Bootstrapping piertopier.net building free wifi with no money Dave Phelan [email_address]

building free wifi with no money

Dave Phelan

[email_address]

Agenda History What, When, Where Philosophy Technology Overview MeshAP versus Pebble Linux versus OpenWRT versus… Lessons Things we’ve learned Things to do better The Future?

History

What, When, Where

Philosophy

Technology Overview

MeshAP versus Pebble Linux versus OpenWRT versus…

Lessons

Things we’ve learned

Things to do better

The Future?

What? Objectives Provide WLAN to the beach between the Piers Bounded experiment Test out mesh networking Organically grow a network Do cool stuff Tech Locustworld Meshbox (AODV routing) NoCat Auth/Splash xDSL links Mini ITX PC hardware

Objectives

Provide WLAN to the beach between the Piers

Bounded experiment

Test out mesh networking

Organically grow a network

Do cool stuff

Tech

Locustworld Meshbox (AODV routing)

NoCat Auth/Splash

xDSL links

Mini ITX PC hardware

When? February 2003 – Initial email, followed by pub meet June 2003 – Node 1 operational July 2003 – Media Frenzy October 2004 – Node 2 & Wind Sensor Feb/Mar 2004 – Node 3, 4 & 5 May 2004 – 100+ unique users June 2004 – 300+ unique users July 2004 – Node 6 September 2004 – Wifi Surfboard April 2005 – 2000 unique users June 2005 – Glastonbury Festival July 2006 – Glade Festival Jan 2007 – #2 out of top 10 beaches with Wifi May 2007 – Node 3 vandalised Today: 10471 users (since we started counting!) and 12 nodes, of various types

February 2003 – Initial email, followed by pub meet

June 2003 – Node 1 operational

July 2003 – Media Frenzy

October 2004 – Node 2 & Wind Sensor

Feb/Mar 2004 – Node 3, 4 & 5

May 2004 – 100+ unique users

June 2004 – 300+ unique users

July 2004 – Node 6

September 2004 – Wifi Surfboard

April 2005 – 2000 unique users

June 2005 – Glastonbury Festival

July 2006 – Glade Festival

Jan 2007 – #2 out of top 10 beaches with Wifi

May 2007 – Node 3 vandalised

Today: 10471 users (since we started counting!) and 12 nodes, of various types

Where? Riptide Brighton Sailing Club Fishing Museum Granville Reception Granville Upstairs Audio Springfield Road Heist The Grosvenor The Dragon Three & Ten Iron Duke

Riptide

Brighton Sailing Club

Fishing Museum

Granville Reception

Granville Upstairs

Audio

Springfield Road

Heist

The Grosvenor

The Dragon

Three & Ten

Iron Duke

Philosophy Free Internet access for all: Access to the Internet must be free of charge. Charges for use of or access to the Piertopier network are expressly forbidden. The network must not be used for commercial or revenue generating activities. The equipment used to provide access must conform to the WIFI standard. Anyone wishing to use the network for a non commercial application must be allowed to do so. Where Internet access is promoted piertopier must be clearly mentioned Wireless access must be provided 24 hours a day. Charges for access to the location of the node are forbidden. Each node must have access to the Internet or an Internet connected Piertopier node. Mesh architecture must be used

Free Internet access for all:

Access to the Internet must be free of charge. Charges for use of or access to the Piertopier network are expressly forbidden.

The network must not be used for commercial or revenue generating activities.

The equipment used to provide access must conform to the WIFI standard.

Anyone wishing to use the network for a non commercial application must be allowed to do so.

Where Internet access is promoted piertopier must be clearly mentioned

Wireless access must be provided 24 hours a day.

Charges for access to the location of the node are forbidden.

Each node must have access to the Internet or an Internet connected Piertopier node.

Mesh architecture must be used

Technology Overview Locustworld MeshAP x86 hardware Cutdown Slackware Linux Limited documentation NoCatSplash Captive Portal AODV routing Pebble Linux Same hardware Easier customisation (Debian-ish) NoCatSplash Captive Portal Static/OSPF routing Chillispot Captive Portal OpenWRT Cheaper hardware (Linksys WRT54G) Same customisation as Pebble NoCatSplash not stable enough Static/OSPF routing Chillispot Captive Portal DD-WRT?

Locustworld MeshAP

x86 hardware

Cutdown Slackware Linux

Limited documentation

NoCatSplash Captive Portal

AODV routing

Pebble Linux

Same hardware

Easier customisation (Debian-ish)

NoCatSplash Captive Portal

Static/OSPF routing

Chillispot Captive Portal

OpenWRT

Cheaper hardware (Linksys WRT54G)

Same customisation as Pebble

NoCatSplash not stable enough

Static/OSPF routing

Chillispot Captive Portal

DD-WRT?

PC/104

Sticky GumStix

GumStix

Problems AODV routing Ad-hoc On-demand Distance Vector Tear down link if SNR too low Not so useful if single link Fixed network is neither Ad-hoc nor On-demand… NoCatSplash Cut-down NoCatAuth Captive Portal No user database No accountability No banning bad guys… Chillispot Captive Portal Needs Radius, UAM, back-end database Can’t easily self-provision Documentation

AODV routing

Ad-hoc On-demand Distance Vector

Tear down link if SNR too low

Not so useful if single link

Fixed network is neither Ad-hoc nor On-demand…

NoCatSplash

Cut-down NoCatAuth Captive Portal

No user database

No accountability

No banning bad guys…

Chillispot Captive Portal

Needs Radius, UAM, back-end database

Can’t easily self-provision

Documentation

Problems Power Gymnasium has lots of big machines and dirty power VIA 500 mini-ITX don’t reboot after powerfail Good site = no power… Weather Seaside = salt Salt & Water = rust Rust = antenna mount vulnerability Vandalism Spam Wiki Forum Time We all have day jobs…

Power

Gymnasium has lots of big machines and dirty power

VIA 500 mini-ITX don’t reboot after powerfail

Good site = no power…

Weather

Seaside = salt

Salt & Water = rust

Rust = antenna mount vulnerability

Vandalism

Spam

Wiki

Forum

Time

We all have day jobs…

Lessons Things we’ve learned Don’t use Adhoc routing in a fixed network Open Source should be Open Allow end users to self-provision Don’t be reliant on any one person Free servers <> stable servers Things to do better Documentation Resilience/uptime Standardisation Work less on the tech, more on the sponsorship/sites Festivals…

Things we’ve learned

Don’t use Adhoc routing in a fixed network

Open Source should be Open

Allow end users to self-provision

Don’t be reliant on any one person

Free servers <> stable servers

Things to do better

Documentation

Resilience/uptime

Standardisation

Work less on the tech, more on the sponsorship/sites

Festivals…

Festivals Glastonbury Festival – June 2005 Glade – July 2006

Glastonbury Festival – June 2005

Glade – July 2006

The Future? Maybe there isn’t one Brighton Wireless City FON But if there is… New blood New technology Standard build – simple for home use The future? &quot;The future is here, it's just not evenly distributed yet.&quot; &quot;The best wifi is just that: free wifi throughout, no codes, no charges.&quot; - William Gibson, http://tinyurl.com/2u4873

Maybe there isn’t one

Brighton Wireless City

FON

But if there is…

New blood

New technology

Standard build – simple for home use

The future?

&quot;The future is here, it's just not evenly distributed yet.&quot;

&quot;The best wifi is just that: free wifi throughout, no codes, no charges.&quot;

- William Gibson, http://tinyurl.com/2u4873

HELP? Network techs Wireless/radio techs Web design/maintenance Linux system admin Wiki/Forum admin Sounding out new sites Drumming up new sponsorship Documentation! Doing things better Making clever things?

Network techs

Wireless/radio techs

Web design/maintenance

Linux system admin

Wiki/Forum admin

Sounding out new sites

Drumming up new sponsorship

Documentation!

Doing things better

Making clever things?