mesh

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1406 discussions

Karma Wants To Make Peer-to-Peer Wi-Fi a Thing

by Chris Jefferies

They're still thinking in terms of "data allowance"... http://mashable.com/2013/06/23/karma-wifi-sharing/ -- Chris Jefferies 228 Stanford Ave Kensington, CA 94708 (510) 409-0003 - mobile

10 years, 11 months

Mesh networks and patents

by Miguel Vargas

Interesting article from EFF on mesh networks and patents. https://www.eff.org/deeplinks/2013/06/mesh-networking-good-overbroad-patent…

10 years, 11 months

EFF: Mesh Networking, Good. Overbroad Patents, Bad.

by Eddan Katz

another legal aspect of the sudo-mesh project is patent busting prior art research. ... https://www.eff.org/deeplinks/2013/06/mesh-networking-good-overbroad-patent… > JUNE 21, 2013 | BY JULIE SAMUELS > Mesh Networking, Good. Overbroad Patents, Bad. Help Us Protect Mesh Networking. > Earlier this year, we announced that along with the Cyberlaw Clinic at Harvard’s Berkman Center for Internet and Society, we were challenging six patent applications that, if granted, could threaten the development of 3D printing technology. We asked you—the community—for help, and your input was invaluable. We're still waiting to hear from the Patent Office on those applications, but our work is not done. We need your help again, this time to challenge dangerous patent applications that threaten mesh networking technology. > > Mesh networking allows users to form their own networks without a centralized infrastructure, making them inherently resistant to censorship, surveillance, and disruption. Given recent revelations showing widespread surveillance of the phone calls and online activities of innocent Americans and others around the globe, the development of mesh networks more important than ever. Governments and commercial actors have taken advantage of intermediaries as “weak links” in order to censor, surveil, and disrupt communications and social movements. Already in the United States, cell towers have been deactivated in response to planned protest, while activists in countries such as Egypt, Libya, and Syria have suffered massive blackouts that shut down all access from within the country to the wider Internet. Mesh networking technology can help activists fight back. > > Wireless Mesh Networks > > For more than a decade the open-source community has been developing networks that use multi-hop connectivity to bypass the current ISP-dominated model of Internet access. These Wireless Mesh Networks (WMNs) have tremendous potential for enabling the free flow of information without exposure to censorship and monitoring. Because they lack a central access point, mesh networks are also harder to take down, as the removal of one node won’t terminate the entire network. And WMNs, by not relying on infrastructure provided by ISPs, can provide connectivity in areas where that infrastructure is inaccessible, damaged, or prohibitively expensive. > > The open source community has developed innovative tools and applications of mesh networking technology including the B.A.T.M.A.N. routing protocol developed by Freifunk, a system for internet access in remote areas of Afghanistan and Kenya (FabFi), and community controlled telephone systems in Nigeria, Columbia, Puerto Rico, South Africa, East Timor, and Brazil (VillageTelco). Harvard Law Professor Jonathan Zittrain and former FCC chairman Julius Genachowski recently advocated for the use of mesh networks to provide phone access during times of crisis when mobile networks are overloaded. > > The Problem > > Wireless Mesh Networking is still in its nascent stages, and the innovations and experimentation of the open source community are playing a vital role in advancing the technology. However, there has also been significant proprietary and military interest in the technology, and companies are seeking patents in many areas of WMN already explored by the open source community. We unfortunately know what can happen when overbroad patents get granted—the rise of patent trolls, lawsuits that can threaten growing businesses, and threats that target entire areas of technology. We don't want to see that happen to mesh networking. > > This is where you come in! > > We have identified several patent applications that we believe particularly threaten the free development of mesh networking technology. There is a danger that these patents, if granted, will lock up the basic mesh network infrastructure and restrict advancement of and access to the technology. > > We have been using the Patent Office’s new Preissuance Submissions procedure, which gives third parties an opportunity to tell patent examiners when they think a patent application shouldn't be granted. The procedure requires those third parties to submit publications predating the application that prove the ideas in the patent were not novel. > > Which is why we need your help. We are again partnering with Ask Patents so you can help us identify the best prior art to reign in these applications. While prior art for issued patents must date back many years, these are recently filed applications for which relatively recent publications may be helpful. Look at each “Request for Prior Art” we post to learn the exact priority date. > > Working together we can protect the mesh networking community from overbroad, illegitimate patents that threaten to stifle innovation and access to technologies that preserve personal freedoms. > > APPARATUS AND METHOD FOR ENHANCING WIRELESS MESH NETWORK COMMUNICATIONS > > ADAPTING EXTENSIBLE AUTHENTICATION PROTOCOL FOR LAYER 3 MESH NETWORKS > > MESH NETWORK GATEWAY AND SECURITY SYSTEM

10 years, 11 months

Meeting Minutes 6/20

by Jenny Ryan

Reposted here for posterity: https://sudoroom.org/wiki/Mesh/20_June_2013 June 20th Meeting Minutes = Attendees = * Chris J, Jenny, Max, Juul, Miguel, Eddan.com, Sam = Action Items = * Decide on name (some suggested options further down in the notes) * Research 501(c)x statuses: https://sudoroom.org/wiki/Tax_Structure_Research * Put together a brochure / pamphlet * Website (contingent on name) * Splash page design * Glossary of terms (eg Fresnal zone, Hidden Node problem, etc) on the wiki - MaxB began: https://sudoroom.org/wiki/Mesh/Terms = Misc Notes = * Community wireless vs. Municipal (gov run) or Corporate (eg Google Wifi) * Hidden Node Problem: ** Request-to-Send and Clear-to-Send ** TDMA (Time Division Multiple Access): https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Time_division_multiple_access *** Someone at Noisebridge has worked on this, could maybe help port from FreeBSD to Linux? =Checking out the hardware!= ** Don't power them up without the antennas!! ** Need adapters for the external antennas to bullets ** AirGrids can only run on 5.2V max, meant to run off USB ** NanoBridges and AirGrids are 5GHz and will serve as the rooftop backbone of the mesh. ** PicoStations are the street-level routers = Crowdfunding Campaign = * Raised over $1600 in one week! Awesome! * Legal structure of accepting donations ** Very good accounting * Should investigate 501(c)4 ** Talk to folks at the SELC, recommended 501(c)7 * Talking to Noisebridge and SchoolFactory in the next week or two about umbrella-ing under their 501(c)3 = Survey Responses = * FILL IN * 2/3 like the current logo = Name Suggestions = * Mycelium * Wicelium * Sudo Mesh * Meta Mesh * Root Net * Super Web * The Trunk * Hive 10 * Orga Net * Open and Notorious * Sudo Net * Oakland Wireless Network (OWN) * Oakland Community-Organized Resilient Network (OCORN) * Oakland Community Network = Marketing Discussion = * Sudo meant to reflect empowerment to fix it or make it yourself ** Include a brief definition of SUDO at the bottom of marketing materials * 'FREE WIFI' sign and/or stickers for the mesh * Adopt-A-Picostation * Collate accessories for mounting and running a node and link to online marketplaces on the site = Folks to reach out to = * Internet Archive and Brewster * Kapor Foundation = Report Backs = * Still need to make a protocol decision * Inventory Tracking! Mycelia Zero should be completed by next week: Decentralized network of tools/objects, projects and people/skills - Access control (choose to share) ** Need a weather-resistant sticker or tagging system - RFIDs? ** MyAssetTag.com - aluminum matte tags - available very tiny (0.25" x 1") in batches of 100 for $32 ** 'Property Of' stamps / tattoos to discourage theft * OpenOakland feedback: ** Someone has a roof in the hills with a view of the airport (and thus LOL) = Outreach Strategy = * Origin of the outdoor mesh could be LOL/SOL/Cycles Bikery * Would be easier to connect W Oakland * We could split the hardware 50/50 between West and East Oakland, then run a campaign to reach across the divides in Oakland to connect the two meshes! * Reach up to Richmond to Internet Archive's awesome node! = Mounting Solutions = * Flower pots! (with plants that won't obstruct!) * Birdhouses * On the eve of the rooftop outside would be ideal * Flags (American or Pirate version) = Firmware = * Directing network traffic is the major technical challenge * Encourage participants to use BitTorrent clients that support uTP (microtorrent protocol) * Should have two options: 1. People replace their existing access point (which they donate to us) with a PicoStation 2. People keep their existing access point and add the PicoStation to their setup, which runs off their router ** Folks can also host a rooftop node * Focus on aesthetic unobstrusiveness * Set up a way to split the network into several access points: back channel (for the mesh nodes to connect to eachother), open channel (for public connecting) and private channel (for folks in house/etc, more bandwidth, can be secured with password, etc) * Things to add to the firmware: ** Privoxy! Non-caching web proxy for block "obnoxious internet junk" ** Ghostery (protect from tracking) ** Adblock (allow for easy opt-in) * Put passwords on the PoE adapters and let people maintain their own node's level of privacy, upgrades, etc = Useful Anecdotes = * Internet Archive has created a super node up in Richmond (~15km from here) * Chris has used a dish and 4ft antenna like ours and with line of sight reached up to 2 miles * Chris has created a router with an xbee radio (cheaper, takes less power) hooked up to the serial port to take in different kinds of sensor data ** Air quality egg ** Router w/ xbee unit for additional cost = Needs = * Antennas towers ** Telescoping flagpoles! (suggested by Seattle Meshnet) - up to 20ft, available Harbor Freight for $50 * Wooden blocks with hinges to direct the Picos * Ubiquiti sector antennas as major backbone points (2 x 2 x) - up to 40 subscribers, with dishes pointing the signal outward in all directions = Research Assignment = Homework Assignment: Research a Mesh Project that has succeeded or failed * Week 1: Marc * Week 2: Jenny * Week 3: Chris * August: Eddan = Web Resources = * RadioLabs (antennas and such): http://www.radiolabs.com/ * CeroWRT - solving the issue of bufferbloat in OpenWRT: http://www.bufferbloat.net/projects/cerowrt * BISmark (detect ISP issues and home traffic): http://projectbismark.net/ * MyAssetTag.com (for tagging outdoor routers with barcodes): http://myassettag.com Oh yeah, we're checking out hardware for testing here: https://sudoroom.org/wiki/Mesh/Checkouts ~mesh the planet!~ Jenny http://jennyryan.net http://thepyre.org http://thevirtualcampfire.org http://technomadic.tumblr.com `~`~`~`~`~`~`~`~`~`~`~`~`~`~`~`~`~`~` "Technology is the campfire around which we tell our stories." -Laurie Anderson "Storytelling reveals meaning without committing the error of defining it." -Hannah Arendt "To define is to kill. To suggest is to create." -Stéphane Mallarmé ~`~`~`~`~`~`~`~`~`~`~`~`~`~`~`~`~`~`

10 years, 11 months

Node map!

by Marc Juul

I set up a mapping application so we can start mapping out potential nodes. If you add a node, please put information about whether we'd have access to put a node node on the roof or mount it on the side of the building, or only inside the building, and put your name so we know who to talk to about each node. http://meshmap.sudoroom.org/

10 years, 11 months

Meeting tonight!

by Marc Juul

Hi everyone. Meeting tonight is 8:30 as always. On the agenda is: * Introductions and icebreaker. * Have a look at the hardware we bought. Intro for less technical folks. * State of the crowdfunding campaign and how to proceed. * Follow up on last weeks agenda items and turning them into action items. * -end of meeting- work on agenda items for as long as people want. ** I'm specifically interested in getting building our firmware, so if anyone want to join me for a firmware hacking \o/ Jenny and myself may be delayed (hopefully not), but if we are, we should be there by 9 pm. Also this group has no leaders: If you get there and no-one else is setting up a table and gathering people up for the mesh meeting, then you can totally do it! (even if it's your first time there!). There are sudo beers in the fridge for suggested donation $2. See you tonight! -- Marc

10 years, 11 months

Name and logo discussion and brainstorm

by Marc Juul

Hi. I wanted to get the name and logo discussion off the ground. First a bit of history as i understand it: In 2009 Mark Burdett (and others) started an east bay community mesh networking project called 510pen. It had several nodes in Oakland (maybe 20+), and still has a few active nodes. The routers used were open-mesh.com routers, which come pre-configured for mesh. 510pen applied for some decent amount of funding (Mark can elaborate) but did not get it. Over time the project stagnated and several routers went offline. The assets carried over from 510pen are: * A small amount of brand recognition from the people who ran or are still running mesh nodes. * The logo: https://510pen.org/ * A few deployed mesh routers. Our current project could be communicated as a reboot of 510pen, or as a new project with roots in 510pen, or as an entirely new project. We have to decide if we want to re-use the name and/or logo of 510pen. To get a sense of people's opinions, here's a survey: http://www.surveymonkey.com/s/PFL7B25 Please fill it out! At the meeting this upcoming Thursday, we'll give everyone a few minutes to fill out the survey if they haven't already and then have a discussion about it. Personally, here are my totally biased thoughts on the logo and name, and I invite everyone else to chime in with theirs: 510pen pros: * It communicates to locals that it's a local project. * It puts a focus on the open, which we're all about. * It's clever. 510pen cons: * Does not communicate what the project is (except open). * Does not work well outside of the bay area where people don't know 510. * Difficult to communicate in speech. Most people Jenny and myself have talked to needed it explained. * It might be problematic if it expands to e.g. SF. Logo pros: * It's awesome. * It references the nice Oakland oak tree design. * It brings to mind roots, as in grass roots. * It doesn't look corporate. * It works well in black and white. Logo cons: * It looks like the houses are connected underground, which brings to mind cables, not wifi. (but then again, i think we should be focused on creating a community communications network, not specifically a wifi network). * It references the Oakland oak tree, even though it's not an oakland-specific project. Personally, I'd like to see us go with a different name but keep the logo. How do you folks feel? -- Marc

10 years, 11 months

mesh t-shirts and stickers?

by mark burdett

Hi, I'd like to get some stickers and t-shirts printed :) t-shirts could be sold for a significant chunk of the cost of a node. and stickers can go on routers, folks' laptops, window of business running a mesh node, etc. What do folks think? --mark B.

10 years, 11 months

Mesh hardware has arrived!

by Marc Juul

Hi folks. The $2000 mesh hardware has arrived. Jenny and myself have spent the evening going through everything and making an inventory of what we have, what we need to get everything into working order and how much appears to work. We did a power-on test of all hardware (except the AirGrids which are weird and don't connect them to anything unless you know what you're doing or they'll fry!). The summary is that, we have the following working outdoor gear at our disposal: *15 nice big 2.4 ghz omni antennas with rooftop mounting brackets *18 nice slightly less big 2.4 ghz omni antennas *76 Ubiquiti Picostation 2 HPs *29 Ubiquiti Bullet 2 HPs *3 Ubiquiti AirGrid M5s *2 Ubiquiti Nanobridge M5s *1 Ubiquiti Nanostation M5 There were only three picostations out of the whole lot that did not power on and they're not included in the above count. If we count gear bought by Jenny and myself outside of this auction, that means we have enough for. *105 2.4 ghz street level (or rooftop) nodes. *13x 5 ghz rooftop nodes. *A few (10-20?) 2.4 ghz indoor nodes. There's a more detailed inventory here: https://sudoroom.org/wiki/Mesh/Inventory With info on what we need to buy to get everything working. We also have spreadsheets with even more detail and serial numbers written down that we'll get online soon. Everything without serial numbers is in boxes with serial numbers.

10 years, 11 months

Re: [Mesh] [sudo-discuss] [OpenOakland Brigade] [OpenOakland] Community Wireless Networks Across America

by Miguel Vargas

Steve, Yes! We've been on the hunt for locations in the hills. Lets coordinate a scouting trip to your house with a couple people from the mesh team. On Mon, Jun 17, 2013 at 11:25 AM, Steve Berl <steveberl(a)gmail.com> wrote: > Not really sure if this is useful or not, but I'd be willing to donate a > spot on my roof for an antenna. I'm part way up the hills, and have a line > of sight view of Lake Merritt, chunks of downtown, and a wide swath of the > flats of Oakland, Emeryville, and Berkeley. Not sure if I can see the > sudoroom, as it is probably obscured by some taller buildings between here > and there. > > http://goo.gl/maps/bGpNk > > Is this useful? Perhaps as a relay between different neighborhoods or > something? > > -steve > > On Jun 17, 2013, at 11:02 AM, Miguel Vargas <unroar(a)gmail.com> wrote: > > Reading that description I'd say our mesh network project at sudoroom is > probably farther along than what he's offering for giving help, though it > would still be great to get his help. We recently purchased 100 routers and > our putting together plans for doing outreach in a neighborhood, which is > probably going to be San Antonio in Fruitvale. > > If anybody is thinking of donating please consider giviving to our local > project instead at > https://www.wepay.com/donations/oakland-community-mesh-network > > > On Mon, Jun 17, 2013 at 10:23 AM, Tony Barreca <tony.barreca(a)gmail.com>wrote: > >> There's an active Mesh Network project in Oakland once again, the central >> locus of which is at Sudoroom. >> >> >> >> >> On Mon, Jun 17, 2013 at 3:05 AM, howard dyckoff <howarddy(a)gmail.com>wrote: >> >>> Most of the Mesh network activity was previously confined to SF. >>> >>> I think there was some activity in North Oakland 2-3 years back. >>> >>> If I recall correctly, the cells have to be within half a mile or a >>> third of a mile of each other.... pls verify, I'm sure the range has >>> increased gradually. >>> >>> And I think the min cost of a local neighborhood transmitter and >>> antennae was between $500 and $1000 a few years ago. I hope that pricing >>> is better now. >>> >>> The problem, I think , is that the areas most in need of this have fewer >>> and less successful neighborhood associations and fewer households that >>> could afford to setup mesh nodes. >>> >>> That's unfortunate since this could provide really inexpensive internet >>> access for everyone. >>> >>> I am sure "Business Improvement Districts" could be involved, but there >>> are few of them operating in East and West Oakland. We'd need a big >>> grant to cover those areas -- or a lot of neighborhood organizing. >>> >>> And we'd have to plan for some of the equipment being stolen. As an >>> example, the new library at 81st Ave, where we held an event earlier this >>> year, had many of its computers stolen a few weeks after it opened. >>> >>> But I don't want to be too negative here. I would definitely support >>> this effort. >>> >>> >>> >>> >>> On Sat, Jun 15, 2013 at 7:14 PM, Eddie Tejeda <eddie(a)codeforamerica.org>wrote: >>> >>>> Hey everyone! >>>> >>>> Checkout this cool project by Preston Rhea, from Open Technology >>>> Institute at the New America Foundation. He's thinking that Oakland will be >>>> one of the pilot cities. There are existing local mesh network projects in >>>> the area, right? People know how those projects are doing? This could be a >>>> collaborative opportunity. >>>> >>>> >>>> http://crowdhitch.millennialtrain.co/campaign/detail/1330 >>>> >>>> >>>> The project is to spread locally-managed community wireless mesh >>>>> networks around the country. I'll teach local technologists and community >>>>> organizers how to use regular Wi-Fi routers and free, open source software >>>>> to build their own community Internet infrastructure. >>>> >>>> >>>> >>>>> >>>>> The project will use Commotion <http://commotionwireless.net/>, a >>>>> free, open source software project designed to make it easy for anyone to >>>>> set up their own mesh network. We'll share tools and methods for >>>>> participatory technology pedagogy, and the routers that we set up together >>>>> will remain with the locals to seed their own mesh networks. With these >>>>> seeds spread, people in each city can continue to grow locally-managed >>>>> Internet networks and spur innovation on a shared platform accessible to >>>>> any resident. >>>> >>>> >>>> -- >>>> Eddie A. Tejeda >>>> @eddietejeda >>>> 2012 Fellow, Code for America >>>> http://codeforamerica.org >>>> >>>> -- >>>> You received this message because you are subscribed to the Google >>>> Groups "OpenOakland" group. >>>> To unsubscribe from this group and stop receiving emails from it, send >>>> an email to openoakland+unsubscribe(a)googlegroups.com. >>>> To post to this group, send email to openoakland(a)googlegroups.com. >>>> To view this discussion on the web visit >>>> https://groups.google.com/d/msgid/openoakland/CAALX_7Y--m8x0%3DnuHdvQWAOCRJ… >>>> . >>>> For more options, visit https://groups.google.com/groups/opt_out. >>>> >>>> >>>> >>> >>> >>> -- >>> You received this message because you are subscribed to the Google >>> Groups "OpenOakland" group. >>> To unsubscribe from this group and stop receiving emails from it, send >>> an email to openoakland+unsubscribe(a)googlegroups.com. >>> To post to this group, send email to openoakland(a)googlegroups.com. >>> To view this discussion on the web visit >>> https://groups.google.com/d/msgid/openoakland/CAGOPvtFSs8JtEGTapLhZfmK%3DxZ… >>> . >>> >>> For more options, visit https://groups.google.com/groups/opt_out. >>> >>> >>> >> >> >> >> -- >> Tony Barreca >> LinkedIn: http://www.linkedin.com/in/tonybarreca >> Skype: tonybarreca >> Twitter: tbarreca >> Mobile: (510) 710-5864 >> >> -- >> You received this message because you are subscribed to the Google Groups >> "OpenOakland" group. >> To unsubscribe from this group and stop receiving emails from it, send an >> email to openoakland+unsubscribe(a)googlegroups.com. >> To post to this group, send email to openoakland(a)googlegroups.com. >> To view this discussion on the web visit >> https://groups.google.com/d/msgid/openoakland/CADq-UhNou4%2BziqqZvGDsjyryJm… >> . >> >> For more options, visit https://groups.google.com/groups/opt_out. >> >> >> > > _______________________________________________ > sudo-discuss mailing list > sudo-discuss(a)lists.sudoroom.org > http://lists.sudoroom.org/listinfo/sudo-discuss > > >

10 years, 11 months

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