Plus why you may want to skip Nest Wifi, and our latest explorations of long range wireless protocols.

Links:

• Decoding LoRa: Realizing a Modern LPWAN with SDR — LoRa is an emerging Low Power Wide Area Network (LPWAN), a type of wireless communication technology suitable for connecting low power embedded devices over long ranges. This paper details the modulation and encoding elements that comprise the LoRa PHY, the structure of which is the result of the author’s recent blind analysis of the protocol. It also introduces grlora, an open source software defined implementation of the PHY that will empower wireless developers and security researchers to investigate this nascent protocol.
• Nest Wifi announced at Made by Google 2019 | Ars Technica — Google says that a two-piece Nest Wifi kit—one Nest Router and one Nest Point—should cover up to 3,800 square feet and 85% of homes. This claim, like most arbitrary claims of Wi-Fi coverage with no real detail, should be taken with several grains of salt.
• TP-LINK EAP series Business Wi-Fi Solution — The EAP Series Business Wi-Fi Solution incorporates EAP Series hardware, which provides a smooth, reliable wireless internet experience, and a powerful centralized management platform.
• Bloody Stupid Johnson | Discworld Wiki — Although evidently able in certain fields, Johnson is notorious for his complete inability to produce anything according to specification or common sense, or (sometimes) even the laws of physics.
• A Quick Look At EXT4 vs. ZFS Performance On Ubuntu 19.10 With An NVMe SSD — For those thinking of playing with Ubuntu 19.10's new experimental ZFS desktop install option in opting for using ZFS On Linux in place of EXT4 as the root file-system, here are some quick benchmarks looking at the out-of-the-box performance of ZFS/ZoL vs. EXT4 on Ubuntu 19.10 using a common NVMe solid-state drive.
• ubuntu/zsys: zsys daemon and client for zfs systems — It allows running multiple ZFS systems in parallel on the same machine, get automated snapshots, managing complex zfs dataset layouts separating user data from system and persistent data, and more.
• Ubuntu ZFS support in 19.10: ZFS on root · ~DidRocks — We are shipping ZFS On Linux version 0.8.1, with features like native encryption, trimming support, checkpoints, raw encrypted zfs transmissions, project accounting and quota and a lot of performance enhancements.
• Ubuntu ZFS support in 19.10: introduction · ~DidRocks — We want to support ZFS on root as an experimental installer option, initially for desktop, but keeping the layout extensible for server later on.
• A detailed look at Ubuntu’s new experimental ZFS installer | Ars Technica — If you're new to the ZFS hype train, you might wonder why a new filesystem option in an OS installer is a big deal. So here's a quick explanation: ZFS is a copy-on-write filesystem, which can take atomic snapshots of entire filesystems.

Plus an update on Wifi 6, an enlightening Chromebook bug, and some not-quite-quantum key distribution.

Links:

• RF Chirp tech: Long distance, incredible penetration, low bandwidth | Ars Technica — Recently, I took the company's technology for a spin with a pair of hand-held demo communicators about the size of a kid's walkie-talkie. They don't do much—just light up with a signal strength reading on both devices, whenever a transmit button on either is pressed—but that's enough to get a good indication of whether the tech will work to solve a given problem.
• Wi-Fi 6 Is Officially Here: Certification Program Begins — Finally, along with the launch of the certification program itself, the Wi-Fi Alliance has already certified its first dozen devices.
• Say hello to 802.11ax: Wi-Fi 6 device certification begins today | Ars Technica — Today, the Wi-Fi Alliance launched its Wi-Fi Certified 6 program, which means that the standard has been completely finalized, and device manufacturers and OEMs can begin the process of having the organization certify their products to carry the Wi-Fi 6 branding.
• Someone sent us 21 more pictures of the leaked Pixel 4 XL - The Verge
• iPhone 11, iPhone 11 Pro, and iPhone 11 Pro Max: Hands-on with Apple’s new phones | Ars Technica
• Some Chromebooks mistakenly declared themselves end-of-life last week | Ars Technica — A lot of Chromebook and Chromebox users don't realize this, but all ChromeOS devices have an expiration date. Google's original policy was for devices to be supported for five years, but the company has recently extended that time to 6.5 years.
• LINUX Unplugged 318: Manjaro Levels Up
• Fear the Man in the Middle? This company wants to sell quantum key distribution | Ars Technica
• Gentle intro to Quantum Key Distribution (QKD) – Lahiru Madushanka
• The Super-Secure Quantum Cable Hiding in the Holland Tunnel - Bloomberg — Banks and governments are testing quantum key distribution technology to guard their closest secrets.
• Quantum Key Distribution - QKD — This paper provides an overview of quantum key distribution targeted towards the computer science community. A brief description of the relevant principles from quantum mechanics is provided before surveying the most prominent quantum key distribution protocols present in the literature.
• TechSNAP 403: Keeping Systems Simple
• Linux Headlines — Linux and open source headlines every weekday, in under 3 minutes.