Yan, Thank you. A great beginning here! :-)
I'd like to hear some details on your 15 sq. km. mesh setup if possible. What you describe is what I envisioned. I don't see FBX as a replacement for Internet using only WiFi, but more of a way to communicate email messages, and to be able to "text" each other "off the grid/net" because even if we encrypt packets sufficiently and route through existing infrastructure, any snoopers would still be able to know X is communicating with Y and how often / much. And whereas I have no malicious intents in my communications, it's like Eben says, "The things we read watch us read them" ... something similar applies here: "The things enabling us to communicate with others watch us communicate with them." Seems unnecessary and wrong. As to mechanics, I was thinking GPS coords for routing, or some known grid coords for relative device placement. I need message X to get from me to coord-Y. Each FBX in-between can do the math and transmit to other FBXs in that direction. If none exist, it sends a message back saying "no route" so other send direction work-arounds are (ultimately exhaustively) tried, and then remembered for a time. I would be willing to write this messaging protocol in GUI simulation for experimenting and testing by everybody. Best regards, Rick C. Hodgin -------- Original Message -------- From: Yan Hetges <[email protected]> Sent: Mon, Jun 18, 2012 02:19 AM To: [email protected] CC: Subject: [Freedombox-discuss] mesh network [was: FreedomBox Testing 2012.0617 Image Published] >Hello > >first of all, i'd like to quickly introduce myself. My name is Yan, i >like freedom and have been using Debian as my main desktop OS since woody >and been playing with it on servers since the same time. I've also been >actively deploying a wifi adhoc mesh network with OpenWrt and derivates >since 2006 (it has ~15 nodes and covers an area of maybe 15 km^2). >And i've been reading this list since late January... > >On Sun, Jun 17, 2012 at 10:03:49PM -0400, Rick C. Hodgin wrote: >> Hmmm... So, the Freedombox needs to use external infrastructure such as an >> ethernet or WiFi router? > >yes, freedombox wants to use the internet >> >> I was thinking WiFi would connect all neighbors together on a WiFi mesh able >> to simultaneously transmit / receive to other Freedomboxes directly without >> a hub / router. Sort of an ad hoc Internet. > >it could theoretically connect all neighbours together and NOT >simultaneously tx/rx because the wifi radio can only either or, not both >at the same time. And that's the main issue, usable bandwidth gets less >at each hop. >> >> Is such a thing possible with WiFi? > >to a certain degree, and it might never be able to replace an >infrastructure! Also, to connect neighbours without internet, they want >to be pretty close to each other... like one in every appartment! That >will then make so much noise that there might be no communication >possible over more than 2-4 hops. Please don't understand me wrong, i >LOVE the idea! Also, to make that work out of the box, without external >antennas mounted on a roof, or the FBX mounted in a weatherproof box on >top of a bamboo pole in a tall tree or something like that, is very >unlikely. I suggest reading RFC 1925 [1] espexially (5),(8) and (10). >If you really want to integrate a self employing mesh function into >FBX i'd recommend looking deeply into what R.O.B.I.N. [2] does. >Also, it would be very much appreciated and make group communication >much easier if you (some of you) would consider reading and following >[3] , especially 9. And/or RFC 1855 [4]. >Thank you everyone so much for all your work! > > cheers > > --Yan > >[1]http://www.ietf.org/rfc/rfc1925.txt >[2]http://wiki-robin.meshroot.com/ >[3]http://linux.sgms-centre.com/misc/netiquette.php >[4]http://www.ietf.org/rfc/rfc1855.txt > > >_______________________________________________ >Freedombox-discuss mailing list >[email protected] >http://lists.alioth.debian.org/cgi-bin/mailman/listinfo/freedombox-discuss _______________________________________________ Freedombox-discuss mailing list [email protected] http://lists.alioth.debian.org/cgi-bin/mailman/listinfo/freedombox-discuss
