Ricochet Modems == Wireless LAN?

dpease writes: "Metricom, purveyor of Ricochet wireless networking, died today. I understand that, sans infrastructure, a Ricochet wireless modem can call another Ricochet modem, and that modem-to-modem range is nearly a mile. Is the hardware this company leaves behind a viable solution for a really cool, really cheap wireless LAN?"

Comments

Re:Sadly, the answer is...

[__aaaaxm1522]

Wrong.

There is a peer to peer mode in Ricochet modems - at least (here's the catch) the older modems. Some guys on the Wearable Computing Mailing List have gotten them to work in P2P mode without any trouble.

However, Ricochet removed or somehow blocked this functionality in more recent models (those released within the past year). So the newer modems, unless you can figure out what they did and undo it, are useless in P2P mode.

As for your buddy, he must not know about the older models (I've seen them work in a demonstration here in Canada - definitely no network infrastructure).

Cheap, Long range... Here's how to do it!

[Wog]

(Keep in mind, the only ricochets I've worked with are the old 28.8's belonging to a friend. All bets are off with the new USB ones.)

From what I've read and *seen*, these work much like landline modems. They even accept AT commands! Just tell one to "dial" the serial number of another one. If it's within, say, a mile of yours, a "ring" will happen on the other end. Just establish a PPP connection (Win98's Dial-Up server and many linux solutions will work), and you've got long range (>2 miles in good conditions), albeit slow, networking.

The possible uses for this just make me tingle. Wirelessly controlled robots with webcams, anyone?

Of course, I've been looking for deals on these babies on eBay, but now that the /. crowd knows of the treasure, the prices will be driven up. Argh. Any one wanting to sell me their old 28.8 serials for $15 or so, email me at p-au-l@sim-er.net (Remove hyphens)

Re:FCC - NO Problem...

[A Commentor]

Ricochet WAS operating without any licenses... They were using the Unrestricted 2.1G Spectrum....

So you can get your modem to work, you will not have any problems with the FCC.

Re:What about FCC licensing?

[Wog]

Nope, they used some tricks to avoid the need. First of all, they put some pretty strict power constraints on these. That's why some people are able to (illegally) boost their power and transmit for many miles.

They also transmit on a given frequency for a very short time, then hop to another.

These things allow them to operate on "public" frequencies. It's a great hack, but easy to abuse. If 10 guys boost their power in a neighborhood, no one gets to use it, because of signal bleed.

Peer to Peer summary

[nmos]

There are actually 3 different ways (at least) to do peer to peer with the Metricom radios.

1. Assuming you arn't using the Ricochet network at all and just have a pair of modems and a pair of computers then you can just treat the radios like a regular modem. I've got a pair of the older units and on the back there is a number like xxxx-yyyy. Set one of your systems up to answer calls and plug that number into your dialer you're done. One minor annoyance is that the standard Windows dialer (at least some versions) likes to strip out the "-" but there are plenty of ways to work around that.

2. Star Mode. So far as I know this is only supported under Linux and it basically turns 2 or more of these units into a lan. Look for the STRIP driver in the Linux kernel and have fun.

3. If you do have access to the Ricochet network I believe you can do #1 above through the network and thus get around the distance limitations. My understanding is that this ability was eliminated/changed in later models but I only have the older units and I'm nowhere near any official Ricochet nodes anyways.

As for the range, it depends entirely between what is in between the two nodes. In my particular neighborhood 1/2 mile was about the limit for normal use however if you have a clear view of the other node then you can go much farther.

--
Ray

"Died?"

[Anonymous Coward]

I thought they were just bankrupt. Aren't they hoping on selling all their equipment, technology, and customer base to someone else?

http://www.metricom.com/auctioninfo/index.html

I think the answer is yes

[darrick]

If I remember the tech specs (I have them saved on my hard drive somewhere), they can operate in a peer-to-peer mode. The Linux kernel supports it (under Networking Devices, choose WAN devices, and use Metricom Starmode [STRIP]).

I'd love to see a Freenet spring up in Dallas using these things. Any others interested?

Re:I think the answer is yes

[Pooua]

I have a friend (who is a Ricochet customer) who wants to start a wireless access service. We both live in North Dallas. So, I've looked up a few Freenet sources, to learn a bit about what we might be getting into. I'd be interested in hearing from you. You can e-mail my AOL account if you hit it early in the day (it tends to get full in the late afternoons). Or, you can look at my Web page for an alternate e-mail address.

Shameless Karma Whoring

[Kalrand]

Here's a link to a FAQ on using your Ricochet Modem outside Metricom's Network.

http://www.enlightenment-engine.com/eeng/ricochet/ ricochet%20gs%20modem.htm

So, are the modems paperweights now, or not?

[adjuster]

Looks like there are SOME interesting uses for these old Metricom modems in Linux. STRIP looks pretty interesting. Still, I'm seeing articles like this that make me think that the newer, faster modems are going to be useless.

Anybody have any more info relating to using these new GS models in peer-to-peer? I just bought a GS model, and I'm looking to get another. I'm seeing people posting on here that the modems are trash now-- but I'm not so sure that's the case.

Yes, you can use the modems peer-to-peer.

[Brett Glass]

It just may not work (depending on the ages of the modems) in areas where the Metricom poletop transmitters are still active. (I suspect that this was done so that people would not create peer-to-peer networks that interfered with the service they were trying to sell.) On the newer units, the peer-to-peer mode seems to "shut off" if a poletop radio is "acquired."

Alex Belits, a true Metricom packet radio fan, has lots of information on this at http://phobos.illtel.denver.co.us/~abelits/metrico m/.

I have mixed feelings about the demise of Metricom, myself. Properly used, the technology could have had great benefits. However, the company was arrogant and poorly managed. At one time, K N Energy (the local gas company) announced that they were going to deploy Metricom in our town. Neither they nor Metricom had given consideration to the fact that a wireless WAN serving many community organizations and some of the schools ran on the same frequency band. (The Metricom equipment -- dozens of transmitters running at the maximum legal output -- would have blown the other users right off the air.) The existing users made a reasonable request before the City Council: If Metricom was going to monopolize a public resource -- the 900 MHz band -- they should pay at least some of the cost of moving the schools and small business users to another band. But Ralph Derrickson of Metricom (the CEO until the bankruptcy) arrogantly refused to make any such concession. Fortunately, K N Energy's management was not so coldhearted, and agreed to help the community network move to another band if Ricochet was to be deployed in our city. (The network was never deployed, however, as K N Energy dropped its Ricochet franchise shortly thereafter.) The story is at http://www.lariat.org/metricom.html.

It may have been a similar lack of consideration for others (prices too high for the market; poor customer service) that led to Metricom's recent economic problems. $80 per month for 128 Kbps or less simply wasn't competitive with DSL, and there are not enough mobile users to support such a system by themselves. $29.95 per month would be more like it.

--Brett Glass

People are already doing it!

[molo]

Its called STRIP - STarmode Radio IP, and there are Linux drivers. Check out the info at:

http://ns.uoregon.edu/~jremy/strip.html

There appears to be two modes to these modems: peer-peer or broadcast. Apparently Metricom calls their broadcast mode "starmode." These drivers allow you to basicly setup a wireless subnet. Very cool.

Can someone comment on the security of these modems? I might have to get myself a couple.

Yes, it should work with new hardware

[Adam J. Richter]

According to Alex Belitis's Metricom-on-Linux web page, there was no hardware change. It's just that the Metricom pole top units were no longer programmed to forward peer-to-peer "star mode" packets for modems registered after December 23, 2000. If you have two modems talking directly to each other rather than through a pole top unit, then there shuld be no problem.

On the other hand, six months ago I tried and failed to get my Merlin Metricom card to talk my external USB metricom modem in star mode.

The network didn't die

[Alex Belits]

The network is still running, just (some?) subscribers (at least some of them) are for some reason kicked out of the serial numbers database, so their modems are declared "unsubscribed" and are redirected to WWC (and apparently WWC only) registration service. I have called WWC, and they told me that they can ask whoever is running the network now, and they will re-subscribe my modems tomorrow morning. Whoever was on the phone happened to even know that point to point capability can be enabled or disabled when "modem" is subscribed for service -- this is a great progress compared to their usually incompetent customer/technical suupport types.

The "modems" can be used for point to point links without retransmitters, however the distances that I have observed were much less than a mile -- apparently long distances are achievable only if there is a cleat line of sight between transmitter and receiver, and in those conditions 2.4GHz wireless stuff makes at least as muhc sense, plus it's faster.

The information about ricochet modems and their use in both "normal" and point to point mode under linux is at this page that I maintain.

Re:What about FCC licensing?

[thejake316]

Actually, increasing effective radiated power may not cause "signal bleed" whatever you meant by that (spurious/harmonic rf, perhaps?) for a number of reasons. Particularly if ERP is increased by means of one or more directional antennae, or even better LOS is increased by placing transceivers at strategic positions above ground level. Some modifications are not permitted for devices intended for unlicensed operation in that band, but effective range can be increased without attracting fcc field officers.

Yes, you can use the modems peer-to-peer.

[Syonic]

It just may not work (depending on the ages of the modems) in areas where the Metricom poletop transmitters are still active. (I suspect that this was done so that people would not create peer-to-peer networks that interfered with the service they were trying to sell.) On the newer units, the peer-to-peer mode seems to "shut off" if a poletop radio is "acquired."

Alex Belits, a true Metricom packet radio fan, has lots of information on this at http://phobos.illtel.denver.co.us/~abelits/metrico m/.

I have mixed feelings about the demise of Metricom, myself. Properly used, the technology could have had great benefits. However, the company was arrogant and poorly managed. At one time, K N Energy (the local gas company) announced that they were going to deploy Metricom in our town. Neither they nor Metricom had given consideration to the fact that a wireless WAN serving many community organizations and some of the schools ran on the same frequency band. (The Metricom equipment -- dozens of transmitters running at the maximum legal output -- would have blown the other users right off the air.) The existing users made a reasonable request before the City Council: If Metricom was going to monopolize a public resource -- the 900 MHz band -- they should pay at least some of the cost of moving the schools and small business users to another band. But Ralph Derrickson of Metricom (the CEO until the bankruptcy) arrogantly refused to make any such concession. Fortunately, K N Energy's management was not so coldhearted, and agreed to help the community network move to another band if Ricochet was to be deployed in our city. (The network was never deployed, however, as K N Energy dropped its Ricochet franchise shortly thereafter.) The story is at http://www.lariat.org/metricom.html.

It may have been a similar lack of consideration for others (prices too high for the market; poor customer service) that led to Metricom's recent economic problems. $80 per month for 128 Kbps or less simply wasn't competitive with DSL, and there are not enough mobile users to support such a system by themselves. $29.95 per month would be more like it.