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Ricochet Modems == Wireless LAN?

Posted by michael on from the silver-lining dept.

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?"

3 of 185 comments (clear)

  1. Re:People are already doing it! by Wog · · Score: 4, Interesting

    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. Of course, to prevent breakins, just have the recieving device set up with authentication. Just like you would running a dial-up server at home.

    I believe I also read that these modems encrypt data locally, and transmit on a given frequency for only a very short burst at a time. (This allows them to avoid hefty FCC charges!) If you've got concerns about eavesdropping, then add your own encryption before data is sent.

  2. won't work with new hardware by jchristopher · · Score: 4, Interesting
    In the recent article about Ricochet's bankruptcy, there was a comment (can't find it now, sorry) which basically stated that in the newest versions of the modems, Ricochet had done something on their end to disable peer-to-peer.

    I'm sure someone can elaborate... but I believe that it basically said it will work with the older 28.8 modems, but not the new 128 capable ones.

  3. Homebrew 6 Watt, 900 MHz wireless data amplifier by Anonymous Coward · · Score: 4, Interesting

    Here is a schematic for a 6 watt, 900 MHz bi-directional wireless data amplifier this would be perfect for old Ricochet hardware. All the parts are quite easy to find also.