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Homemade VoIP Network Over Wi-Fi Routers

Posted by timothy on from the warms-the-cochleas-of-the-heart dept.

AnInkle writes "A blogger on The Tech Report details his research and testing of wireless voice communication options for remote mountainous villages in rural undeveloped areas. The home-built project involves open-source software, low-cost wireless routers, solar power, mesh networking, unlicensed radio frequencies and VoIP technology. Although his research began several months ago, he has concluded the first stage of testing and is preparing to move near one of the sites where he hopes to eventually install the final functional network. Anyone with experience or ideas on the subject is invited to offer input and advice."

3 of 71 comments (clear)

  1. Urban Networks... by PC+and+Sony+Fanboy · · Score: 3, Insightful

    Wouldn't this be great! You could use your networking skills to setup a private, free telephone system. And, if it was encrypted, no one could snoop in on it... and if it was in an urban environment... Hmmm....

  2. Why not cellular? by ostiguy · · Score: 3, Insightful

    Read this yesterday, still don't get it. Can omni directional wifi ever compete with a cell tower's coverage range? Cellular has the advantage of insanely cheap commoditized phones.

    Seems a bit like trying to use bluetooth to connect two buildings in a campus together - nominally cheap hardware, but probably cannot be coerced into doing what you seek.

    1. Re:Why not cellular? by Anonymous Coward · · Score: 3, Insightful

      Insanely cheap commoditized phones subsidized by an insanely marked up cell phone plan. The point of this exercise is to provide the infrastructure where private business currently doesn't feel there would be return on investment. Think OLPC for VoIP.