5 ms·

Yes. They're called mesh networks, and I think you've just described why they will never take off. http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Mesh_networking http://en.wikip

Yes. They're called mesh networks, and I think you've just described why they will never take off. http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Mesh_networking http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Mesh_networking

seancron 16y ago
Interesting. Are there any pieces of software that can transform ordinary laptops/phones into mesh networks? A quick search shows B.A.T.M.A.N. (http://www.open-mesh.org/ http://www.open-mesh.org/), but it looks a little tricky to setup. Are there any simple ways for non-technical users to run a mesh network node? A "click to install and run" solution would be ideal, but I'd be interested in hearing about other people's experiences with mesh networks.
- jacquesm 16y ago
  Open wrt support mesh networking iirc. There is also this: http://www.wing-project.org/ http://www.wing-project.org/ And a bunch of others.
  - nantes 16y ago
    IIRC, OpenMesh actually sits on top of OpenWRT.
- nantes 16y ago
  BATMAN, OSLR, and Open-Mesh are pretty slick. But, and a big but, we struggled running a network of ~500 of them in one medium-size Midwest city. It's not targeted at laptops, but at embedded boards somewhat like you would find in a commodity Linksys home router. The best help they can get is, IMO, coders and new hardware to develop for/test on.
- Jach 16y ago
  I think this is linked from the wiki article, but it's a good read for various general info: http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/File:Building_a_Rural_Wireless_Mesh_Network_-_A_DIY_Guide_v0.8.pdf http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/File:Building_a_Rural_Wireless_... I haven't set one up myself but if the government did kill the internet I'd take it as a good time to start creating a city-by-city mesh, hopefully hooking up with other people with the same idea. If the government leaves the regular lines off for too long, it may actually end up being a good thing. I don't think the kill-switch strategy would work so well in the US, so long as it's not short-term, but it's possible the people who want the ability of a kill-switch haven't thought it through.
- nitrogen 16y ago
  The OLPC XO laptop has built-in mesh networking and is ruggedized, so it would be a great asset to have after a disaster of some kind. Maybe keep one stored in a Faraday cage to try to protect it against EMP ;).
sliverstorm 16y ago
I've always been under the impression the reason mesh networks haven't taken off is because of the cost & speed benefits of centralized colocation data centers and trans-continental backbones, but maybe I'm just not paranoid enough.
- nitrogen 16y ago
  The paranoid conspiracy theorist in me also suspects that this is why the FCC fought against UWB approval. http://stevencrowley.com/2010/09/02/ultra-wideband-how-regulatory-and-standardization-delays-slowed-its-progress/ http://stevencrowley.com/2010/09/02/ultra-wideband-how-regul... There are many devices using UWB, but as far as I know, none of them allow long-range communication: http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Wireless_USB http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Wireless_USB http://www.gefen.com/kvm/product.jsp?prod_id=4318 http://www.gefen.com/kvm/product.jsp?prod_id=4318
  - sliverstorm 16y ago
    Reading that article carefully, I think what happened is this: - UWB failed because it was out-competed - it was out-competed because it was using a new spectrum, while the competition was using the already existing 2.4GHz channel, so it had to deal with the FCC when the competition simply didn't. i.e. it sounds like they just had an extra hurdle to jump (and a bureaucratic one at that) that made it hard to win, rather than the FCC actively attempting to prevent it's use.

Yes. They're called mesh networks, and I think you've just described why they will never take off. http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Mesh_networking http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Mesh_networking

seancron 16y ago

Interesting. Are there any pieces of software that can transform ordinary laptops/phones into mesh networks? A quick search shows B.A.T.M.A.N. (http://www.open-mesh.org/ http://www.open-mesh.org/), but it looks a little tricky to setup. Are there any simple ways for non-technical users to run a mesh network node? A "click to install and run" solution would be ideal, but I'd be interested in hearing about other people's experiences with mesh networks.

jacquesm 16y ago
Open wrt support mesh networking iirc. There is also this: http://www.wing-project.org/ http://www.wing-project.org/ And a bunch of others.
- nantes 16y ago
  IIRC, OpenMesh actually sits on top of OpenWRT.
nantes 16y ago
BATMAN, OSLR, and Open-Mesh are pretty slick. But, and a big but, we struggled running a network of ~500 of them in one medium-size Midwest city. It's not targeted at laptops, but at embedded boards somewhat like you would find in a commodity Linksys home router. The best help they can get is, IMO, coders and new hardware to develop for/test on.
Jach 16y ago
I think this is linked from the wiki article, but it's a good read for various general info: http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/File:Building_a_Rural_Wireless_Mesh_Network_-_A_DIY_Guide_v0.8.pdf http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/File:Building_a_Rural_Wireless_... I haven't set one up myself but if the government did kill the internet I'd take it as a good time to start creating a city-by-city mesh, hopefully hooking up with other people with the same idea. If the government leaves the regular lines off for too long, it may actually end up being a good thing. I don't think the kill-switch strategy would work so well in the US, so long as it's not short-term, but it's possible the people who want the ability of a kill-switch haven't thought it through.
nitrogen 16y ago
The OLPC XO laptop has built-in mesh networking and is ruggedized, so it would be a great asset to have after a disaster of some kind. Maybe keep one stored in a Faraday cage to try to protect it against EMP ;).

sliverstorm 16y ago

I've always been under the impression the reason mesh networks haven't taken off is because of the cost & speed benefits of centralized colocation data centers and trans-continental backbones, but maybe I'm just not paranoid enough.

nitrogen 16y ago
The paranoid conspiracy theorist in me also suspects that this is why the FCC fought against UWB approval. http://stevencrowley.com/2010/09/02/ultra-wideband-how-regulatory-and-standardization-delays-slowed-its-progress/ http://stevencrowley.com/2010/09/02/ultra-wideband-how-regul... There are many devices using UWB, but as far as I know, none of them allow long-range communication: http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Wireless_USB http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Wireless_USB http://www.gefen.com/kvm/product.jsp?prod_id=4318 http://www.gefen.com/kvm/product.jsp?prod_id=4318
- sliverstorm 16y ago
  Reading that article carefully, I think what happened is this: - UWB failed because it was out-competed - it was out-competed because it was using a new spectrum, while the competition was using the already existing 2.4GHz channel, so it had to deal with the FCC when the competition simply didn't. i.e. it sounds like they just had an extra hurdle to jump (and a bureaucratic one at that) that made it hard to win, rather than the FCC actively attempting to prevent it's use.