Building Wireless Community Networks, Second Edition
Building Wireless Community Networks is about getting people connected to one another. Wireless technology is being used right now to connect neighborhoods, businesses, and schools to the vast and nebulous entity known as the Internet.
Building Wireless Community Networks, Second Edition
Chapter 1. Wireless Community Networks
Section 1.1. Why Now?
Section 1.2. The WISP Approach
Section 1.3. The Cooperative Approach
Section 1.4. About This Book
Chapter 2. Defining Project Scope
Section 2.1. The Standards
Section 2.2. Hardware Requirements
Section 2.3. Site Survey
Section 2.4. 802.11b Channels and Interference
Section 2.5. Topographical Mapping 101
Chapter 3. Network Layout
Section 3.1. Layer 1 (Physical) Connectivity
Section 3.2. Wired Wireless
Section 3.3. Vital Services
Section 3.4. Security Considerations
Section 3.5. Summary
Chapter 4. Using Access Points
Section 4.1. Access Point Caveats
Section 4.2. The Apple AirPort Base Station
Section 4.3. Access Point Management Software
Section 4.4. Local LAN Access
Section 4.5. Configuring Dialup
Section 4.6. NAT and DHCP
Section 4.7. Bridging
Section 4.8. WEP, MAC Filtering,and Closed Networks
Section 4.9. Roaming
Section 4.10. Channel Spacing
Chapter 5. Host-Based Networking
Section 5.1. Anatomy of a Wireless Gateway
Chapter 6. Long-Range Networking
Section 6.1. Topo Maps 102: Geographical Diversity
Section 6.2. Antenna Characteristicsand Placement
Chapter 7. Other Applications
Section 7.1. Software
Section 7.2. Point-to-Point Links
Section 7.3. Point-to-Multipoint Links
Section 7.4. Home-Brew Antennas
Section 7.5. Redundant Links
Section 7.6. Repeaters
Section 7.7. Security Concerns
Section 7.8. NoCatAuth Captive Portal
Section 7.9. Fun with IP
Section 7.10. In Closing
Chapter 8. Radio Free Planet
Section 8.1. Seattle Wireless
Section 8.2. Universal Wireless
Section 8.3. The Future
Chapter 9. Radio Free Sebastopol
Section 9.1. OSCON 2000
Section 9.2. The Campus
Section 9.3. Coffee, Coffee, Coffee
Section 9.4. Online From Home,No Strings Attached
Section 9.5. Seattle Wireless
Section 9.6. NoCat
Section 9.7. The Community Takes Notice
Section 9.8. The Portland Summit
Section 9.9. And So On
Appendix A. Regulations Affecting 802.11 Deployment
Section A.1. Disclaimer
Section A.2. Abstract and Objectives
Section A.3. Introduction to the Technology
Section A.4. Regulations and Laws Affecting802.11 Network Deployment
Section A.5. Power Limits
Section A.6. Equipment Limitationsand Certification
Section A.7. Interference
Section A.8. Broadband AUPs
Section A.9. Human Exposure to RadioFrequency Radiation
Section A.10. Laws ConcerningAntennas and Towers
Section A.11. The Future: Good News and Bad News
Section A.12. What Can You Do?
Section A.13. Conclusions
Appendix B. Path Loss Calculations
Appendix C. Simple Scheme Management
One of the goals of this book is to help you get your community "unplugged" and online, using inexpensive off-the-shelf equipment.
A secondary, but critical goal of this book is to come to terms with exactly what is meant by community. It might refer to your college campus, where many people own their own laptops and want to share files and access to the Internet. Your idea of community could encompass your apartment building or neighborhood, where broadband Internet access may not even be available. This book is intended to get you thinking about what is involved in getting people in your community connected together, and it will demonstrate working examples of how to make these connections possible.