I just found out about this and I don't really understand it yet. I'd love to hear some commentary from the forum's communications gurus. It's free and (I think) open source.

Looks like there would be applications for this in a disaster.

LifeNet zero infrastructure WiFi

I saw that system and it looks interesting, especially in light of me wanting to setup a neighborhood network to pass information out in cases of a disaster. However I'm concerned about the security of such a network.

There's nothing on their website talking about that aspect. Would regular firewalls keep the badguys out, etc? The creators strike me as programers, not security experts, who knows what accidental backdoors they left...or even wide-open front doors. I really like one of the big computer security companies to review it before I go ahead and install the software.

-Blast

Seems to be semi-doable, if you have enough people running enought routers with the right software and the distances aren't too great. That's what is going to kill this concept, distance.

I have a hardwired network in my house. Installing a wifi router, given the depth of my house, distance to neighbors, will link me in to - two other people. Unless I get some big high speed low drag wireless modem, then maybe - three. Woo hoo.

Then there is security. Google potato chip can wireless antenna.

Good idea, would work in a densely populated area maybe. Not in the burbs where I live.

It's free and open source. It also runs only on certain Linux distributions.

Most PCs and phones have inferior radios compared to enterprise-grade access points. Most of us are not Linux hobbyists or professionals. This strikes me as being a step in the right direction but difficult to implement over any significant area.

if its made to run on Linux then its probably made secure by default, most linux based stuff is made that way, you have to know what your doing to intentionally make it insecure.
I'll add it to my list to evaluate, if I can test it out easily.
Wifi has ad hoc network capability built in so my guess would be that this is just adding a routing protocol, sort of an IGRP or BGP.

Currently in the upstairs of my house my computer can see ten different wireless networks. House are pretty closely stacked here, Maybe that isn't such a bad thing. I bet a neighborhood network could be set up pretty easily.

-Blast

The security aspect should be easily solvable. A friend lived in France for a few years and she said the ISP in her city is doing something similar. You get modem/router from the company, which provide you with regular wireless router functionality, but at the same time also act as an access point for anyone who's the company's customer, so you'd have WIFI access almost anywhere in the city.

I just ran across this site: http://fluidnexus.net/

I don't know anything about it yet but it looks interesting...

Paul -

It's an interesting concept. Ad Hoc mesh networks have been around for a while, especially with regards to plans to help 3rd world nations access the internet. They're pushing their own protocols to be implemented which is fine, but won't work unless it takes off big enough to be everywhere.

What would be interesting would be the possibility of using HAM type repeaters to become nodes in an ad hoc network and transmit data over tens of miles or greater.

When we moved I didn't realize our router had reset from sitting in the box a couple days. I just reset our laptops to linksys and connected and went back to unpacking figuring I would set it backup later and secure it again. A few weeks later when I finally got around to it (yea yea, I was lazy) there were a couple other computers connected to it. Rather than lock it down I turned on logging and it was getting close to the election so there were lots of hits to the presidential candidates sites. So I used dns redirects and pointed McCains site to PHRASECENSOREDPOSTERSHOULDKNOWBETTER.'s and and PHRASECENSOREDPOSTERSHOULDKNOWBETTER.'s to Palin's and Palin's to Kerry's and Kerry's to the NRA and left it like that and open for a while.

Meanwhile, back at the ranch...

Some of us in the ham community have been using modified routers for things like putting internet access into bike ride rest stops and such (http://www.n5oom.org/hsmm/rootenna_project.htm). While we have been able to get links in at good distances, we had to fight with the bridge radios to make the links work. A few local groups decided to fix this problem, and HSMM-MESH was borne. This mesh networking system based on consumer grade equipment is still being developed.

http://hsmm-mesh.org/

I don't see any plan for using voice repeaters for any sort of data networking, but DSTAR digital repeaters are being pushed heavily for digital disaster communications.

http://www.dstarinfo.com/
http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/D-STAR

This is a limited bandwidth system that runs on VHF and UHF bands, and can be used for point to point links of some distance.

Packet networking has been on the decline for a good long time, but more limited purpose networks have picked up.

APRS (Amateur Packet Reporting System) is useful for tactical vehicle tracking and messaging. APRS typically uses VHF (144 MHz) radios for local work. While driving to and from Mississippi after Katrina, we used APRS to track the members of our small convoy.

http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Automatic_Packet_Reporting_System
http://www.n5oom.org/aprs/index.htm (lots of presentations)

Winlink is a worldwide radio email network that uses HF and VHF radio links.

http://www.winlink.org/