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Build Your Own Solar Powered Hotspot
hode writes "Popular Science has a how-to article up on turning a backpack into a portable, solar-powered Wi-Fi hotspot. Possible uses include providing Wi-Fi access for a road-trip caravan." From the article: "Its secret ingredient: the Junxion Box. Plug a cellular-network card into the book-size open-source-based device, and voil--instant Wi-Fi hotspot, with speeds averaging around 700 kilobits per second. To power the box, I wired it to a 1.2-amp-hour battery and dropped both into the Voltaic Systems backpack, which has a built-in solar charger."
I can't help but wonder how well this would work if it rained during your whole weekend camping trip? Since that would seem like the time you'd want to use it. ;)
Marky Mark Killed Jason Bourne!
If you connect to it, you too can be arrested.
- Just my $0.02, take with a grain of salt, your mileage may vary.
1) This thing costs over $1000
2) EV-DO cellular internet service for the internet connection is $80/mo
Maybe it would be better just to deal with being away from the internet when you're camping...
"Scientists don't change their minds, they just die." -- Max Planck
Well, if it takes 4-6 hours (from TFbackpack) to charge a cell phone, is the box going to be charged in real time from this backpack?
I guess I think that you wouldn't need the backpack to provide Wi-Fi to a caravan, as mentioned in TFA, and if you can't charge while hiking....
Obviously the mobile internet service required for this particicular hotspot is expensive, and you'd be mad to want to offer it for open access at your own expense, but what caught my imagination more from the article is the idea of a 'personal network' to allow all of your devices to talk to each other via wifi. As more devices we carry around become wifi equipped imagine if your iPod, phone, psp and camera are all enabled & communicating with each other, having them all on a common network and working to each of their strengths (the psp using the ipod for storage, viewing images from the camera using the psp then uploading them via the phone.. , etc) seems to have real potential and be something that would enhance the usability factor of each device greatly.
Business Voyeur
Definitely had me hooked until I saw the price tag.
Can pay someone to run back and forth to my computer for that much money.
-c
I can play counter-stike when camping! No more annoying so-called "fresh air" needed.
-Valiss
That's what Bluetooth was for, I thought. Why do we need this (hideously expensive) box to be a PAN when we have the (slightly less expensive and not needing an additional box) Bluetooth to di it already?
All very nice expensive electronic gadgets to make you a good target for a mugger...
"Scientists don't change their minds, they just die." -- Max Planck
voila. Viola is a musical instrument.
While a musical interlude is always appreciated, I believe the word you are looking for is: voilà
And lo, you've discovered the original idea behind Bluetooth. It even works pretty well. Unfortunately, the standard isn't the issue, nor is the bandwidth. Developers just are too lazy to take advantage of it. For a decent glimpse of the PAN concept, try out a recent Windows Mobile device (iPaq, Dell Axim, etc), a Sony Ericcson T610 and a bluetooth headset. You can use the PDA as a screen and data repository, the cell phone for network connection, and the headset for audio. Unfortunately, the headset can't be connected to both the phone and the PDA at the same time. Bummer. But it's a start! Remember- even Star Trek characters use three devices! Convergence is not a laudable goal!
My Systems
I've been making my own solar powered hotspots for years, all you need is a magnifying glass. Place it an appropriate distance from the ground and it becomes ideal for heating up small areas with only the power of the sun!
To get full internet connectivity, you have to be on a service plan with one of the 1xEVDO cariers. Currently, those are: ACS, Alltel, Sprint, Verizon, Bell Mobility (Canada), New Zealand Telecom (New Zealand), Telstra (Australia, even though they are still upgrading).
One of the problems is that 1xEVDO does not contribute to the 3G convergence and really is a fork of a protocol. While 1xRTT is there for CDMA2000, GPRS and EDGE work on GSM-based networks. 1xEVDO seems like a very minor standard in terms of adoption, and its only benefit is lower capital needs for deployment. However, it does not really scale long-term.
To me personally, it seems 1xRTT and EDGE will eventually prevail.
"Is that a wifi hotspot in your pants, or are you just happy to see me?"
id get robbed of that stuff in under 30 minutes
Now YOU too can impress Bigfoot and all his friends with your very own HotspotPack(noTM)! All for the low-low-low price of ... $1065.50! Some assembly required, backpack not included, not responsible for lost or stolen identities due to running HotspotPack(noTM) in unsucured mode, do not use HotspotPack(noTM) in conjunction with hooded sweatshirts/sunglasses, or burkas.
Is there a point at which we reach critical mass and all of us are continual interconnected all the time? At what saturation level do we achieve near 100% (for practical purposes) coverage in everyday life AND have the gear to tap into it at any time?
What if the standard for all mobile connected devices (cell phones, pda's w/ wireless, sat. phones etc) was that any unused bandwidth was offered up on public airwaves? Then your other devices could tap into whatever avail. bandwidth was floating around. With the right technology, you could probably reduce some of the need for wifi repeaters and cell towers in dense urban areas as every device out there could become a repeater/router. My pda could tap into your currently unused bandwidth on the cell phone in your pocket which, was in a shadow from the nearest cell tower, BUT was currently grabbing bandwidth from three other cells phones that were a few yards away and outside that shadow and also grabbing a piece from that laptop over on the bench that was connected through a different network and not in the same shadow....
man, I feel like mold.
That's not really a "How To". It's an idea (albeit a pretty nifty one).
What's next? Popular Science puts together a "How To" on building your own car? "You first get a metal frame, and then attach two axels to it. Then you get an internal combustion engine and mount it on the front. The secret is putting a fuel storage container near the back, connected through a hose to the engine. That will give it a range of hundreds of miles. We also picked up a set of four Goodyear tires and put them on wheels connected to the axel. PROJECT COMPLETED"
The Internet is generally stupid
This thing, as made in the article, costs over $1000, I would have thought a project slashdot would link to would have somebody rigging up their own solar panels instead of paying $230 for a bag with solar panels on it and setting up their own system (mini itx or some such) instead of paying $700 for a Junxion Box.
Too bad that if you opened the backpack in public, someone would probably shout "bomb!".
You can build your own EV-DO/Wi-Fi router for much less than the cost of a Junxion box.
...to surf the web where I, uh, do my business. Now I can surf where a bear does his business!
Don't trust anyone under thirty.
How about wrapping the whole package in solar cells, mounting it in the middle of a 1m diameter fishing net, and throwing it up into the trees? Do that with enough to put 3 APs in every 300' radius, all through the woods. Set a server connected to the network (maybe via a remote Pringles can) to ping each one, notifying when one has dropped off the network. Then go find it on the ground, and fling it up again.
Now you've got a rural area with a truly wireless network. It's easy to maintain the mesh. And these apps are cheap enough that a community can afford to do it, without a big cost per person.
--
make install -not war
hardly offtopic, even from me, the loser in the duel.
This is cool and all, but maybe I'm reading it wrong. The article is pretty short on details. It says it only lasts 3 hours? Is that 3 hours just off the battery or including the solar panels? If it's only 3 hours even when the solar panels are connected, then it's pretty useless... that doesn't make sense.
The junxion box though is very sweet. I set one up in my Boss's car recently. It's very slick and easy to setup, even though it's a little expensive. The other problem we had was the slot where the card goes didn't leave enough room for the pigtail connector on the card we had. (for some strange reason the connector was on the side of the card instead of the back) Had to order a special pigtail to hookup the antenna.
http://evoketv.com - TV Listings 2.0
This solar powered hotspot is $1,000. Maybe an alright price for a consumer product, but a little much for something you'd build yourself, here's a cheaper solution:
$189 - Gum Stix Connex 400xm-bt, a small xscale system running embedded linux
$25 - CFstix, an expansion board for the above system allowing connection of Compact flash cards
$70 - Netgear MA701 802.11b Wireless Compact Flash Adapter
Subtotal: $284
That ought to be a good replacement for the junxion system in this case, for 40% of the cost.
As for the solar power, you might want to use the same Voltaic Systems bag they used in the article, but you could deck out a bag you already have with solar panels and such and it might be a little cheaper. Hell, if you wanted you could put their solar panels and batteries in your bag, they sell them seperately!
Reading the title made me think of burning ants with a magnifying glass as a kid.
If you could reason with religious people, there would be no religious people
What happens when Verizon says "No More" and cuts you off? According to Verizon's TOS: Unlimited NationalAccess/BroadbandAccess: NationalAccess and BroadbandAccess data sessions may be used with wireless devices for the following purposes: (i) Internet browsing; (ii) email; and (iii) intranet access (including access to corporate intranets, email and individual productivity applications such as customer relationship management, sales force and field service automation). Unlimited NationalAccess/BroadbandAccess is for individual use only and not for resale. Unlimited NationalAccess/BroadbandAccess cannot be used: (1) for uploading, downloading or streaming of movies, music or games; (2) with server devices or with host computer applications, including, without limitation, Web camera posts or broadcasts, automatic data feeds, telemetry applications, automated functions or any other machine-to-machine application; or (3) as a substitute or backup for private lines or dedicated data connections. NationalAccess and BroadbandAccess data sessions automatically terminate after two hours of inactivity unless used with a Mobile IP-capable device. We reserve the right to limit throughput or amount of data transferred, deny or terminate service, without notice, to anyone who uses NationalAccess or BroadbandAccess in any manner prohibited above or whose usage adversely impacts our network or service levels. We also reserve the right to terminate service upon expiration of Customer Agreement term. BroadbandAccess kilobyte usage may not appear on your bill http://www.verizonwireless.com/b2c/store/controlle r?item=planFirst&action=viewPlanDetail&sortOption= priceSort&catId=409&rp
You get a Linksys WRT54G (or other hackable) router and put openwrt on it, put it in "client" mode (so it acts like a client) add an external antenna if needed so you can pick up some open wifi hotspot out there (left open for others to use of course) or starbucks etc... You can get up to 2 miles easy outdoors.
Then on the other end, you plug in a normal router, just pretend that the WRT54GS is a cable modem (it supplies the internet, DHCP and all that on it's ethernet ports).
Everyone logs into the normal router and off you go!
If you have a system that gets internet in the boonies, like satellite internet or something, just turn on connection sharing and connect a normal router to your ethernet. It should all run on a car battery without running it down for weeks so don't wory about solar.
The linksys and other router really don't take much power so you could run them off a large solar panel for 24/7 access.
Here's some links for lazy people:
http://openwrt.org/ClientModeHowto
http://wiki.openwrt.org/ClientModeHowto
http://www.hackaday.com/entry/1234000690043237/
I hate it when someone throws a bunch of buzzwords and sounds intelligent.
...and I am happy to have left the Cell industry as of yesterday.
EDGE is really just 4x GPRS, or "2.5G"
The upgrade path to 3G for GSM carriers is to UTMS/WCDMA.
For CDMA, the 1xRTT upgrade path is to CDMA2000 EV-DO.
Between the two, EVDO can fall back to 1xRTT IS95 seamlessly. UTMS can't, although it has a speed advantage.
1xRTT and EDGE are deployed everywhere. It's EVDO and UTMS that one should be looking for.
Whats amusing:Watching Nextel trying UTMS iDEN hybrid. Ping Reply: Please wait while the Nextel IP Address is found.
Scaleability (as far as speed) is only a minor factor in choosing an upgrade path. Carriers care about Capacity, netowrk reliability and footprint. For that, 1xRTT(IS95) and EVDO lay the smack on GPRS/EDGE/UTMS.
Burning Man already has WiFi internet access. I've used it myself.