of the phrase “making due”? What goes through their mind when they write out “making do”? How the fuck does that make any sense to them?
Stovetop@lemmy.world 8 months ago
bruhduh@lemmy.world 8 months ago
Internet culture is strong with this one
chryan@lemmy.world 8 months ago
While writing this angry comment, did you stop to consider that maybe they did their job right and you’re wrong?
www.grammar.com/make_do_vs._make_due
Unless you’re living in the early 1900s, “make do” is correct for today’s English.
evergreen@lemmy.world 8 months ago
Yeah looks like I may be wrong about “make do” being incorrect. Didn’t know the spelling was changed in the 40s. I’ve always seen it written as “due”. Seems like an odd word to use though. Wouldn’t due make more sense? Like you’re able to meet the dues that are required?
APassenger@lemmy.world 8 months ago
Oh Geez. I didn’t know this until just now?
I learned so much by reading literature… but I guess the idioms and spellings have moved on since they were written and I need to keep up.
Frustrating, but thank you for the link.
morriscox@lemmy.world 8 months ago
Ironically, they spelled Internet as internet.
ieatpillowtags@lemm.ee 8 months ago
hate to be that guy…
Are you sure?
evergreen@lemmy.world 8 months ago
Yep, still hate it… I realized now that make make do is the accepted agreed upon spelling.
suodrazah@lemmy.world 8 months ago
Are you from the 18th century?
evergreen@lemmy.world 8 months ago
Lol yes. This modern spelling and technology is too much for me.
Imgonnatrythis@sh.itjust.works 8 months ago
I worked for a soda company once. Not going to say which one, but every Tuesday and Thursday I did have to make dew.
evergreen@lemmy.world 8 months ago
Was the dew you made of the mountainous variety? Did you have to make do with what you had in order to make due on your rental payment? Am I doing this right?
ElleChaise@kbin.social 8 months ago
You think that's bad, you should take a gander at the official news sources in Jacksonville Florida. I don't know if they're still this bad, but as I recall they have not one, but at least two big news publications, both produce articles that look like they were written by grade schoolers. Anything that wasn't copy/pasted from the AP seems to be written hastily by somebody who dropped out before understanding English. I'm sure many other cities have the same issue. The one is called news five or Jax 5 news, and the other is first coast news. They'll hire anybody to write apparently.
evergreen@lemmy.world 8 months ago
Oof. Yeah, I’d doubt they pay very much there, probably have to take what they can get. Maybe I should apply🤪
APassenger@lemmy.world 8 months ago
[deleted]evergreen@lemmy.world 8 months ago
Watermark AND convenient excuse for an actual typo… nice!
Feathercrown@lemmy.world 8 months ago
lmao
anon_8675309@lemmy.world 8 months ago
I actually rather prefer ethernet. Much more stable.
aluminium@lemmy.world 8 months ago
Why do all thing need to look like these soulless glass metal and concrete blobs. Like bruh, why not build something cool lime a Roman Temple, European Castle, Viking Longhouse, Ancient Chinese Pagoda …
Assman@sh.itjust.works 8 months ago
Epic (software company) has a really cool campus near Madison, WI where all of the buildings are different styles of architecture. One of them is a giant dairy barn.
Num10ck@lemmy.world 8 months ago
highly skilled labor shortage and time. eventually ai architects will 3D print incredible stuff that is completely unmaintainable.
stoly@lemmy.world 8 months ago
These are done by architects rather than designers. Usefulness isn’t a consideration, only form and aesthetics matter.
Soggy@lemmy.world 8 months ago
Those would be far more expensive to produce, needing specific skilled craftsmen. Not that glass production is easy, but compared to hand-carved wood and stone the labor hours alone is a staggering difference.
deus@lemmy.world 8 months ago
What if I think glass metal and concrete blobs are cool?
Blaster_M@lemmy.world 8 months ago
The solution is more Unifi hotspots
Just make every ceiling tile have one and you’ll have all the coverage you eill ever need
TheWilliamist@lemmy.world 8 months ago
I’ll take access point bombing for 1000 Alex. I see several in wall and wall-mounted varieties in the immediate future of that place… 😂
autotldr@lemmings.world [bot] 8 months ago
This is the best summary I could come up with:
Reuters reports that Google’s first self-designed office building has “been plagued for months by inoperable or, at best, spotty Wi-Fi, according to six people familiar with the matter.”
At launch, Google’s VP of Real Estate & Workplace Services, David Radcliffe, said the site “marks the first time we developed one of our own major campuses, and the process gave us the chance to rethink the very idea of an office.”
The roof is covered in solar cells and collects rainwater while also letting in natural light, and Google calls it the “Gradient Canopy.”
All those peaks and parabolic ceiling sections apparently aren’t great for Wi-Fi propagation, with the Reuters report saying that the roof “swallows broadband like the Bermuda Triangle.”
Googlers assigned to the building are making do with Ethernet cables, using phones as hotspots, or working outside, where the Wi-Fi is stronger.
A Google spokesperson told Reuters the company has already made several improvements and hopes to have a fix in the coming weeks.
The original article contains 301 words, the summary contains 165 words. Saved 45%. I’m a bot and I’m open source!
disconnectikacio@lemmy.world 8 months ago
Totally fits in the google idiotism that we got used to since few years. The enshittification started when that pichai become the CEO
loudWaterEnjoyer@lemmy.dbzer0.com 8 months ago
Its funny that one of the monuments of capitalism has bad WiFi because the roof had to be very fancy and imposing.
tyrant@lemmy.world 8 months ago
Glad to see Google is embracing evil even with it’s architecture now
Plopp@lemmy.world 8 months ago
L o l
3volver@lemmy.world 8 months ago
One anonymous employee told Reuters, “You’d think the world’s leading Internet company would have worked this out.”
You don’t think that’s exactly why they constructed that building the way they did? WiFi is much less secure than a wired connection. It makes much more sense to me that they knew it would make WiFi not work as well to get more employees to used wired connections for security reasons.
aarrjaay@feddit.uk 8 months ago
Guessing the building was designed by an artist and not an engineer.
BrianTheeBiscuiteer@lemmy.world 8 months ago
Don’t be evilDAMunzy@lemmy.dbzer0.com 7 months ago
Tell me again why are C-level and VPs paid so much? 🤣
0x0@programming.dev 8 months ago
They’re mostly soydevs, not network engineers.
GiantBalls@lemm.ee 7 months ago
Thank god for a lick of sense. I literally do low voltage and controls design, they both have their place. Building a cluster of cubicles for accounting? Yeah, run some Ethernet to their docks. Building a warehouse production floor? You better have enough WAPs to confuse Cardi B installed so the little manager with his iPad can edit processes on the fly.
homesweethomeMrL@lemmy.world 8 months ago
“Make do” with ethernet? Charlie Brown, ethernet is the superior networking interface. People “make do” with wifi.
Contend6248@feddit.de 8 months ago
I’m enjoying ethernet on my phone too
cordlesslamp@lemmy.today 8 months ago
I can tell that you’re being sarcastic. But if I’m playing ranked match on my phone, it’s always with an Ethernet dongle. Way more reliable and definitely lower latency.
homesweethomeMrL@lemmy.world 8 months ago
You don’t get cellular data? Okay, sure it’s faster for that too.
spaghettiwestern@sh.itjust.works 8 months ago
It’s absolutely making do. Having to plug an Ethernet cable in every time you take your laptop to someone else’s office, break room or conference room simply doesn’t work.
AnUnusualRelic@lemmy.world 8 months ago
That’s when you make do with WiFi.
DingoBilly@lemmy.world 8 months ago
Wireless sucks. Wired is always better.
Mr_Dr_Oink@lemmy.world 8 months ago
Conference rooms, yes. Break rokms, yes. Offices? No. Use a docking station? Are you working solely from your laptop screen or do you dock and use monitors mouse and keyboard? Generally, there’s ethernet attached, too.
boonhet@lemm.ee 8 months ago
Conference rooms should have ethernet connected to the USB-C dongle that’s attached to the TV and the Jabra or whatever alternative you use.
Wouldn’t want to take my laptop to the break room, I go there to take a break from work, not continue it in a different setting.
I’ll agree on going to someone else’s office, or using your laptop in a meeting where someone else is connected up, but that’s where Wi-Fi works as the back-up.
marcos@lemmy.world 8 months ago
Yes, but tell that again when you and 19 other people bring your laptop to a conference room and try to login on the network at the same time.
Different things have different strengths, and losing one of those things means your experience will be subpar.
AngryCommieKender@lemmy.world 8 months ago
So, I haven’t worked in IT in a couple decades, but back in the late '90s/ early '00s, all the conference tables at the companies I worked for, had Ethernet ports built into the table towards the center, and a switch mounted under the table so that everyone could just plug in. Did they stop making those tables once WiFi became ubiquitous?
postmateDumbass@lemmy.world 8 months ago
What do they think their precious wifi routers plug into?
An actual cloud?
When it rains are they terrified of losing their data?
twilightwolf90@lemmy.world 7 months ago
And a lot of people do. Cellular and satellite internet is excellent for rural and certain business use cases. I have gigabit fiber, and I’m considering one of those in case the Internet goes out if fiber is hit or if we lose utility power (I have a battery backup system).
Yes. Those folks are scared when it rains too hard. The connection does become more unstable.
I still acknowledge that your point is valid for everyone else however.