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Community Wireless Networks in the UK
Some random reader points us to this story about community wireless networking in the UK. Not really any new news, but maybe the publicity will get more people involved. As usual, if you want to set up your own node, you can start at Nocat or PersonalTelco.
is at wirelessanarchy.com
Existing wireless networking protocols are inherently weak in that they do not have any built-in features which would support personal identification and authentication. This design flaw makes it hard, if not impossible for a hobbiest interested in providing a wireless access point to be compensated for the valuable services provided. I feel that it would be an invaluable service for the IEEE to imbed universally identifiable ID tags which could be tied to hardware similar to MAC addressing in ethernet networking products. This would allow do-it-yourself access providers as well as ISPs to track users and provide billing capability for wireless usage. Until this happens, free wireless networking simply cannot thrive in a Capitalist environment.
-atrowe: Card-carrying Mensa member. I have no toleranse for stupidity.
but maybe the publicity will get more people involved. As usual, if you want to set up your own node, you can start at Nocat or PersonalTelco.
I don't understand... what publicity. People that read Slashdot and probably this story are already aware of this, and the people that count don't read slashdot anyway. So what kind of a delusion are the editors living in about publicity.
One more thing, what's with "a random reader" instead of the usual "An Anonymous Coward"?
- From an AC on an AC
Linux User Groups from around the UK will be coordinating events in May and June when visitors will be able to view demonstrations of the power and freedom of Linux at work in home and business scenarios.
UK Linux Install Day 2002 www.linuxinstallday.org gives Linux users the chance to promote the benefits of Linux to the wider community, including home users, businesses and schools.
I envision a future in which the entire world is wirelessly connected, one in which you can walk anywhere on Earth (with the possible exception of the oceans), and still surf the 'net (or whatever has replaced it by then) with your wireless equipped laptop or handheld.
Of course, we have a long way to go before we get there. As the article mentions, the 2.4 GHz band is slowly being used for more and more transmissions. Unless we regulate usage in some way, the wireless world will become impossible to achieve, as the noise would be too great.
Another problem is that of price. In order to have a fully connected network, you would have to have hundreds of thousands, if not millions, of nodes placed throughout the world. The unfortunate truth is that SOMEONE would have to pay for that, whether it is a private company or government(s).
Once you DO have such a network, however, control becomes an issue. If the network is privately controlled, someone could be making a bundle off of everyone's usage. If the government controlled it, it could be used for propaganda. If I had to chooose one over the other, I would choose a group of nations (the UN?) to control it, and it could become another sanction they could place.
Can anyone else see this happeneing?
For this system to work there must be at least as many givers as takers, as we all know in real life there are always more takers than givers.
Joltage is also tring to build out a wifi network.. Check it out.. http://www.joltage.com
If all this should have a reason, we would be the last to know.
Er.. I mean attacked by /.ers
What is with it with slashdot and wireless? I mean, they're as obsessed about it as all those tech/business magazines...
EXACTLLY... this isn't any real news, and that alone i could care less about. My problem is i'm just jealous of these people more and more with every story that comes out!
200GBps wireless community LAN... in my city? never. ugh.
MARIJUANA, SHROOMS, X: ONLINE?! - E
luckily we have george bush to save us
http://awip.truffula.neti reless.nete tt tp://www.houstonwireless.orgn et
http://austinwireless.net
http://www.milehighw
http://free2air.org
http://consume.n
http://bcwireless.net
http://www.bawug.org
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http://nycwireless.
-------
"don't smoke, don't drink, don't fuck
at least i can fucking think"
Minor Threat
This tooth is made of metal
fine wire and ShoeGoo
One of these days this tooth is gonna browse through all Yahoo!
A lot of groups have set up their own networks, without the help of Consume. We're trying to do similar at http://www.glasgownet.com along with our http://www.backnet.org.uk friends in Edinburgh
"A wireless access point is a one-time investment, and is relatively inexpensive, however bandwidth is not free."
Like hell it's not. If I plug in the WAP and start transmitting, I'm creating bandwidth for free, aren't I? Now, Internet bandwidth, that's another story -- it's not free, neither as-in-beer, nor as-in-freedom, thanks to the telco/cable monopolies that are, for most people, the only way of getting bits out the door.
Being able to surf the web from the cafe while sipping a latte is not particularly interesting. What's interesting is how communities are coming together to build MANs and other networks that are free-as-in-freedom -- networks that are distributed, in the hands of the people, and free from corporate or government interference. The real revolution is happening outside the coffee shop, where we're building these networks, node by node, as we speak.
So what purpose will these community networks serve? Who knows! Remember, the Internet was designed to keep US government networks alive through a nuclear war -- who could have envisioned Slashdot, Amazon, Napster, et al. emerging from that? We believe that if we build it, they will come. (And so what if they don't -- I'll still be able to trade files with and make phone calls to my neighbors.)
..and fudge.
but England have wicked weed ;), and the beer mmmmgagah real beer, and Eastenders !
What about the abrasive lavatory paper, is that a good thing or bad thing?
Hi atrowe,
Whether public WLAN succeeds or not depends on your perspective.
I would say that grassrots wireless networking alreeady has suceeded. Of ourse there will probably never be a coverage compared to the coverage of GMS or future UMTS, but people are beginning to share their bandwith already.
Yes, WLAN has some inherent security-risks, and yes, WLAN providers will not be compensated for there service but if you have a look at the web there is a lot of good stuff that is provided by people with absolutely no compensation.
From my personal point of view the WLAN-movement already has succeeded: People are alread sharing their bandwith and start building up their own networks.
So don't expect too much by the WLAN-"movement" - people started sharing their bandwith with wired LANs some years ago. It' didn't kill the TelCos, but it quite common, now and kind of a success.
your not supposed to actually use it, use your hand dude
Keep buying our Playstation's Americans, i knew we would get you back in the end
George Bush is shit on a shingle.
Lol, it's true too...George Bush is the worst president in the History of the US.
I'm not sure why you think there needs to be a government mandated control of such a network. The whole point of the ISM band is that it's unregulated - but I'm pretty sure that the powers that be didn't expect 802.11 technology to be quite so sucessful. 802.11 is designed to be highly tolerant of noise, and I suspect the density can get quite high, either as it is now, or with a derivative technology.
How about another model? One were everyone, or a larger percentage of the community all get a commodity wireless access point and join up in a management framework, basically managed chaos, like the Sydney Wireless. I have a couple links on my community wireless page, too. With enough network overlap, you'd have pretty good coverage - maybe better than standard cell links. The bandwidth on these technologies is quite high, and 11mbit may only be the starting point.
But oh, what a world it might be if control of the communications medium - or, perhaps better phrased, control of A communications medium - went truely into the hands of the masses. I already know of two college campuses where students are running their own dorm networks to combat draconian policies on file sharing and gaming using 802.11. What if that ramped up to city wide? What if people start setting up their own WANs, and leasing their own fiber backbones? Or hell, even running their own fiber backbones, like has been done in Sweden?
Remeber BBSes? There was no tradegy of the commons there, and those formed pretty sophisticated networks towards the end. And no doubt caused a few LEOs to have kittens then..
..don't panic
check out seattle's adhoc network.
The NoCatAuth Nightly (bottom of the page) supports both RADIUS and LDAP authentication. This is fresh code, please report problems and/or send a patch :)
Trollem mirabilem hanc subnotationis exigiutas non caperet
Because your brain is so narrow.
Close, but no cigar.
Heh, Heh.
Also you may be interested in the Edinburgh Wireless network --- Backnet which is a little more established than Glasgow. Both projects are generating a lot of interest but we need as many people as possible so if you are interested then check out the Consume.net Node Database to find out who's near you.
The GlasgowNet page also has some news, reviews and articles that may be of use to people interested in Wireless networks. Both Backnet and GlasgowNet have IRC channels so feel free to come on and have a chat. The Backnet channel is #backnet on irc.backnet.org.uk and GlasgowNet is #glasgownet on the same server. If you don't have an IRC client then GlasgowNet is testing a Java applet IRC interface that you may want to try.
Steven Murdoch.
web: http://www.cl.cam.ac.uk/users/sjm217/
your all welcome on #consume on irg://us.quakenet.org