OroNet founder Scott Jennings has been testing the system for 18 months and has used the technology while on the go. To set up the wireless transmission, a signal was beamed from an omnidirectional antenna at OroNet's offices on Litton Drive. The circular signal then hit a directional antenna on a truck parked on the bridge over Highway 20 on Dorsey Drive. From there it hit another antenna on the main hall of the fairgrounds, where Oronet's booth is set up. A PC card with a built-in antenna picks up the signal, and acting as a radio router, it serves as gateway between the radio signal and the computers.
Ethernet is used to connect the computers.
The signal is transmitted at a frequency of 2.4 gigahertz, which is comparable with microwaves. The frequency is set aside by the government and is unlicensed. The system transmitting to the fair travels at 256 kilobits per second but the system is capable of traveling up to 2.15 megabits. By comparison, a T1 connection travels at 1.5 megabits. The cost of wireless service is competitive with DSL service, which is sent over copper phone lines, said OroNet business manager Kwong Chew.