[Cu-wireless] Re: wireless networks

[Sascha Meinrath]

Hi all,

Yes, I've been helping organize a local group of folks here in
Urbana-Champaign (thank goodness we moved most of the project out of my
living room and into the IMC since it was beginning to look like borg were
assimilating my apartment).  But seriously, we have a large group of
committed folks who are moving forward with a ubiquitous internet service
for the Urbana community.

I didn't think posting to the global wireless list would yield such quick
results, but it's good to see that others are interested in wireless
projects.  Over the last 6 months we've begun implementing the network --
we currently have 3 working nodes and lines of sight to connect about a
.5km area.  Over the next 3 months we will be testing our prototypes and
adding on to these three nodes with the goal of connecting about a 1.5 km
stretch of downtown Urbana with a stable wireless backbone.  The plan is
then to encourage others to link up with this backbone and spend the next
year beta-testing routing protocols, bandwidth limitations, and
troubles.  Then, in the Summer of 2003 we will open the network up more
publicly (e.g. though adds, flyers, etc.).

Our biggest limitation (and the one thing keeping this from certain
reality) is funding.  The expertise encompassed by the participants in our
local effort is fairly astounding -- and we're hoping that over the next
year we'll find some way to fund the multiple project that are of interest
to everyone involved.

I'd definitely be interested in hearing more about the projects other
IMC-istas are working on (as would the rest of the local effort, which can
be reached at wireless at ucimc.org and has a fairly outdated (but soon to be
updated) webpage at http://wireless.ucimc.org

Keep in touch and let us know about this conference,

--Sascha Meinrath
Urbana-Champaign IMC


On Mon, 25 Feb 2002, Sheri at speakeasy.net wrote:

> http://wireless.ucimc.org/ - something from sascha at imc urbana!  way cool.
>
> hi everyone,
>
> just introducing you all to each other, although i think doug knows
> shane and may already be in touch about some of their g8 plans.  and
> i've been telling timo about shane and brandon and their ideas for
> the past week or so.  and now seeing this recent post to wireless
> list from sascha about the cool project in urbana, made me think you
> all might want to be introduced to each other.
>
> doug is the organizer for the upcoming conference this may in seattle
> - shaping the network society.  i've been telling lots of people
> about it and i return to the states tomorrow and will talk to doug
> about some thoughts i've had while traveling down here in south
> america.  it's been inspirational, while also challenging.  but i
> guess those are good creative spaces as well.
>
> check it out:
>
> the upcoming conference
> http://diac.cpsr.org/cgi-bin/diac02/pattern.cgi/public
> a paper by doug about community networks
> http://www.scn.org/ip/commnet/kill-commnets.html
>
> what i'd love to see us talk about is the implementation and the next
> phase of community networks and how they are being implemented and
> used in diverse situations.  within the indymedia context as well, we
> have a diverse range.  it would also help us share more of the
> possibility with more imcs across the network.
>
> okay have to go catch a plane.
>
> xox
> sheri
> --
>