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<span style="color:#20b24b;">'''<big>Oct 25: Launched [https://peoplesopen.net/ PeoplesOpen.net] our public project page!</big>'''</span>
<center>{{#setlogo:Meshlogo.png}}
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[[File:Sudomesh.jpg|350px]]</center>


'''''We are a group of volunteers building a community mesh network in Oakland, California.'''''
Sudo Mesh is a people-powered project. That means that anyone can join the network if they're willing to contribute by [https://github.com/sudomesh/bugs/issues/new reporting bugs], improving [https://github.com/sudomesh software], fixing hardware, [https://sudoroom.org/wiki/Mesh/WalkThrough setting up a node], [https://peoplesopen.net/blog/new-node-in-the-berkeley-hills/ installing rooftop nodes], telling your friends about us, [https://peoplesopen.net/blog/build-your-own-internet-workshop/ joining for a workshop], bringing pizza to a hack session, donating  [[Mesh/Wishlist|equipment]]/[https://www.patreon.com/peoplesopennet money]/[https://blockchain.info/address/12RxU4DpLpdWcmEBn7Tj325CCXBwt5i9Hc Bitcoin], learning with us about how the internet works, or just being patient if something is broken :)


A mesh network is, in essence, free as in freedom alternative internet. Using low-cost routers (often donated or recycled) mounted on rooftops, we're currently building the backbone of the mesh throughout downtown Oakland, from West Oakland to the Fruitvale BART and beyond!
'''Interested in learning more and exploring?''' Check out our [[#Join Us|Join Us]] section. You do not need to be technically skilled to be part of this project. We need people willing to mount gear on rooftops, folks who want to do public outreach, graphic design artists, film-makers, documentarians and so much more! Show up at a monthly general meeting and get involved!


Mesh networks are awesome because they don't depend on the existing centralized Internet Service Providers to function. Though they can be connected to the Internet as we know it now, a mesh network provides a decentralized mode of communication with our local community. We view mesh networks as a means of connecting to our neighbors, supporting local businesses, and enabling grassroots community collaboration. In the event of disaster or government censorship, an active mesh network is a resilient means of communication and sharing of information.
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<center>{{Mesh nav}}</center>


[[File:510NetworkDishes.jpg|200px|thumb|right|Dishes in Action]]
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{{Mesh nav}}
__NOTOC__
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=What does it mean?!=
Imagine if the wifi router in your home connected to the wifi routers in your neighbours' homes and they again connected to their neighbours to form a huge free wireless network spanning the city! That's exactly what a [https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Mesh_networking mesh network] is, or at least what it can be. Roads and telephone poles are owned by government or private interests and laying down cable is expensive, but by using wireless signals that hop from building to building we can create a community-owned and -operated, free-as-in-freedom alternative to corporate Internet Service Providers. Community wireless mesh networks are growing around the world, creating local 'internets' that support Net Neutrality and community control of critical infrastructure.


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We are spending a lot of time developing [https://github.com/sudomesh/ software] to make it cheap and easy for anyone to be participate in cooperative communications infrastructure, regardless of technical skill.


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= Who are you? =
'''sudomesh is a group of volunteers operating out of the [https://sudoroom.org sudo room] hackerspace at the [https://omnicommons.org Omni Commons] - a collective of collectives stewarding a large community space in Oakland, California. We develop software and assemble hardware systems to help build open community networks like the [https://peoplesopen.net People's Open Network], a community-owned and -operated non-profit internet infrastructure in Oakland.''' We are all unpaid volunteers building open technology that helps to connect our neighbors, support local businesses, and enable community collaboration and cultural production. In the event of a natural disaster or state censorship, community mesh networks can be a resilient means of communication and sharing of information.


= Meetup Info =
= Frequently Asked Questions (FAQs)=
*Join the [http://lists.sudoroom.org/listinfo/mesh Mailing List!]
* [[Mesh/Decisions|Decisions]] - What decisions have we made, and why?
*We have weekly hack nights on Thursdays, 7:30-10pm at [[Getting_there|Sudo Room]]. The first three Thursdays of the month are work nights - so come by and jump in! General meetings for discussion and planning are Last Thursdays of every month. We plan to have local focus groups in the near future - watch this space or join the mailing list for details.
* [[Mesh/Funding|Funding]] - How the heck do we fund this thing?
*Find us on IRC: #peoplesopen.net on [http://webchat.freenode.net/?channels=peoplesopen.net Freenode IRC]
* [[Mesh/Legal|Legal]] - How do we use exit nodes, relays and legal structures to protect node owners and ourselves?
*We generally take meeting notes at: https://pad.riseup.net/p/sudomesh
* [[Mesh/Hosting|Hosting]] - How are we hosting and what does it cost?
* [[Mesh/Backup|Backup]] - How do we handle backups?
* [[Mesh/Server security|Server Security]] - How do we ensure server security?


= Crowdfunding campaign =
= Logistics =
* [[Mesh/Minutes|Meeting Minutes]] - Notes from our weekly meetings dating back to January 2013.
* [[Mesh/Taxes|Taxes]] - Filed taxes for the sudo mesh non-profit


We successfully concluded our bootstrap [https://www.wepay.com/xtewtey crowdfunding campaign on WePay] to buy the first 100 wifi routers for the mesh! Thanks to all who supported with a donation. See [[Mesh/Purchases]] for details on how much was raised, who contributed, and what we've procured thus far with the funds!
= Research =
* [[Mesh/Other mesh projects|Other mesh projects]] around the world that have inspired us to make our own network!
* [[Mesh/Interviews with other meshers|Interviews]] - we interviewed other experienced meshers
* [[Mesh/Documentation|Other documentation]] - books, articles, wikis, blog posts.
* [[Mesh/Oakland|Oakland]] - information and resources pertaining to Oakland community organizations, wireless initiatives, policy and research initiatives
* [[Mesh/Other muni networking projects|Municipal projects]] - examples of progressive uses of municipal networks.
* [[Mesh/Decentralized FM/AM radio|Decentralized FM/AM radio]] - Bit of research on adding legal FM/AM transmitters to nodes.
* [http://wiki.tidepools.com Tidepools] - [[User:tunabananas|Jenny Ryan]] designed local use cases for a community mobile mapping application built to run on mesh networks.
* [https://wiki.projectmeshnet.org/Main_Page Project Meshnet] - Extensive wiki on the /r/darknet project, including extensive list of [https://wiki.projectmeshnet.org/Projects projects coordinating with them].
* [http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Long-range_Wi-Fi#Notable_links Long Range Wifi] - Info on the longest-range wifi connections ever made.
* [https://github.com/adafruit/Adafruit-WebIDE Adafruit's Web IDE built for Raspberry Pi] but probably good for editing code on any device and ensuring it is managed with a code repo. By default it uses [https://bitbucket.org bitbucket.org] but it could probably be configured for Github.


Here are some other ways you can help out:
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<center>
= Our Projects =
[[File:Mesh_Oakland_High_Res.png|center|187px|thumb|Building a community-owned and -operated wireless mesh network in Oakland, California and beyond!|link=https://peoplesopen.net]]<br />
[[File:Disasterradio.png|center|187px|thumb|link=https://disaster.radio|Disaster-resilient communications network powered by the sun.]]<br />
[[File:Byoi.png|center|187px|thumb|link=https://buildyourowninter.net|Instructions for building your own internet, plus a global directory of community wireless mesh networks.]]</center><br />
[[File:Laptops4all.png|center|187px|thumb|link=https://laptopsforall.org|Upcycling retired/donated laptops to those who can't afford them.]]<br />


*Support us with a small weekly donation on [https://www.gittip.com/sudomesh/ Gittip].
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*Send bitcoins to our wallet address: 12RxU4DpLpdWcmEBn7Tj325CCXBwt5i9Hc
*Come to our work meetings in Oakland! (listed above).
*Form a project and/or a neighborhood working group to create new and locally-relevant ways of plugging into the mesh.


= Mesh pages =
<center>
*[[Mesh/ToDos]] - Tangible To Dos! Add some on, take some on!  
= How To Participate =
*[[Mesh/Wishlist]] - List of hardware we'd love to experiment with!
</center>
If you want to join the mesh you'll need a mesh router at your home! Currently the best way to get one is to show up at our monthly general meeting as described above. We need more people on the network to improve the quality of the service. When you setup a node, you improve the service for everybody on the network and give more access to your community. We encourage participants to ask their communities to join their networks and create distributed services for them. We have a [[Mesh/User_Guide|user guide]] to help you get on the network!
* Chat with us on [https://peoplesopen.net/chat RocketChat], the #peoplesopen channel in [https://www.scuttlebutt.nz/ Secure Scuttlebutt], or on [http://www.irchelp.org/irchelp/irctutorial.html IRC]: [http://webchat.freenode.net/?channels=peoplesopen.net #peoplesopen.net] (see also [[IRC | IRC Intro]])
* Join the [http://lists.sudoroom.org/listinfo/mesh email list]
* We have weekly meetings every Tuesday <s>from 7:30-9pm at [[Getting_there|sudo room]]</s> from [https://meet.jit.si/sudomesh2020 8-9pm via Jitsi]. We have focus groups and collaborate on different parts of the project - from [https://github.com/sudomesh/propaganda design] to [https://github.com/sudomesh software development], documentation to hardware hacking, [https://sudorom.org/wiki/Mesh/SFBayArea community outreach] and [https://github.com/sudomesh/mounting/blob/master/PONIprogram.md climbing rooftops to mount nodes]!
* Come to our weekly Tuesday meetings in <s>[[Getting_there|sudo room]]</s> cyberspace. The quarantine format is much more relaxed, and we welcome newcomers! <s>The first three Tuesdays of the month are hack nights where we work (often in parallel) on everything from pamphlets to maps to code. This is a good opportunity to find someone familiar with the ins and outs and ask questions. The last Tuesday of the month is a more structured recap meeting, where we follow an agenda, get updates on what progress was made in the last month, and plan for the next month.</s>
* We generally collaborate on [https://peoplesopen.net/notes notes] at each meeting. Look at our archive of past [[Mesh/Minutes|meeting minutes]]!
* Contribute to the network by installing a mesh node at your location using our handy [https://sudoroom.org/wiki/Mesh/WalkThrough Mesh Node Setup Walkthrough]. This is especially helpful for those who are within range of an existing node (seen as a wireless SSID named "peoplesopen.net").
*Check out our [[Mesh/ToDos|ToDo list]]
*Support us with a small monthly donation on [https://www.patreon.com/peoplesopennet Patreon], here's [[Mesh/Purchases|how we spend it]].
*Send bitcoins to our wallet address: {{bitcoin wallet}}
*Check out our [[Mesh/Wishlist|wishlist]], we have requests!
*Improve our documentation
*Talk to your community about joining the mesh - here are some [https://github.com/sudomesh/propaganda resources] for doing so!
* Follow us on [https://twitter.com/sudomesh twitter] and like us on [https://www.facebook.com/sudomesh facebook].


==Design==
== Developers ==
*[http://meshmap.sudoroom.org Map] - of potential nodes.
*[[Mesh/Website]] - Notes and documentation for the design of peoplesopen.net and meshthepla.net.
*[[Mesh/MeshApps]] - Local applications to run on the mesh!
*[[Mesh/Swag]] - Research on custom-printed t-shirts and other swag.
*[[Mesh/Stickers]] - Sticker design
*[[Ascii Art]] - for linux logins


==Technical Documentation==
We need hardware and software engineers to help us with our code. We have an overview of [[Mesh/Technical_Overview|technical documentation]] that will be helpful in understanding the network.
*[[Mesh/Tracking]] - Problems and solutions related to tracking, logging and anonymity
*[[Mesh/WalkThrough]] - Easy how-to for setting up OpenWRT & BATMAN-adv on Ubiquiti routers
**[[Mesh/OpenWRT]] - Experiences with the OpenWRT router firmware
**[[Mesh/BATMAN-adv]] - Experiences with the batman-adv mesh protocol
*[[Mesh/Firmware]] - Everything related to our firmware
**[[Mesh/Firmware/Splash page]] - Splash page / Captive Portal
**[[Mesh/Firmware/Bandwidth shaping]] - QoS / Bandwidth shaping
**[[Mesh/Firmware/Zeroconf]] - Issues related to mDNS and DNS-SD
**[[Mesh/Firmware/MTU_issues]] - MTU issues
**[[Mesh/Firmware/Generating]] - How do we generate firmwares on demand
*[[Mesh/Network topology]] - High-level explanation of the mesh network structure
*[[Mesh/Specs]] - Specs sheet on different access points
*[[Mesh/Frequencies]] - Information on different frequencies.
*[[Mesh/Software tools]] - List of useful mesh troubleshooting tools
*[[Mesh/Terms]] - Hidden Node, Fresnal zone, and other jargons
*[[Mesh/Power]] - Stuff about power usage, batteries and solar power.
*[[Mesh/Monitoring]] - notes about how to monitor systems


==Operational==
If you want to immediately help, check out [https://github.com/sudomesh our code], [https://github.com/sudomesh/sudowrt-firmware/milestones look at our remaining issues for upcoming milestones], report any [https://github.com/sudomesh/bugs bugs] or help us squish them!
*[[Mesh/Legal]] - How do we use exit nodes, relays and legal structures to protect node owners and ourselves?
*[[Mesh/Hosting]] - How are we hosting and what does it cost?
*[[Mesh/Backup]] - How do we handle backups?
*[[Mesh/Server security]] - How do we ensure server security?
*[[Mesh/Naming]] - What do we call ourselves?
*[[Mesh/Marketing]] - Inspiration and links to marketing materials in progress.
*[[Mesh/Purchases]] - Details on our purchases, made by either individuals or through our crowdfunded money.
*[[Mesh/Inventory]] - What we currently have.
*[[Mesh/Donations]] - List of donations
*[[Mesh/Decisions]] - Decisions on how to operate
*[[Mesh/Challenges]] - Challenges faced. Problems to be solved.
*[[Mesh/Checkouts]] - Who took what gear home
*[[Mesh/Funding]] - Ideas on funding structures and list of grants to apply for.


==Background Research==
Here are some of the projects that need attention:
*[[Mesh/Interviews with other meshers]] - In which we attempt to extract the results of their hard-won experience.
*[[Mesh/Other mesh projects]] - List of active and inactive meshes we know about
*[[Mesh/Documentation]] - Books, articles, wikis, blog posts.
*[[Mesh/Oakland]] - Information and resources pertaining to Oakland community organizations, wireless initiatives, policy and research initiatives


= Firmwares / groups =
* [https://github.com/sudomesh/sudowrt-firmware sudowrt-firmware] - The sudowrt firmware
* [https://github.com/sudomesh/sudowrt-web-ui sudowrt-web-ui] - The new and improved web admin UI for sudowrt nodes
* [https://github.com/sudomesh/ubus-https-forwarder ubus-https-forwarder] - Allow management of extender nodes from home node web UI
* [https://github.com/sudomesh/service-browser The Service Browser] - Web UI for browsing mesh services
* [[Mesh/Distributed Services|Mesh Services]] - Which services should we provide?


*[[Mesh/Freifunk]]
== Designers ==
*[[Mesh/Commotion]]


=Technical=
We need artists and designers to make things look nice! We have [[Mesh/Design|design schemes]] we already use, but we're always looking to improve it. We need to improve our presentation content and [[Mesh/Diagrams|diagrams]] too! We've been focused on these areas:
==Building a backbone of point-to-point line of sight rooftop wifi mesh nodes to bootstrap the reach of the network==
* [[Mesh/Presentations]] - Past presentations, talks, workshops, tutorials and videos
*The mesh right now has very few nodes that are directly connected (as opposed to connected over the Internet), which makes the usefulness of the mesh questionable in disaster and extreme censorship scenarios.
* [[Mesh/Diagrams|Diagrams]] - Diagrams outlining the network topology and technical stack
*We've been focusing on finding a simple and inexpensive solution for point to point rooftop nodes in order to create a far reaching backbone of high-bandwidth interconnected nodes. Currently we're testing a solution using recycled small satellite dishes with cheap usb wifi adapters mounted and weatherproofed at the dish's point of focus. Inexpensive computers such as a raspberry pi can then, when hooked up to one or more of these nodes, connect rooftops more than a mile apart. Finding people willing to host rooftop equipment and others willing to donate unused satellite dishes has become another way we engage with the local community.
* [[Mesh/Design|Design]] - Website & logo design; swag for enthusiasts; and marketing inspiration.
   
|}
==Mesh coverage of local areas from connected nodes using powerful omnidirectional wifi equipment==
*510pen currently uses a variety of mesh routers from open-mesh.com. Some of them have good coverage, but they are all currently mounted indoors, which inhibits street coverage and mesh links between blocks.
*Better outdoor omnidirectional routers need to be purchased, tested and installed.
   
==Low bandwidth disaster recovery mesh==
*The likeliest disaster scenario in the bay area is a major earthquake. Such an event is likely to disrupt many wifi nodes, and especially finely tuned point to point links.
*We're building a separate mesh using low-bandwidth, long range radio communication that will run something like a decentralized twitter, where short text messages can be shared and synchronized as radio links are available.
*To implement this, we're using $12 off the shelf tv tuners that can be used as receive-only general-purpose digital radios. Transmission is stil being worked out, but the current idea is that receive-hardware is cheap enough that 2 gig bootable usb sticks, tv tuners and very simple home-made antennas can be distributed both before and after a disaster, and that these will allow people to set up local stations where updates about local resources such as shelters, food and power can be accessed, while stations capable of transmitting new messages will be fewer (possibly requiring more expensive hardware) but will announce their locations such that anyone can walk to a local transmit station if they want to send a message out on the mesh.


=Social=
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==Community-Based Participatory Action Research in the San Antonio district of Oakland==
''Please note that all contributions to Sudo Room may be edited, altered, or removed by other contributors. If you do not want your writing to be edited mercilessly, then do not submit it here. You are also promising us that you wrote this yourself, or copied it from a public domain or similar free resource (see Sudo Room:Copyrights for details). Do not submit copyrighted work without permission!''
*We are currently researching existing community organizations in the San Antonio neighborhood for potential collaboration, and have established relationships with (and set up mesh nodes for) three grassroots organizations in the San Antonio neighborhood: Liberating Ourselves Locally (LOL), a makerspace run by and for people of color; Sustaining Ourselves Locally (SOL), a community garden and food justice advocacy and education space; and Cycles of Change, a community bike repair, advocacy and education space. Moving forward, we intend to expand the mesh through reaching out to grassroots organizations and local businesses, our process of designing and deploying mesh services guided by the needs and desires of existing community actors.


*The ethnographic research component of the project also involves interviewing local residents, designing and distributing community surveys, historical and political analysis, and asset mapping of existing and potential community resources.
[[Category:Projects]][[Category:Mesh]]
 
==Documentation of use cases and user stories==
*Articulating use cases for mesh networks involves the creation of user stories based on interviews with local residents and participatory engagement with existing community organizations and groups. The research process will be transparently documented on a research wiki, incorporating interview notes, meeting minutes, an annotated bibliography, written analysis and visual infographics (for an example, see Jenny's current research wiki here: http://wiki.tidepools.co).
 
*This documentation is intended to support a model of open source technology design that is bottom-up in nature, rooted in the interests of those who would receive the greatest humanitarian benefit from the technology and participate intimately with the development process.
 
==Illustrated instructables for adapting recycled/reused items for DIY hardware==
*A major focus of the project is to experiment with recycled and donated hardware for the purposes of designing mesh solutions at minimal cost. Experimentation with various firmwares (eg; Commotion, Freifunk, Byzantium) and protocols (eg; OLSRd, batman-adv, Babel) using off-the-shelf and upcycled hardware (eg; donated routers and satellite dishes) will be extensively documented. Well-designed instructables/comics will incorporate use cases, user stories, and DIY building processes in an effort to engage everyday folks to experiment with mesh technology in their local neighborhoods.
 
=Meeting Minutes=
See the [[Mesh/Minutes|Minutes]] page.
 
=Web Resources=
*[http://510pen.org 510pen] - East Bay community wireless mesh network spawned in 2009 by [[User:mfb|Mark Burdett]]
*[http://wiki.tidepools.com Tidepools] - [[User:tunabananas|Jenny Ryan]] designed local use cases for a community mobile mapping application built to run on mesh networks.
*[https://wiki.projectmeshnet.org/Main_Page Project Meshnet] - Extensive wiki on the /r/darknet project, including extensive list of [https://wiki.projectmeshnet.org/Projects projects coordinating with them].
*[http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Long-range_Wi-Fi#Notable_links Long Range Wifi] - Info on the longest-range wifi connections ever made.
*[https://github.com/adafruit/Adafruit-WebIDE Adafruit's Web IDE built for Raspberry Pi] but probably good for editing code on any device and ensuring it is managed with a code repo.  By default it uses [https://bitbucket.org bitbucket.org] but it could probably be configured for Github.
 
[[Category:Projects]]
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