Creating a Wi-Fi mesh network in the CBD - I'm sure this has been brought up before, but...

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thechampionmasterx

6 posts

Wannabe Geek

#16289 3-Oct-2007 01:52

I recently moved into the Auckland CBD (Customs Street), and I'm looking at starting a partial mesh network. I have limited experience in regards to coding etc, but I'm very confident with configuring routers and most WiFi related stuff.

Ideally we'd have a couple of servers managing the backend, with all intermediary transfers through WRT54G's with custom firmware. If anybody lives around the CBD and would be interested in helping out in any way, post here and we'll make contact.

Until we get a good couple of nodes going it'll be purely experimental, but fun, I'm sure..

Also, if anybody can point me in the direction of another decent WiFi supplier (like gowifi), that'd be super. I'm just looking at cost comparisons at the moment.

richms

28172 posts

Uber Geek

Trusted

Lifetime subscriber

#89386 4-Oct-2007 00:16

Good luck in the cdb, when there are over 200 wireless networks visable from some locations punching thru all that noise and delivering anything usable.

Perhaps if you use 5ghz for the backhaul and 2.4 to the end users it may work, but even then its doubtful that the users would get good service off it.

Richard rich.ms

MauriceWinn

141 posts

Master Geek

Trusted

#89686 5-Oct-2007 18:56

You'd be reinventing the wheel by developing a network, including servers, billing etc.

thechampionmasterx: I recently moved into the Auckland CBD (Customs Street), and I'm looking at starting a partial mesh network. I have limited experience in regards to coding etc, but I'm very confident with configuring routers and most WiFi related stuff.

Ideally we'd have a couple of servers managing the backend, with all intermediary transfers through WRT54G's with custom firmware. If anybody lives around the CBD and would be interested in helping out in any way, post here and we'll make contact.

Until we get a good couple of nodes going it'll be purely experimental, but fun, I'm sure..

Also, if anybody can point me in the direction of another decent WiFi supplier (like gowifi), that'd be super. I'm just looking at cost comparisons at the moment.

RoamAD has previously had a network in the area [bought by Reach Wireless a few years ago and since shut].   RoamAD via Kordia has coverage on Parnell Road, Ponsonby Road, Karangahape Road and Remuera Road. I guess Kordia plans to cover your area reasonably soon. https://www.kordiametrowifi.co.nz/coverage.php

Zenbu [the third biggest Wi-Fi network in New Zealand, [now with 86 zones installed], after Telecom and CafeNET] supplies hot spots which are the cheapest and best way to cover localized areas. A couple of routers can be combined to cover a wider area, with high gain directional antennas to get some distance in open air.   You could have a look here http://www.Zenbu.net.nz to see if it might help with what you want to do.   I'm a shareholder, so I'm biased of course.   I'm also a shareholder in RoamAD and also in QUALCOMM [which supplies Telecom's and Vodafone's CDMA technology] so I'm biased in all directions. Also in Globalstar. Basically I want low cost wireless internet everywhere.

Some other major Wi-Fi networks are Voila, Surfspot, Tomizone, Fivo, Hospitality Internet, Global Gossip.    You could look at what they offer too.   There is fibre in your area, so digging into that would be the ideal back-haul, but Vector charges like a wounded bull, so ADSL is probably most sensible.   But the Skytower could be an economical link too.   For all I know, there are other methods too.

thechampionmasterx

6 posts

Wannabe Geek

#89735 5-Oct-2007 21:39

Hey,

Sorry. I don't think I was clear regarding my goal.

What I intend to do is find people who already have (or would be willing to buy) some gear to set up a free community wireless network in the CBD.

I've got some custom firmware which enables users to pipe off a certain amount of their DSL bandwidth (say, 64k) to contribute to the network. The local bandwidth would be used for communications and file sharing with several different QoS rules.

I know there would be issues with leachers and people generally looking to mess things up, so what I need now is some way to regulate and monitor the traffic flow. I was thinking RADIUS, but from what I know that's quite difficult to implement over a mesh style network. Maybe not?

Anyway, any input is appreciated.

Thanks