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Automatic Wireless Network Organisation
babycakes writes "Interesting article over at the BBC about the future of wireless networks. Researchers at Intel are developing mesh networking technology that automatically organizes the best routes between wireless devices for better bandwidth control, now that the number of wireless devices is set to explode." Neat stuff, but they've yet to implement any sort of security controls. Until they do, it's going to be a real party for wireless eavesdroppers. timothy adds: La Camiseta writes "Wired has an article discussing the extent that some people will go to in order to stay connected. My favorite is their 4-way SMP system that fits into a briefcase."
It has four uniprocessor motherboards. Can it really be called 4-way SMP? 4-way cluster perhaps.
We should ask ourselves, is this a real mesh? having the 'big mama' setting up the network for us, or a real mesh protocol is needed that we can all be servers and clients at the same time to the network, interconnected into a real mesh? Anyway, this is a _great_ step into the future, and let's hope that it works.
Security seems to be taking a back seat yet again to feature development. For wireless to really explode in the business arena, however, security needs to be built-in from the start. I know at my workplace we have a genuine need to upgrade a wireless network, but we're waiting for better security which is supposed to be available this summer before moving forward.
Stop by my site where I write about ERP systems & more
And another question would be:
If we get the security part of it right, how about privacy assurances.
Is great, having those hours when no-one can contact you. Finding a hotel in a mobile blackspot. Being unable to pick up emails for days knowing that people will just have to cope.
I like being offline, I hate being forced to be online more, with the internet on planes now there goes 8 hours of peace and quiet without an urgent request to do something minor.
The more I'm online the less work that I do, because the more "noise" I receive. Being online all the time means more stupid IM requests, more emails to follow up and more calls asking about something they could have read in a book.
Next year you'll have articles on how far people go to kill their net connection.
An Eye for an Eye will make the whole world blind - Gandhi
So what they're saying is that anyone in my general vicinity can use up my battery because that's the best path for the data?
In that case: No, thank you. This is never going to take off.
This post is free (as in cheese in a mousetrap).
It seems to me that wireless is still in the "can we do it" phase and has not progressed to "can we do it RIGHT".
I do security
Three syllables say it all:
Prototype.
As the article says, they're still doing research on mesh networks. They're not yet designing an actual product.
Karma whores.
We should probably note that the a wireless, redundant "mesh" design was part of the ARPA project from the beginning. A lot of old-timers are somewhat disappointed that it's 40 years later, and we still don't have it.
...
You can see an example in the first diagram at this historical article. Note that the diagram dates to 1964, and the text mentions a "communications network that would survive a major enemy attacked" [sic].
Many of the earliest diagrams of the ARPAnet showed planes, ships, plus all sorts of mobile ground vehicles, with wireless random-looking connections. Again, this was 40 years ago.
Another interesting bit of history: The earliest ARPAnets were mostly on Ethernet. This is a curious term. Why would they use it for a length of coax cable? The reason was that the intention was that it be wireless, with packets being sent "throuh the ether". The wired version was just a temporary kludge until they could get the wireless version working. "Ethernet" was chosen as an unsubtle hint as to what was considered the real packet medium. It was clumsy, limited and kludgey, but the wires were only supposed to be a temporary medium, to be phased out in a few years.
It's been 40 years, and we're still not there
Those who do study history are doomed to stand helplessly by while everyone else repeats it.
... Dont let your choice of wireless transport dictate the method and depth of the security (best is large key VPN). Some users will want to use open (unencrypted) traffic. Don't hold up the deployment of the wireless infrastructure waiting for things that should be a part of the node's app stack.