[mesh-dev] Progress update
April Glaser
april.glaser at riseup.net
Tue Mar 17 15:56:02 PDT 2015
v cool and thank you, Max! yeah, I'm coming by tonight, or at least I
plan to try.
On 3/16/15 4:34 PM, max b wrote:
> Just to respond to your questions:
>
> -Are we fully switched at the Omni now to LMI?
>
>
> Yes I believe so. We're still re-working some of the internal
> wireless/network configuration, but yeah our internet is now going
> through the LMI connection.
>
> -What do folks think about doing a test bed network here at xxx
> xxxxxxxxxx? There are a lot of people without Internet here
> because no ISP will serve parts of the area because of weird
> zoning things. It makes it hard for this community to organize and
> stay plugged in, and like at the Omni, we'd have complete access
> to every house/cabin, mast, flagpole, etc. That'd make it faster
> to install. And we'd buy our own equipment.
> -- do we even need another test bed?
>
>
> It would depend a lot on what we thought of as a "test bed". If enough
> people have upstream internet connections and are willing to share,
> then we could potentially do some setup there. One real downside is
> that no one with a lot of technical proficiency lives near there, so
> it might require us to do more commuting in order to troubleshoot
> things. Let's talk a little more about what we'd want to do in person
> this Tuesday or Thursday if you'll be around.
>
> Max
>
>
> On Mon, Mar 16, 2015 at 11:53 AM, April Glaser
> <april.glaser at riseup.net <mailto:april.glaser at riseup.net>> wrote:
>
> Hey guys,
>
> Yeah, that grant proposal definitely intertwined some aspirational
> statements with our current progress. So maybe it wasn't the best
> project update. But in any event, I think you're all really great.
> And I think it'll be incredibly cool once we start to expand the
> network even more.
>
> I've sent out a handful of emails to folks who have been involved
> with community network projects before to pick their brains about
> what stage we are at, and I'll be in touch when they get back to me.
>
> Two more questions:
>
> -Are we fully switched at the Omni now to LMI?
>
> -What do folks think about doing a test bed network here at xxx
> xxxxxxxxxx? There are a lot of people without Internet here
> because no ISP will serve parts of the area because of weird
> zoning things. It makes it hard for this community to organize and
> stay plugged in, and like at the Omni, we'd have complete access
> to every house/cabin, mast, flagpole, etc. That'd make it faster
> to install. And we'd buy our own equipment.
> -- do we even need another test bed?
>
> Peace,
> April
>
>
> On 3/13/15 3:23 PM, max b wrote:
>> Hey Jenny,
>>
>> I really wish you wouldn't have publicly walked back April's
>> statement like this. A number of people have different ideas for
>> the next directions for this project, and I think one of the
>> things we've realized lately is that when they don't align, we
>> rely on eachother's good judgement and communication in order to
>> not shout eachother down. In fact, I don't really agree with your
>> statement:
>>
>> Namely, we're not intending to create a free-as-in-beer,
>> fast, high-speed network, but rather the focus is on
>> cultivating a community of participants sharing their
>> existing bandwidth with a public, open network and developing
>> local applications and services- all built by and for the
>> people with resiliency in mind.
>>
>>
>> I, for one, do intend in part to create a fast high-speed network
>> which would allow folks to join with a sliding scale membership.
>> I don't really think that anything in the grant proposal that
>> April wrote up fundamentally contradicts our values or motives,
>> so I'd prefer that if you have your own constructive additions
>> you voice them without attempting to cancel out anyone else's.
>>
>> Thanks
>>
>> On Fri, Mar 13, 2015 at 12:30 PM, Jenny Ryan
>> <tunabananas at gmail.com <mailto:tunabananas at gmail.com>> wrote:
>>
>> Hi Laura!
>>
>> Please use Marc's reply for the update - the grant
>> application isn't a totally accurate portrayal of our goals,
>> current progress and next steps. Namely, we're not intending
>> to create a free-as-in-beer, fast, high-speed network, but
>> rather the focus is on cultivating a community of
>> participants sharing their existing bandwidth with a public,
>> open network and developing local applications and services-
>> all built by and for the people with resiliency in mind.
>>
>> Thanks for putting this together!
>>
>> On 03/13/2015 11:23 AM, Laura Turiano wrote:
>> > Thanks Marc and April. This is so exciting and you are
>> really being
>> > thoughtful about the build out and testing.
>> > Laura
>> >
>> > On 3/13/15 7:07 AM, April Glaser wrote:
>> > > Hi Laura,
>> > >
>> > > To clarify, the $40 node isn't $40 a month for an
>> Internet connection.
>> > > It's the price of the antenna set up to connect to the
>> network.
>> > >
>> > > So we're still working out the details on how we will
>> distribute
>> > > access to the network. Some parts of Oakland still report
>> that less
>> > > than 50% of residents have access to a reliable Internet
>> connection.
>> > > In those areas we might experiment with other methods of
>> distribution.
>> > > To that end, we're doing outreach to local organizations
>> and the like
>> > > to discuss how to best expand the network.
>> > >
>> > > Here's a description of our work that we used recently to
>> apply for a
>> > > grant, in case this also helps.
>> > >
>> > > *What's your project? What's below is about 30 words
>> over. Can someone
>> > > tighten it up?*
>> > > We are a homegrown, community-owned network in Oakland, California
>> > > working toprovide free Internet access at faster speeds than
>> > > traditional providers.
>> > > The People's OpenNetworkis dedicated to the idea that our
>> community
>> > > must have a central role in theoperation of ourcommunications
>> > > networks. That is why we are building our own free
>> network that
>> > > provides high-speed, open access to the global Internet,
>> while hosting
>> > > local applications and services crafted by and for users
>> in the East Bay.
>> > > We are committed to universal, equitable, and unfettered
>> access, free
>> > > of unwanted surveillance and censorship. People's
>> Openuses Sudo Mesh
>> > > firmware, a free software project developed by
>> > > volunteersenablingrobust, non-hierarchical mesh networks.
>> The firmware
>> > > provides a simple way for users to share a configurable portion of
>> > > their Internet connection with the network – made
>> relatively safe
>> > > because the traffic from the shared connection is
>> notassociated with
>> > > the donor's IP address. Sudo Mesh is distinct from other opensource
>> > > firmwaresbecause we prioritize both sharing andprivacy.
>> > > Every aspect of People's Open is participatory, and every
>> week we host
>> > > three open meetings, including firmware development and
>> community
>> > > organizing. We're collaborating with local organizations
>> and our
>> > > diverse neighbors to co-create the network.
>> > > *What assumptions will you test? *
>> > > We hope to establish that a small-scale community-run network can
>> > > provideservices currently assumed to be the province of
>> large,
>> > > top-down Internet providers. Specifically, we are exploring how local
>> > > media and applications can be developed on such a network
>> tobenefit
>> > > local users. Examples of services include a local
>> bulletin board,
>> > > grassroots journalism outlets, local Voice-over-IP, archives,
>> > > community asset maps, and Internet radio, all hosted on
>> our local
>> > > network.
>> > > Instead of paid-subscribers, our goal is to have active
>> participants.
>> > > To that end, we currently offer training and hold open
>> hack-nights at
>> > > Oakland community hackerspaceSudoroom. Topics range from
>> cryptography
>> > > and network administration to antenna design and firmware hacking. We
>> > > are actively designing our network through conversations with
>> > > community partners, like Media Alliance, AspirationTech,
>> > > ICSI/UCBerkeley, and others as part of our long-term
>> outreach strategy.
>> > > Access to the Internet is a human right, and we oppose
>> practices that
>> > > corner users into paying exorbitant rates to get online.
>> Our network
>> > > offers a free connection to anyone within range or
>> willing to host a
>> > > node. We challenge the idea that users need to trade
>> personal data to
>> > > engage with their community online, and People's Open
>> encourages our
>> > > neighbors to support other free software projects.
>> > > *Who is the audience/user of this project? How will they
>> be impacted? *
>> > > The current model of Internet distribution in the East Bay isn't
>> > > working for everyone. Many neighborhoods continue to
>> report that over
>> > > fifty-percent of residents lack a reliable home Internet
>> connection.
>> > > People's Open is partnering with community anchors, like
>> churches,
>> > > neighborhood gardens, schools, small businesses, and
>> libraries, to
>> > > mount antennas in underserved neighborhoods.
>> > > This is a community network, and we're working with our
>> neighbors to
>> > > build and maintain it collectivity. We meet with local
>> leaders and
>> > > invite our neighbors to participate, fostering collective
>> expertise
>> > > and helping to ensure sustainability of the network.
>> > > We are building a captive portal that directs users tolocal
>> > > applications, such asa community calendar, grassroots
>> media, maps, and
>> > > bulletin boards. Working directly with activist groups to co-design
>> > > trustworthy platforms, we're exploring ways to host local
>> social media
>> > > and digital classrooms. We are also in conversation with
>> branch
>> > > libraries and social service organizations about hosting
>> information
>> > > directories on the network. People’s Open is a grassroots
>> media
>> > > project, and we want to help meet the information needs
>> of our
>> > > communities.
>> > > In sum, we provide a faster connection to the global
>> Internet than a
>> > > traditional residential ISP, while strengthening our
>> community’s
>> > > relationship with technologies that we depend on everyday.
>> > >
>> > > *What have you made so far? *
>> > > For the past year and a half, most of our work has gone into
>> > > developing and testing our firmware, which is a heavily
>> modified
>> > > version of OpenWRT. Our sources are on GitHub
>> > > (https://github.com/sudomesh/)
>> <https://github.com/sudomesh/%29>and
>> > > are available for other communities wishing to create a
>> similar
>> > > network. We are finally at a point where we can begin to
>> offer a
>> > > reliable networking service.
>> > > We have also deployed two testbed networks, one in Omni
>> Commons, a
>> > > giant community center which houses Sudoroom, and one in
>> West Oakland,
>> > > consisting of routers running our firmware.
>> > > People's Open also has a long-term outreach and
>> communications
>> > > strategy, with the goal that the network will bloom and
>> remain
>> > > responsive to our communities. Our outreach strategy
>> focuses on three
>> > > tiers: large organizational partners, community anchors
>> like churches
>> > > and small businesses, and neighborhood mapping. In
>> working with
>> > > existing and trusted community groups, we hope to invite
>> their
>> > > networks to join and participate.
>> > > Finally, we have a dedicated team in the project for the
>> long-haul. We
>> > > have three open hack-nights a week at Sudoroom, a
>> well-known community
>> > > center, where anyone is welcome to get involved at every
>> level of the
>> > > project. We frequently welcome new participants and keep
>> our website
>> > > up-to-date.
>> > >
>> > >
>> > >
>> > >
>> > > On 3/13/15 3:04 AM, Marc Juul wrote:
>> > >> On Thu, Mar 12, 2015 at 3:13 PM, Laura
>> Turiano<scylla at riseup.net <mailto:scylla at riseup.net>>
>> > >> wrote:
>> > >>
>> > >>> Hello meshers,
>> > >>>
>> > >>> I'm writing an update for Oaklandish about the Omni and
>> would like to
>> > >>> include info about progress on the mesh network. Can
>> someone tell me
>> > >>> how
>> > >>> many nodes have been installed, any other
>> accomplishments, what are the
>> > >>> next steps, etc.?
>> > >>>
>> > >> Hi. Here are my thoughts. Other mesh folk, please
>> correct or expand
>> > >> as you
>> > >> please.
>> > >>
>> > >> Next week we're activating a test network at the Omni to
>> test our indoor
>> > >> nodes in an apartment-complex-like setting, as well as a
>> small six node
>> > >> high-speed roof-to-roof network in west Oakland. We have
>> been working
>> > >> on a
>> > >> new, friendlier, web admin interface as well as features
>> that will allow
>> > >> people to start out with an entry-level ~$40 node and
>> upgrade their
>> > >> coverage later by adding rooftop or street-facing nodes
>> without any
>> > >> extra
>> > >> configuration.
>> > >>
>> > >> Over the next month or so we'll be stress-testing our
>> two networks and
>> > >> completing these new features. The next phase will be a
>> beta release
>> > >> where
>> > >> we invite the adventurous to adopt nodes. I would like
>> to see a beta
>> > >> test
>> > >> network with maybe 50-100 node locations. The beta test
>> will be less
>> > >> about
>> > >> testing the technology (though there will be some of
>> that) and more
>> > >> about
>> > >> understanding the problems and opportunities that arise
>> when a diverse
>> > >> group of people with diverse skill-sets have to run
>> their own
>> > >> network. If
>> > >> the network is to succeed as it grows, then it cannot
>> rely only on the
>> > >> small group of volunteers that make up sudo mesh. We're
>> going to have to
>> > >> figure out how to communicate to node operators that
>> this is not a
>> > >> traditional ISP with a support line. Instead it is
>> rather like a
>> > >> community
>> > >> garden where everyone helps out to make it succeed and
>> we want so figure
>> > >> out how to best facilitate that cooperation. During this
>> phase we'll
>> > >> also
>> > >> be finalizing our automation tools for receiving orders
>> for new nodes,
>> > >> automatically configuring those nodes and shipping them
>> out. Once we're
>> > >> comfortable that everything is ready for a rapidly
>> expanding network the
>> > >> next phase might take the form of a large crowdfunding
>> campaign where
>> > >> people can get nodes as perks.
>> > >>
>> > >
>> >
>> >
>>
>>
>> --
>>
>> Jenny
>> http://jennyryan.net
>> http://sudomesh.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
>> ~`~`~`~`~`~`~`~`~`~`~`~`~`~`~`~`~`~`
>>
>>
>>
>>
>> _______________________________________________
>> mesh-dev mailing list
>> mesh-dev at lists.sudoroom.org <mailto:mesh-dev at lists.sudoroom.org>
>> https://lists.sudoroom.org/listinfo/mesh-dev
>
> --
> 0x54FC570B
>
>
> _______________________________________________
> mesh-dev mailing list
> mesh-dev at lists.sudoroom.org <mailto:mesh-dev at lists.sudoroom.org>
> https://lists.sudoroom.org/listinfo/mesh-dev
>
>
--
0x54FC570B
-------------- next part --------------
An HTML attachment was scrubbed...
URL: <https://sudoroom.org/lists/private/mesh-dev/attachments/20150317/83a1b41a/attachment.html>
More information about the mesh-dev
mailing list