Mesh network support in iOS 7

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jarledb

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#142778 24-Mar-2014 14:52

Interesting article about a new IM service built on the new Mesh network support that was introduced in iOS 7:

http://www.cultofmac.com/271225/appreciated-ios-7-feature-will-change-world/

Opens up for applications that can communicate with each other without an internet (or network) connection, and also for extending a network through a number of devices.

It’s called wireless mesh networking. And Apple has mainstreamed it in iOS 7. It’s going to change everything. Here’s why.

It can also extend an Internet connect to a place where none exists — for example, to a hotel basement, cave or to rural areas where cell tower connections are non-existent.

It does that through the mesh networking capability inherent in the Multipeer Connectivity Framework. With multiple users in the area, FireChat can relay messages just like the internet does, from node to node (phone to phone).

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PhantomNVD

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#1035360 2-May-2014 11:48

I missed this post a week ago, but read with interest as I'l rather rural and this might be a great way to extend services in NZ too..

I'm still not sure though about this
"In many poor countries and areas, people might be able to afford cheap or used phones, but not wireless service fees. Wireless mesh networks can provide free Internet connectivity to entire villages, slums or towns."

WHERE does the internet connection come in from... last man in the peer network bears the whole load?

Other things that jump out at me...

The benefit of such an ad-hoc network is how trivially easy it is to set up. Everybody just use FireChat or AirDrop or any other similar app. Boom! Connectivity for everyone"

"Not only is it hard or impossible to determine who the anonymous users are"

BOOM there goes your mobile Cap! Likely without you even realising that the 'firechat' (et al.) app your son downloaded to chat with you from his ipod just went crazy on your new 4G link?

"Think of wireless mesh networking as giving app developers the ability to create tiny, private or public Internets that are limited in time and place"

THIS is more useful, likely and usable... but apps bridging though add-hoc wifi and bluetooth to use other device 3G/4G/LTE internet.... without a specific, per user/per event, request would need a huge step from mobile companies to up-scale mobile Data caps... and local ISP's have only JUST (again) launched uncapped landlink connections :)

TwoSeven

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#1035449 2-May-2014 14:08

Ad-hoc networking has been around as long as I can remember (and I am thinking mid 80s). I think windows has had a similar form PRNP (works on a single network segment - I have always wondered why it has not been extended to a full domain). Personally, when designing ad-hoc systems I prefer to use a mesh as a fall-back to a central service (similar to a service bus in SOA), or take a similar form of only knowing the nodes closest rather than all of the nodes (partial mesh) - but different designs fit different solutions.

I believe modern power meters also use mesh networks to communicate (as an example of how it can be used).

From a mobile device point of view, I am not sure I would like my device talking to non-trusted devices in a true ad-hoc manner.

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Inphinity

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#1035465 2-May-2014 14:11

Lol, necro'd nearly 10 weeks later... will be interested to see where this consumer-level mesh gets to, though.

PhantomNVD

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#1035489 2-May-2014 14:47

Inphinity: Lol, necro'd nearly 10 weeks later... will be interested to see where this consumer-level mesh gets to, though.

well, i DID ask for an unlock before "necro'ing" this but i thought it might be worth discussing the finer details in the original post which presumably just got lost at the time?

what DID you think of the concept though?

wellygary

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#1035492 2-May-2014 14:50

TwoSeven: From a mobile device point of view, I am not sure I would like my device talking to non-trusted devices in a true ad-hoc manner.

+1 such networks are almost the exact description of how to do "man in the middle" attacks.

Inphinity

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#1035495 2-May-2014 14:55

wellygary:
TwoSeven: From a mobile device point of view, I am not sure I would like my device talking to non-trusted devices in a true ad-hoc manner.

+1 such networks are almost the exact description of how to do "man in the middle" attacks.

Yep, pretty much my view on it. Personally I find it too inherently risky, at least for any meaningful traffic, to traverse multiple anonymous, ad-hoc nearby nodes. I realise that there are also intermediary nodes in any internet connection, but there's far lower chance of them being random_hacker_001 sitting in his van outside.

PhantomNVD

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#1041085 9-May-2014 20:04

Inphinity:
wellygary:
TwoSeven: From a mobile device point of view, I am not sure I would like my device talking to non-trusted devices in a true ad-hoc manner.

+1 such networks are almost the exact description of how to do "man in the middle" attacks.

Yep, pretty much my view on it. Personally I find it too inherently risky, at least for any meaningful traffic, to traverse multiple anonymous, ad-hoc nearby nodes. I realise that there are also intermediary nodes in any internet connection, but there's far lower chance of them being random_hacker_001 sitting in his van outside.

what about if it auto encrypted traffic... VPN style, so intermediates couldn't access the traffic meaningfully... would you be happy to share your data, with the general understanding that they'd be happy to share theirs?

could 4G/5G..(10G?) ever seem feasible as an 'uncapped' service? LAnd linked internet just went fully uncapped on a widespread basis, could cellular ever do so too?

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jnimmo

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#1042692 12-May-2014 22:00

Neat, thanks for posting, hadn't heard about this before. Has some very cool possibilities

MadEngineer

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#1047446 18-May-2014 14:39

PhantomNVD: I missed this post a week ago, but read with interest as I'l rather rural and this might be a great way to extend services in NZ too..

I'm still not sure though about this
"In many poor countries and areas, people might be able to afford cheap or used phones, but not wireless service fees. Wireless mesh networks can provide free Internet connectivity to entire villages, slums or towns."

WHERE does the internet connection come in from... last man in the peer network bears the whole load?

sounds like the writer took the vision a bit too far but i imagine its function is limited to the app so the sole guy with internet access would be relaying small amount of chat data. It might be a given that if you use this app you agree you may be providing this service for others. The point is that if someone in the village is only talking with someone else a few hops away then internet access isn't needed. I haven't seen the app but imagine it tells you if they're offline or online to you along with message delivery confirmation. It could even gather all the offline chat traffic intended for disconnected recipients then when any of the gathering devices connects it uploads everyones messages.

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PhantomNVD

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#1047486 18-May-2014 16:02

Madengineer. It could even gather all the offline chat traffic intended for disconnected recipients then when any of the gathering devices connects it uploads everyones messages.

Now that WOULD be cool :)

Send a text in the morning as your neighbour heads to work and know it'll get through as soon as he makes his way out of your little internet black hole on his way to work :)