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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!
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
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
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
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.
id get robbed of that stuff in under 30 minutes
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!