Wireless network FCC regs, organization, etc.

[Yournet@hotmail.com]

The key to any network is adoption.  Technologists have to think a little 
bit like marketers about what appeals to the average person.  As much as 
people like myself are guilty of it, it is not mucking around as a hobbyist 
tinkering with wireless gadgets or playing around with selective networks. 
What appeals to most people is ease of use of the broad network, not 
something set up for nerds.  (come on admit it, we are nerds.. it's OK, 
there can be rehabilitation through hikes in the great NW or talking to 
actual people face to face. ;^)

The problem I se with Seattle Wireless is that it doesn't take 
self-appraisal very seriously... Why not always be in the mode of thinking 
to ask "how can we make this easier and attract a network that grows beyond 
ourselves?"  Or it the idea to have an exclusive club atmosphere that 
remains small.  That is AUK too if that is the objective. If you want to 
proliferate a network you have to start out with making deployments idiot 
simple... like what I expect when I buy yet another gizmo to plug into my PC 
or laptop.... and often find it is forgotten and sits on the shelf along 
with many other relics I thought were good ideas at the time.

What has it been now, five years?  Is setting up a node or just using 
Seattle Wireless easy to find and set up within five minutes of coming to 
the web site?  It the network vastly larger than it was three years ago? If 
not, why not?  Does anyone want it to grow into a large network or does that 
just not matter?

I can be criticized as being an observer who has not contributed much in the 
way of making deployments easier.  Easy to criticize.  But I hope my points 
are taken in good spirit.



----- Original Message ----- 
From: "Sheldon T. Hall" <shel at tandem.artell.net>
To: "'SeattleWireless Development List'" <dev at seattlewireless.net>
Cc: "'Troy Benjegerdes'" <hozer at hozed.org>; "'Tushar Dayal'" 
<tdayal at gmail.com>; <gbonett at iastate.edu>
Sent: Tuesday, April 10, 2007 9:12 AM
Subject: RE: Wireless network FCC regs, organization, etc.


> Nitin Gadia writes ...
>
>> Once we were going to have a model working, we were going to go door
>> to door soliciting donations. We're thinking that many people would be
>> willing, as they would pay less for a community wireless network,
>> especially landlords.
>
> IMHO, SeattleWireless ultimately wasn't that interesting because it was
> mostly self-contained.  Although some individual nodes had Internet
> connectivity, the "mesh" as a whole didn't.
>
>> We were thinking of broadcasting a signal across the neighborhood
>> below approximately 800 meters. Is this within the legal FCC limits?
>
> AFAIK, the FCC regs don't limit range, just power.  Specifically, radiated
> power, which takes into effect antenna gain.  However, as a practical
> matter, it's unenforced.  As long as your signal doesn't interfere with
> someone else's, and you use off-the-shelf radio gear, you should be OK.
>
> Just as a point of interest, even a 100 mW PCMCIA card will get a solid
> connection over several miles with a good antenna.  Even with the built-in
> antenna in my laptop, I can sometimes "see" WiFi providers across Puget
> Sound from my house.  That's about 7 miles.
>
>> As for the legal entity, you're thinking of a nonprofit?
>
> Probably, but, profit or no, it would probably be prudent to have a legal
> entity (corporation, LLC, whatever) own the stuff, provide the access, 
> and,
> most importantly, assume the liabilities.  This would afford the 
> organizers
> some level of protection.
>
>> Do you know of anyone who has such a free wireless arrangement that we
>> could communicate with?
>
> Not really.  I'm sure there are numerous similar "community WiFi" efforts,
> but I haven't kept up.
>
>> What does SeattleWireless do?
>
> Judging from the activity on the mailing lists, nothing.
>
> The original idea, as I understand it, was to provide a WiFi mesh network
> with connectivity over a wide area of Seattle and environs.  They managed 
> to
> have some coverage in some areas, but never enough to gain what I'd think 
> of
> as "critical mass."  Without organized Internet access, it wasn't very
> useful.
>
> Nowadays, in Seattle, there are thousands and thousands of open WiFi 
> nodes.
> You don't need a "wardriving" setup to find one.  You can just skewer a
> frankfurter on your car antenna and drive until it starts smoking.
>
> As a result of the multitude of open WiFi nodes, you can get hooked up 
> from
> almost anywhere in town.
>
>> Also, did i not use an appropriate subject heading...?
>
> Not really, but I fixed it.
>
> -Shel
>
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