The Jeff Pulver Blog: An Opportunity Still exists for a 802.11 Community Networks:

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September 29, 2005

An Opportunity Still exists for a 802.11 Community Networks:

Back in November, 2002 I first wrote about "802.11 Community Networks" in the Pulver Report.

Back then I wasn't thinking of deploying mesh Wi-Fi networks as part of an emergency preparedness / emergency communications scenario but rather as a means to service "a community." Three years later it still would be real cool to see a Wi-Fi GMRS 2-way radio become widely available. Personally I see an opportunity where such devices could become as popular as CB radios did for many Americans in the 1970s but with the opportunity to be more than just a passing fad. Such devices could also serve a similar purpose to what Alec Saunders blogged about last week.

To get the ball rolling, earlier this year I started a project with a friend from high school to launch a meshed "802.11 Community Network" in our home town on Long Island that in theory would be a great platform for "Wi-Fi GMRS Communicators." I would appreciate hearing about any and all 'cool wi-fi enabled communication devices' that we should be looking at to offer the residents of our wi-fi empowered community project.

Opportunity for a 802.11 Community Networks (from November 12, 2002 issue of The Pulver Report)

Looking at the viral evolution of local 802.11 networks and the ability to quickly and easily deploy IP based services on them, I now see an immediate reason why communities should take the steps needed to now embrace this technology and commit to create their own private 802.11 community networks starting first around the homes of families who have children attending the local elementary school(s). This same concept applies also to middle schools and even to high schools and eventually an entire town.

Once the community 802.11 network is created and maintained, one primary use could be for the set of IP based location based services that could be deployed. For example, one could go to the local PTA and show off 802.11 technologies that allow us to deploy Location Based Services in small chips that we put in our kids' school bags that allow parents to track their kid's bags. We could give our kids some kind of communicator so they could press a button and ask for help, or send out a simple "I'm ok" message. This network could also be used as a local and private instant messaging network to announce school closings, notices home about homework, after school activities, etc.

This wireless network could also be used as a simple 802.11 CB Radio for school kids and their friends. Access to this network should be free. Each community could decide whether or not to provide public links to the public internet from such networks. This would need to be carefully thought out, as I'm sure it could also be abused, but the fundamental concept is the "are my kids ok?" network. :-)

As I think about the possible applications for such a network, my mind jumps to the news about all of those horrible child abductions and the Amber alert system. I'm hopeful that a community supported 802.11 network might prevent such bad things from happening. We could place chips/devices in our kids' favorite toys, stuffed animals, book bags, etc. I have no experience with any Parent Teachers Associations, but if it was pitched right, there should be some interest for a trial deployment, especially if the equipment was donated.

One could also look to deploy other community services, such as a community service that could track family members who suffer from things like Alzheimer's. Our pets could be tracked around our neighborhood. Parents could also check-in on their kids who are at other parent's homes on play dates. This network could serve as a backup for relaying critical information about relatives and friends who have medical conditions who have to be monitored on a real-time basis. The applications and value of such a network would grow as the number of people who are dependent on the network increases.

All that is needed are people who would be willing to allow for such equipment to have a presence in their homes. This would also require people willing to donate the equipment to seed the project and others with enough community spirit to help maintain the vision.

I realize we would need to address privacy concerns, as well as all the wireless security issues to make sure that none of the available information is abused...but I believe that there exists a middle ground that we can reach that will make almost everyone happy.

I'd like to see the support of VPN tunnels so that I could access the wireless network in my home and connect to the 'outside' world via my own personal connectivity.

Maybe others are already doing it. If not, I'd like to explore what it would take to start a movement to put this kind of activity in motion. The world can become a better place. We just need to take the steps needed to do these kinds of things on our own. Taking one step at a time, just about anything is possible...it just needs to get done. Access to the parent's 802.1x network should be free and cared for by those who care about such things.

Posted by jeff on September 29, 2005 07:49 AM | Permalink

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Comments

Lately, I find myself a supporter of Wi-Fi networks in the community setting. I must admit, I understand wireless technology more than that of VoIP. This is why I am writing you. In recent discussions with unlicensed wireless operators, the residential business model is very difficult to make profitable, especially when competing directly with cable operators and DSL. The key has been, and will continue to be, that wireless broadband operators must sell the value of their service, rather than on price alone. For many operators, this has meant struggling with providing VoIP service over their networks.

Posted by: Geoff Mendelson at April 23, 2006 04:07 PM

I agree with you totally that a Wi-Fi mesh network intergated with GMRS devices can benefit to the communities not only in local region but for world wide covergae.
We have just finished tested the concept with a mini ITX PC installed with a PCMCIA wi-fi card connect to Internet using our own conference server software, to bridge the GMRS, we converted a radio (Motorola SX700R) with dual audio isloation transformers and connected to the sound card interface of conference server, and placed the mobile base relay deep into a camp ground well within and surrounded by 100' tall fir and pine trees, I then walk 5000' feet away and talked to a user in Winiepeg, Canada.
In this demonstration, we have sucessfully tested the ability to use other UHF devices to communicate with IP, and the potential impact to communication industry with IP value added service.
Please comment.
Michael Chan

Posted by: Michael Chan at December 4, 2005 04:46 PM

(sorry for the run on, but I can't figure out how to get a paragraph break)

I don't think community based networks are viable.

About a year ago I started a company to build advertiser supported WifI networks, starting here in Jerusalem. I even solved the problem of locating a customer down to a room in a building, or a store in a mall, which cannot be done with current technology or GPS.

The company fizzled because a large hardware vendor sponsored a free community network. It started out well, but never grew beyond a few poorly served sites.

Why? The hardware company paid for the hardware and got a tax-payer funded organization to pay for instalation and useage. It worked for a few months and the city council decided that the tax payers did not really want to provide free WiFi and instead wanted to spend their tax shequels on things like schools, fixing streets, etc.

Advertiser supported networks get around this, the advertisers pay for the instalation, useage, upgrades and maintainance. A higher grade of service could also be offered at a low price.

Internet access here is very expensive, an unlimited useage connection capable of supporting 3 VoIP connections (196kbps upload) costs about $150 a month. There is simply no way that a community can afford this if you want to cover a large area without having access points sharing one internet connection.

In a place with lower connection costs, it might work in small areas, but IMHO large areas or enough service for VoIP is not economicaly viable without an income stream.

Posted by: Geoff Mendelson at September 29, 2005 05:36 PM

Jeff,

Most unlicensed (outdoor) fixed wireless networks operate using proprietary (non-802.11) protocols. Each manufacturer of this proprietary equipment performs differently with VoIP. In fact, VoIP support can change (better or worse!) from one firmware upgrade to the next. This environment of uncertainty has made many wireless broadband companies weary of adding VoIP (and therefore, value) to their product set.

However, seeing the number of Wi-Fi VoIP handsets and other such devices coming to the marketplace, I wonder if wireless broadband companies should look again to Wi-Fi. In real-world environments, 2.4GHz and 5.8GHz frequencies in 802.11b/g and 802.11a do not get the penetration through foilage and and far more interference prone than 900MHz frequencies. This is one of the major arguments against Wi-Fi in long-range, fixed point to multipoint wireless broadband markets (in addition to other inefficiencies inherent in Wi-Fi for large-scale networking). But, coming back to your posting on community networks, we now see many major U.S. cities adopting Wi-Fi "Hotzone" and "Mesh Network" rollouts for cheap broadband access.

My question for you (long overdue)is this:

As a VoIP industry veteran and expert, you understand the stake your industry has in the proliferation of broadband IP connectivity in the U.S. (and the world). While Cable and DSL own the lion's share of broadband access, how concerned is the VoIP industry about the slowly-growing wireless broadband industry? What are the stakes for VoIP should DSL and Cable (and soon, fiber) hold the majority of last-mile broadband connections?

While the wireless industry has more to worry about (like spectrum policy) than VoIP support for its longevity, does the VoIP industry need to be playing a more active role with wireless manufacturers of this proprietary equipment to assure quality VoIP services can be bundled with consumer-grade broadband offerings?

Or, should the VoIP industry be looking to assure that VoIP can be provisioned over standards-based networks like Wi-Fi, especially considering the proliferation of Wi-Fi radios in laptops and costs comperable to the 56k modem in 1992?

If Wi-Fi is the more appropriate route, then should we expect wireless broadband companies to start building-out large scale community-networked Wi-Fi Hotzones?

My point, in the end, is to understand how emerging last-mile broadband technologies impact VoIP. Is there a consortium of industry personnel who recongize wireless broadband as a key to the success of VoIP? I see the VoIP industry constantly battling for fair treatment by regulatory commissions and wonder if a just-as-important battle should be the battle for competition. My doomsday prediction is that within the next few years, U.S. policy will be that the owner of the IP network can determine what IP traffic is permissable on that network. If this is the case, VoIP providers will need to be making "deals" with broadband companies to allow their traffic on the network. If this happens, only a few VoIP providers will be allowed on less than a handful of national broadband networks. The VoIP industry taking an active role in the expansion of competitive broadband technologies will be essential for competition with VoIP...

Thoughts?

Posted by: NC at September 29, 2005 01:36 PM