WirelessMesh: Difference between revisions
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==Mumbai Wireless Mesh== | ==Mumbai Wireless Mesh== | ||
[http://www.glug-bom.org/ GNU/Linux user's group of Mumbai] made a free wireless mesh at [http://www.hbcse.tifr.res.in Homi Bhabha Centre for Science Education, TIFR]. Though we are late in setting up of the wireless mesh, which was due for over | [http://www.glug-bom.org/ GNU/Linux user's group of Mumbai] made a free wireless mesh at [http://www.hbcse.tifr.res.in Homi Bhabha Centre for Science Education, TIFR]. Though we are late in setting up of the wireless mesh, which was due for over a year, we finally got a working free information network. We intend to create a community network in Mumbai that will spread from place to place to create a citywide people's network. People can use this network to publish useful content. To begin with it will serve all of wikipedia through the [http://www.gnowledge.org/ gnowledge.org protal] and lots and lots of useful free software for enabling the community. | ||
People anywhere in India or other places are invited to look at our community network, and replicate it in other parts of the world. We will periodically conduct workshops at the request of the community and will transfer the technology. We also request others to develop the skills and take it to every corner of the country, or rather every corner of the world. | People anywhere in India or other places are invited to look at our community network, and replicate it in other parts of the world. We will periodically conduct workshops at the request of the community and will transfer the technology. We also request others to develop the skills and take it to every corner of the country, or rather every corner of the world. | ||
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==What do we need to setup a wireless mesh== | ==What do we need to setup a wireless mesh== | ||
Willingness to share a pinch of what you have, apart from the following. | |||
===Hardware=== | ===Hardware=== | ||
Linksys WRT54GS V.4 Wireless Routers. This is used since we can add [http://wiki.freifunk.net/Freifunk_Firmware_%28English%29 freifunk firmware]. Freifunk site also lists few other routers. You can use any of them. Of course it is possible to create a wireless mesh using any PC with a WLAN card. | Linksys WRT54GS V.4 Wireless Routers. This is used since we can add [http://wiki.freifunk.net/Freifunk_Firmware_%28English%29 freifunk firmware]. Freifunk site also lists few other routers. You can use any of them. Of course it is possible to create a wireless mesh using any PC with a WLAN card. | ||
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#ipkg install 'package-name' | #ipkg install 'package-name' | ||
This will install the package automatically from the internet just as we do normally using 'apt' or 'yum' utilities. Ipkg is a similar utility for the tiny '[http://busybox.net/about.html Busybox]' operating system in the router. Exit from the ssh session. | This will install the package automatically from the internet just as we do normally using 'apt' or 'yum' utilities. [http://handhelds.org/moin/moin.cgi/Ipkg Ipkg] is a similar utility for the tiny '[http://busybox.net/about.html Busybox]' operating system in the router. Exit from the ssh session. | ||
Now the OSLR-DHCP options will be visible in the Friefunk interface after you reboot the router. | Now the OSLR-DHCP options will be visible in the Friefunk interface after you reboot the router. | ||
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==Node1== | ==Node1== | ||
[[Image:nakednode1.jpg]] | |||
LAN: | LAN: | ||
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OLSR: | OLSR: | ||
10.10.3.0/24 | HNA4 10.10.3.0/24 | ||
OLSR-DHCP 10.10.0.16/28,255.255.0.0 | |||
The two values specified for OLSR-DHCP refer to the range of IP to be given by the DHCP server to the wireless clients, and the mask to be specified for them. HNA4 value specifies the network to which OLSR to be bound to. It is possible to specify more than one network here. | |||
WLAN: | WLAN: | ||
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==Node2== | ==Node2== | ||
[[Image:dressednode2.jpg]] | |||
LAN: | LAN: | ||
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OLSR: | OLSR: | ||
10.10.2.0/24 | HNA4 10.10.2.0/24 | ||
OLSR-DHCP 10.10.0.32/28,255.255.0.0 | |||
The two values specified for OLSR-DHCP refer to the range of IP to be given by the DHCP server to the wireless clients, and the mask to be specified for them. HNA4 value specifies the network to which OLSR to be bound to. It is possible to specify more than one network here. | |||
WLAN: | WLAN: | ||
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For internet access, simply connect your internet ethernet cable to the WAN port of any Node that you want to use as the mesh gateway. Depending on your internet connection, choose Static or DHCP for your WAN IP address. The [http://www.olsr.org/ OLSR] protocol in the mesh ensures that all the WLANs and LANs can connect to the internet. | For internet access, simply connect your internet ethernet cable to the WAN port of any Node that you want to use as the mesh gateway. Depending on your internet connection, choose Static or DHCP for your WAN IP address. The [http://www.olsr.org/ OLSR] protocol in the mesh ensures that all the WLANs and LANs can connect to the internet. | ||
==Clients can Join the Mesh== | |||
A laptop or a PC connected to the mesh can also run olsrd (OLSR daemon available from download section of http://www.olsr.org/ for all the popular operating systems). This will make each of the PCs act as additional nodes of the mesh. This way the mesh dynamically changes its shape. During our experiment we added a GNU/Linux PC running PPC architecture and a MS Windows PC in the mesh after running the olsrd on each of them. | |||
==More questions== | ==More questions== | ||
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===How much does it cost?=== | ===How much does it cost?=== | ||
About Rs. 3000/- for each wireless router. And another Rs.3000/- for a booster antenna, which is required only on those nodes which need to cross a large ground or large uninhabited area. And of course the spirit to share knowledge and your precious time. | About Rs. 3000/- for each wireless router. And another Rs.3000/- for a booster antenna, which is required only on those nodes which need to cross a large ground or large uninhabited area. And of course the spirit to share knowledge and your precious time. | ||
[[Image:antenna.jpg]] | |||
===Who provides the content to the free network?=== | ===Who provides the content to the free network?=== | ||