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2003 Seattle Wireless Field Day
propellerhead writes "Today is 2003 Wireless Field Day for Seattle Wireless. 'Similar to amateur radio field day, a mock emergency network will be created this summer using off-the-shelf 802.11b hardware, computers, and battery/gas power supplies. Network applications such as VoIP (Voice over IP or Internet Telephony), streaming audio and video, file sharing, chat, network games, and others will be implemented across a multi-hop wireless infrastructure. If resources allow, the goal is to connect this mobile network to the existing Seattle Wireless network, which currently exists in the Seattle area. This network can also provide access to the internet and our community network partners like Seattle Pacific University and Council House Projects.'"
Great News!!!
I will no longer need to use my microwave to cook my popcorn. I'll be able to just leave it near the window and POP POP POP away!!!
If you look back at history, the first need after food, clean water, shelter and clothing is porn. I think it's a little much to expect Seattlites to go back to clay tablets and cave paintings of doin' the nasty just because of an earthquake or nuclear attack or massive Redmond-centred software failure. No sheep would be safe.
You just have to learn what "chat", "share files" and "streaming video" actually mean.
... file sharing, chat, network games, and others...
"Power out... disaster... locusts... must... play... Unreal Tournament... critical..."
You miss the point, or more likely you are getting me thinking about a more important point.
Yea, kudos for being able to create an information network that can handle running without a power source (by providing your own power gen hardware.) As we saw when NY NY was under attack two years ago the problem isn't lack of electricity. The real problem is that during an emergency everybody tries to use the network at once (ie, phone system, cell phone network, etc...) and just overloads it. In the event of a real emergency it needs to handle a slashdotting of users trying to get through at once, and the system as described (an 802.11b network running hardware a bunch of hackers bought at Frys) isn't gonna cut it.
Neat experiment, though.
Glonoinha the MebiByte Slayer
That those 802.11b wireless access points will work really well when the power grid dies. Heh. The reason amateur radio is useful in these scenarios is that it only takes one guy with a generator to communicate with people far away, who can relay information to authorities and media agencies. Anyway, I guess I'm just missing the point, but it is somewhat comforting to know that the sky may be falling, but I'll still be able to bounce some HTTP requests for autopr0n.com through the emergency 802.11b network and get a last wank in before the world comes tumbling down.
I'm no expert when it comes to this stuff so I'll just ask...
Are most people who enjoy using these giant, free, wireless networks still checking there mail with good old, send the password plaintext, POP? Are networks like this just a giant smorgasborg a free information floating around for anybody to grab? Considering your average Joe uses the same password for everything I would think this would be problematic.
What security mechanisms are place that makes this difficult?
Hello all. I attended the demonstration at the Alki site. I'll try and give a basic description of what it was like.
s sfieldday
We used a 18(?) dbi Yagi to connect to someone in the Columbia tower (the big black building, the tallest in Seattle). We also used a 24 dbi parabolic to connect to the Magnolia site. First we got internet working by relaying through a guys office in the tower. I got over 250 kB/s at some points. It took us a while longer, but we eventually got the connection to Magnolia working. Actually, Ken Caruso did most of the work fixing the Soekris box on the Magnolia end (it was configured for a different network). We had a little bit of problems with the DNS for the internet access, but that was eventually fixed. We were all able to get into an IRC room and use iChat, but we weren't successful on getting iChat AV to work across the main link. I think it may have to do with the fact that all the computers were behind a NAT to the internet. Rendezvous, unfortunately, didn't work across the link because we were routing.
It was actually a sight to see. We had solar panels, batteries, a generator, lots of tables, tons of cables, video cameras, still cameras, cell phones with cameras, FRS radios, etc. Actually, you can see it. I have pictures on my website:
http://www.andrewhitchcock.org/gallery/2003wirele
Andrew