Node In A Box
Dave Harris
CS 410
Fall 2007
Problem
• It is difficult for rural areas small towns in
the United States to get commercially
available high-speed Internet Access
Solution
• Wireless Mesh Networking to the rescue!
Image source:
http://research.microsoft.com/mesh/
Where are Community Wireless
Mesh Networks in place?
•
•
•
•
•
•
•
Seattle, WA (http://seattlewireless.net/)
Buffalo, NY (http://buffalowireless.org/)
Portland, OR (http://personaltelco.net/)
Rome, Italy (http://www.ninux.org/)
North Yorkshire, UK (http://rhbmesh.net/)
Prague and other cities (http://czfree.net)
..and more!
Problems with current
implementations
• Requires a lot of technical knowledge
• No single vendor for governments with a
low-cost solution as well as help planning,
setting up, and maintaining system
Who pays?
•
Local governments for small towns
purchase the system
– Avoid marketing to rural areas for now
•
How do they pay?
– Local government funds
– Individual, business, group sponsorships
What our company provides
• **Mesh network nodes (uplink as well as
repeater) that are easy for non-technical people
to install
– Cost should be less than $100 per node
• Assistance with planning, set-up as well as
maintenance issues through an ongoing contract
• **Software to help government or sponsoring
entity monitor network health and spot potential
problems
• **: Computer Components!
What is not provided
• Internet uplink (can be provided by
individual residents through satellite
internet, or centrally through a T1 or
something else)
Issues of Contention
• Big Telco’s will not like it
• Security of information transmitted
Questions???