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Peter Benjamin wrote: > > Interesting thread and I keep hoping someone more knowledgeable > will post, perhaps just the URLs, of how neighborhood wifi has > been set up in cities already using MESH and similar technology. Funny you should mention that :) Eweek ran an article in last issue about a few projects. Including one in Riverside: http://www.eweek.com/print_article2/0,1217,a=214867,00.asp > > There appears to be a need to recognize the many existing and > nearing maturity software that enables free wifi, including > bandwidth improvements. To think the city's firm doing the > feasibility study would recommend writing software, expensive > at that, even if done for free, when that wheel is already > invented, and working in dozens of cities, if not hundreds > throughout the world, and has been for years, I do not feel > the firm will even think of that approach. This firm is going > to get someone to supply something out of the can, turnkey, > that the city can go with, sooner, not later. IMO. That is very likely. Plenty of good software solutions for "enterprise" wifi can easily be adapted to municipal use. A bunch of wrt54gl ( http://www.linksys.com/servlet/Satellite?c=L_Product_C2&childpagename=US%2FLayout&cid=1133202177241&pagename=Linksys%2FCommon%2FVisitorWrapper) with a pre configured image that joins an existing VPN and authenticates to a radius server could easily provide wifi at an incredibly low cost. Of course a company already exists that is well positioned to enter this area in a big way: http://www.fon.com/en/ They already have a revenue model and authentication system setup. There routers have a number of issues, (over heating etc) that make them ill suited for heavy usage. > > Also, recognition of the "many" audiences for free wifi, as if bandwidth > hogs who have posted on this list to date, will really have this > wifi "free." Perhaps, I am deceiving myself thinking the primary > motivation behind free wifi is for those who can not afford the > current telco copper wire net access monthly fees. Certainly, > Juno.com provides free modem access, still in business, proving > the ad revenue business model works for free access, that piggy > backs on existing copper POTS. Right. I certainly think a combination of the FON and Ad based models will be quite successful here. > > The points of the cost of upgrades reflects more on the perceived > uses of the individual poster, a power computer user by the sounds > of it, and a power net user. MESH can supply this level of bandwidth, > though the last mile might be a burden on their neighbors. It's > not like DSL and cable broadband do not have that issue already. > Only fiber approaches solving the bandwidth issue. A client of > mine in Ohio got fiber last week. 29meg/sec download, soon > changing to 41. AT&T's u-Verse TV on demand service. Up to > 3 channels/movies and 16meg/sec net access simultaneously. > > Wifi can do 54. It still beats fiber? Huh, go figure. Well yes. But wifi can only go so far. It still needs to connect in to the backbone... if a few people (power users) have fiber and can easily recoup the cost of it by charging to tie in the nearest MESH node to there backbone.... it greatly lowers the cost. Of course it would require some pretty major changes to the EULA of the telco... > > Sure paid access "might" be faster. > > I was hoping to see others post on the Digital Divide motivation > for free wifi. > > I was hoping someone would point out that free wifi means better > education for the communities' children, thus better communities > to live in, fewer gang shootings, etc, etc, etc. See my blog post on this exact topic at http://jackshck.livejournal.com/125246.html > > I was hoping someone would have read more of the city wifi site > and realized most of the posting here has not reflected the > reality of the direction the city is moving. And that some > discussion of other possibilities for the city to go would > be mentioned on this list. I have read the site quite extensively, and am currently reviewing the various city council documents and directives. > > I was hoping to find advocates to join forces with to approach > the city's selected feasibility firm and talk with them about > alternative approaches they may not be considering. Infrastructure > that is durable and lasting, and low cost, meaning in ten years it > will still be present would be a powerful direction, and allow for > future funding to superior speeds, by not spending a ton of money > now, when the costs are the highest, and improvements just around > the corner. I'll see you at the meeting! :) > > Instead of piggybacking on the cities' street lighting for copper > connectivity, perhaps fiber should be run in all new city construction? > But is that needed? Why not an entire wifi network with even the > backbone carried on wifi to a few NOCS where it means fiber? > This means an antenna farm on top of street lights. > Is the city's feasibility firm even considering this? If they aren't we will certainly show them the light (heh heh. light. fiber. ok i'll stop). > > But do I want that level of additional EMF density? > I surely do not. I want more directional wifi, with > less power, not more. So, likely I will be appalled > by any alternatives that get proposed. > > I see the issues more in need of hardware solutions at this time. > Software... that runs on top of the hardware, and certainly needs > to be specified early, perhaps even before the hardware, as is > typical in big business. Is the feasibility firm doing it this way? > The proper way? Again this is hopefully why the meeting is being held. > > Who is going to the meetings in a few days? > Please post back here what directions this group, or just little > old me, might be able to contribute. I will be going to both meetings. Follow my blog at http://jackshck.livejournal.com for updates and action items. We MUST NOT miss out on this opportunity to create an incredibly powerful resource that can be used to vastly increase the overall knowledge base of our neighbors. There is a vast amount of untapped brain power that is going to waste. Getting everyone online and connected will lead to amazing things. - -- Charles N Wyble [EMAIL PROTECTED] (818) 280 7059 http://www.thewybles.com/~charles President and CEO of Known Element Enterprises and affiliated companies. http://www.knownelement.com -----BEGIN PGP SIGNATURE----- Version: GnuPG v1.4.6 (GNU/Linux) Comment: Using GnuPG with Mozilla - http://enigmail.mozdev.org iD8DBQFG+TMXkQPZV56XDBMRAo6ZAJ9HhShmrB7kBSRflzCiIEuiBP3YAgCfRmKg ZHXrQDFsyKN3g6LEcKWf7Xo= =8E3l -----END PGP SIGNATURE----- --~--~---------~--~----~------------~-------~--~----~ You received this message because you are subscribed to the Google Groups "SOCALWUG" group. To post to this group, send email to [email protected] To unsubscribe from this group, send email to [EMAIL PROTECTED] For more options, visit this group at http://groups.google.com/group/SOCALWUG SOCALWUG website: http://www.socalwug.org -~----------~----~----~----~------~----~------~--~---
