The inside of an anechoic chamber at the Facebook Connectivity Lab in Fremont, CA.

Facebook Connectivity Lab

For a story in the Wall Street Journal I visited the Facebook Connectivity Lab in Fremont, CA. In their echo-free chambers the company is testing antennas that are being used to create mesh networks, providing high-speed internet access in places that are hard to reach with traditional fiber.

Qi Tang, a hardware engineer at Facebook, inspects the equipment to be tested inside of an anechoic chamber at the Facebook Connectivity Lab in Fremont, CA.

 

Facebook Connectivity lab.

Results of an antenna tested at the Facebook Connectivity Lab in Fremont, CA is displayed on a computer screen.

The entrance to an anechoic chamber at the Facebook Connectivity Lab in Fremont, CA.

Portrait of Dan Rabinovitsj, vice president of Facebook Connectivity.

Portrait of Dan Rabinovitsj, vice president of Connectivity at Facebook.

 

Jonathan Weinberg of Common Networks walks on the roof of the Alameda Theatre & Cineplex, the tallest building in Alameda, CA.

Jonathan Weinberg of Common Networks climbs the roof of the Alameda Theatre. The service provider uses Facebook’s Terragraph technology to bring high-speed internet to the island at an affordable price.

Jonathan Weinberg of Common Networks inspects an antenna installed on the roof of the Alameda Theatre & Cineplex, the tallest building in Alameda, CA.

Antennas installed on the roof of the Alameda Theatre by Common Networks.