[UFO Chicago] [inkblot@geocities.com: Re: some nki]

[Peter A. Peterson II]

----- Forwarded message from Nate Riffe <inkblot@geocities.com> -----

Envelope-to: pedro@tastytronic.net
Delivery-date: Sat, 26 May 2001 10:37:41 -0500
Date: Sat, 26 May 2001 10:36:00 -0500 (CDT)
From: Nate Riffe <inkblot@geocities.com>
X-X-Sender:  <inkblot@maverick.inknet>
To: "Peter A. Peterson II" <pedro@tastytronic.net>
Subject: Re: some nki
In-Reply-To: <20010526020357.W19985@tastytronic.net>

-----BEGIN PGP SIGNED MESSAGE-----
Hash: SHA1

On Sat, 26 May 2001, Peter A. Peterson II wrote:

> Hey, nice plug on the DLUG list -- thanks!
>
> I mentioned the whole community networking thing to some guys at work,
> and although my boss was a little on the skeptical side (of the
> technology mostly) he didn't rule out the possibility of putting some
> kind of rely on top of our building(s). He didn't confirm either.
>
> But what I was thinking (and I can't remember if I mentioned this to you
> or not) but what about a box that basically relays the network? It
> wouldn't have to be on NPU's lan, it would just recieve incoming signal
> and forward it on, as a sort of booster. Is that feasible?
>
> pedro
>

Yes, it is feasible.  2x PCI WiFi cards with external antena jacks, old
Pentium box with nothing else to do, two high-gain directional antenae.
OR... 1x PCI WiFi card with external antena jack, old Pentium box with
nothing else to do, one high-gain omni (think 20dbi and up).

1x omni relay: ~$350
2x directional relay: ~$550
Line-of-sight: priceless

Some things money can't buy...
Well I guess you could :-)

Note that a 1x omni relay costs less than a typical AP and has about three
times the range to standard (read: unmodified) client hardware and up to
about 2-3 mile range between relays with LOS.  That and the platform is
incredibly more flexible than the APs on the market.

Have you looked at the frontier of single board PCs much?  The matchbox
webserver is a prime example (wearables.stanford.edu) of a PC-104 board
put to good use :-)  Basically, it's an AMD 4x86 CPU, some memory, and
some flash with an IDE interface all on a credit card sized PCB.  It fits
into a 72-pin slot (a la 72-pin RAM of yore) with a pinout that includes
LCD, RS-232, Ethernet (10bt), and power.  Other similar hardware has other
features like more serial or more ethernet (at the expense of something
else, but, whatever right?).  Anyway, I've been thinking that if one of
these comes along with an interface for a couple of PC card slots, or some
other ammenable configuration, then it would make a stupendous relay
platform.  It would be low enough power to run off of solar or wind
(particularly on top of a tall building in Chicago) and environmentally
stable enough to put outside in a Radio Shack project enclosure.  It might
be a bit more expensive to build these at first, but this is the sort of
device we could clandestinely (oops, did I say that ;-) ) place on
rooftops around the city.

Unfortunately, I'm not the EE type, despite my desire to be (you should
see my tool box, all full of bread boards, resistors / capacitors /
transistors, spools of cat5, pity I have no clue what I'm doing with any
of it).  It would probably be an overwhelming undertaking for me.
Probably for most people working alone, actually.

Let me know what you think.  And if you're going to actually build one,
I'd like to be there and watch/help.

- -Nate

- -- 
- ------------------------------------------------((\))<----------------------
Nate Riffe                 | PGP public key available from pgpkeys.mit.edu
http://movealong.dhs.org/  | using ID "Nate Riffe <inkblot@geocities.com>"
inkblot@geocities.com      |
nriffe@students.depaul.edu | Secure your email today!

-----BEGIN PGP SIGNATURE-----
Version: PGPfreeware 5.0i for non-commercial use
Charset: noconv

iQA/AwUBOw/NYojJNqeHAZR4EQKcDQCgxGY5dfyxD38mm+vEC4h71AYjoewAoK+T
c4vamUD3fS8KweUA1X1kgLw8
=XeYl
-----END PGP SIGNATURE-----


----- End forwarded message -----

-- 
-----------------------------------------------------------
do not write below this line (for office use only)