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NYC Mesh – community-owned network to replace your current internet connection

nycmesh.net

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Re: NYC Mesh – community-owned network to replace your current internet connection

#11

Post by unethical_ban »

aero142 wrote: post #2

This doesn't seem to actually be a mesh network.

Yes, it is, though the homepage doesn't seem to explain it well.

You can connect to their "supernodes" which are the backbone, that connect to the Internet proper. You can also connect via other member nodes. So by my understanding of the colloquial term "mesh" for wifi, it is.

I do take issue with their FAQ stating they're not an ISP. They are providing Internet access to the public. They are an ISP, even if their structure and methods are unconventional. Maybe they're avoiding the term due to legalese?

It's an interesting project. I wonder if something like that would work in urban San Antonio... Hm!

Re: NYC Mesh – community-owned network to replace your current internet connection

#13

Post by nategri »

newton10471 wrote: post #10
sebleon wrote: post #4

Cool initiative based on positive ideals. From a practical perspective, NYC citizens have a number of good options for internet access; however, perhaps learnings from this community project can be brought to more needy areas outside the US.

Do you live in NYC? I do, and I don't have at all what I'd call "a number of good options" for internet access. In my area, there's two companies who operate similar to a monopoly (Verizon and Optimum), and regularly raise prices arbitrarily and often for no reason.

Having two choices actually might put you well above average for the US. Back when I was in Mountain View, CA (a few miles from Google HQ) it was either Comcast or nothing and the irony was not lost on me.

Re: NYC Mesh – community-owned network to replace your current internet connection

#14

Post by komali2 »

nategri wrote: post #13
newton10471 wrote: post #10

Earlier quoted context omitted.

Do you live in NYC? I do, and I don't have at all what I'd call "a number of good options" for internet access. In my area, there's two companies who operate similar to a monopoly (Verizon and Optimum), and regularly raise prices arbitrarily and often for no reason.

Having two choices actually might put you well above average for the US. Back when I was in Mountain View, CA (a few miles from Google HQ) it was either Comcast or nothing and the irony was not lost on me.

AT&T had an offering when I lived in Mountain View that was so comically terrible as to not realistically be an option at all.

Re: NYC Mesh – community-owned network to replace your current internet connection

#15

Post by komali2 »

LeoPanthera wrote: post #7
Latteland wrote: post #5

I love the idea but how do you connect to the greater internet? What will happen when you get a request to say what user was running on a certain day talking to whatever, or handle NSLs?

From the article: "The network connects directly to the internet backbone, so we do not rely on an ISP." Their peering policy: https://nycmesh.net/peering/

I don't understand what that means, "internet backbone?"

Is that a physical location somewhere? I've read on the peering link, are they saying there's an "internet ethernet port" at 375 Pearl St, New York, NY that they plugged their whole mesh network into? Where's the ethernet cable go from there?

I'm probably asking a bit too much here (how does internet work lol) but I don't understand how they've bypassed all ISPs... I just figured Comcast, being an ISP, also has a controlling stake in whatever means by which it gets data across the pacific ocean or whatever.

Re: NYC Mesh – community-owned network to replace your current internet connection

#16

Post by sebleon »

newton10471 wrote: post #10
sebleon wrote: post #4

Cool initiative based on positive ideals. From a practical perspective, NYC citizens have a number of good options for internet access; however, perhaps learnings from this community project can be brought to more needy areas outside the US.

Do you live in NYC? I do, and I don't have at all what I'd call "a number of good options" for internet access. In my area, there's two companies who operate similar to a monopoly (Verizon and Optimum), and regularly raise prices arbitrarily and often for no reason.

Ah, I meant 'good' relative to options in the developing world. Getting +20Mb/s for under 0.1-5% of your annual income puts you way ahead of most people on Earth.

But yes, I'm sure there's cities out there with more options than NYC.

Re: NYC Mesh – community-owned network to replace your current internet connection

#17

Post by komali2 »

markn951 wrote: post #3

Stuff like this make me long to live in NYC. Only city in the US with the density, technical expertise, and money for this kind of thing to happen.

I thought the same was true for the Bay Area, hence why I moved here. I was genuinely surprised to find Google Fiber isn't even available, let alone any mesh networks.

In all other aspects of technical expertise though it's blowing my previous city, Houston, away. Companies open to candidates based on technical expertise alone (rather than throwing non-B.S. degrees straight into the garbage), lots of great meetups, lots of fellow geeks doing exciting work.

Actually, another thing that surprised me was lack of hacker spaces - Houston seemed to have the same amount of them... one. The only major one I'm aware of here is Noisebridge, same for Houston which has TX/RX.

edit: oh, apparently SF has quite a few more than I realized. So does Houston, but not as many.

https://wiki.hackerspaces.org/San_Francisco https://wiki.hackerspaces.org/Houston

Re: NYC Mesh – community-owned network to replace your current internet connection

#18

Post by berbec »

newton10471 wrote: post #10
sebleon wrote: post #4

Cool initiative based on positive ideals. From a practical perspective, NYC citizens have a number of good options for internet access; however, perhaps learnings from this community project can be brought to more needy areas outside the US.

Do you live in NYC? I do, and I don't have at all what I'd call "a number of good options" for internet access. In my area, there's two companies who operate similar to a monopoly (Verizon and Optimum), and regularly raise prices arbitrarily and often for no reason.

You get two? My block on 78th and 1st has Twc, I mean Spectrum, and I don't know what I'm going to do when they get kicked out of the state.
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