[Cu-wireless] Re: Are we making things too hard on ourselves?

[David Young]

Sounds cool. I wish I understood these access points better, especially
their "infrastructure mode."  When several access points are within
talking distance, what prevents or suppresses packet storms?

Dave

On Sat, Jan 19, 2002 at 08:09:56AM -0600, Ralph E. Johnson wrote:
> Suppose we covered an area with wireless base stations.  They would
> support PCs using standard 802.11b modems, but otherwise could be
> hacked as much as desired.  Is it possible to move data around town
> by passing it from station to station?  In other words, can one base
> station talk to another base station?  From the little I've read,
> it sounds like the usual access points can't do that, but perhaps that
> is just because they don't have real routers.
> 
> See http://opensource.instant802.com/
> This describes how to flash an 802.11 access point with linux.
> This will let you provide "full wireless services", including
> multipoint to multipoint wireless bridging, while at the same
> time distributing fully standard 802.11b connections to end users.
> This sounds to me like what we are looking for.  If it is a full
> linux, we can run any routing algorithm we like (i.e. we write).
> 
> This will work with access points based on the Eumitcom WL 11000SA-N
> board.  This includes US Robotics (USR 2450) and SMC 2652.
> 
> >From this, I deduce that 802.11b is capable of having one base station
> talk to another, but most (all?) of the existing products do not have
> the software to do it. A USR 2450 flashed with linux can.  Am I right?
> 
> Note that this project is being pushed by the Bay Area Wireless Users
> Group, and I bet that lots of groups will use it and it will become
> a standard of community internet users.
> 
> The USR 2450 is $219.95 according to the USR web site, and can 
> connect up to 800 feet.  The USR advertising only mentions
> Microsoft operating systems, but obviously this is irrelevant
> if you are flashing it with Linux.
> 
> So, perhaps we should use this.  The thing that is so great about
> it is that it comes with its own computer.  We could flash them
> for people and then they'd just install them at home and they
> would be on the air.  No fancy hardware, no antennas on your roof,
> just another little box next to your computer.  All we'd have to
> do is install one on every block in CU, and the community would be
> wired!
> 
> -Ralph Johnson
> 
> 
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-- 
David Young                   On the Job Consulting
dyoung at onthejob.net     Urbana, IL * (217) 278-3933