Volk Fi: Distributed network smartphone

#1

Post by 4d66ba06 » Wed, Mar 20, 2019, 1:17 AM UTC

Volk Fi: Distributed network smartphone
volkfi.com

Re: Volk Fi: Distributed network smartphone

#2

Post by josh2600 » Wed, Mar 20, 2019, 2:16 AM UTC

I would bet almost any amount of money this isn’t going to work.

In any mesh network, the overhead of coordinating nodes dominates network traffic. This is before you even begin to think about the terms of service violations for all of these WiFi access points.

Re: Volk Fi: Distributed network smartphone

#3

Post by angott » Wed, Mar 20, 2019, 2:21 AM UTC

josh2600 wrote: post #2

I would bet almost any amount of money this isn’t going to work. In any mesh network, the overhead of coordinating nodes dominates network traffic. This is before you even begin to think about the terms of service violations for all of these WiFi access points.

And you haven't even mentioned the fact that mobile phones can move around, leading to high rates of dropped connections as devices come and go. There's no way this is going to work.

Re: Volk Fi: Distributed network smartphone

#4

Post by remyM » Wed, Mar 20, 2019, 2:24 AM UTC

angott wrote: post #3

josh2600 wrote: post #2

I would bet almost any amount of money this isn’t going to work. In any mesh network, the overhead of coordinating nodes dominates network traffic. This is before you even begin to think about the terms of service violations for all of these WiFi access points.

And you haven't even mentioned the fact that mobile phones can move around, leading to high rates of dropped connections as devices come and go. There's no way this is going to work.

Whoops, my phone connected to someone on a train that just went past! My phone call just dropped.

Re: Volk Fi: Distributed network smartphone

#5

Post by doitLP » Wed, Mar 20, 2019, 2:29 AM UTC

I don’t get the invite model. Ask someone already invited to send you an invite? I guess it prevents spam reservations but I don’t have Facebook or twitter, so I guess I’m out of luck.

Re: Volk Fi: Distributed network smartphone

#6

Post by nickodell » Wed, Mar 20, 2019, 2:35 AM UTC

>Volk One devices can connect to each other, from several miles away.

Assuming that a voice call requires 8kbit/s of bandwidth, and assuming that you have about a watt of power, how feasible is it to connect through a phone that is a mile away?

Serious question - I don't know how to do the math here.

Re: Volk Fi: Distributed network smartphone

#7

Post by TheSpiceIsLife » Wed, Mar 20, 2019, 2:42 AM UTC

How can internet connectivity be free?

Doesn’t someone need to pay for a connection?

Re: Volk Fi: Distributed network smartphone

#8

Post by TheSpiceIsLife » Wed, Mar 20, 2019, 2:43 AM UTC

TheSpiceIsLife wrote: post #7

How can internet connectivity be free? Doesn’t someone need to pay for a connection?

To answer my own question, as per the FAQ:

Volk Fi counts data usage and bytes shared via WiFi. Every user gets the amount they share, unlimited. If a Volk user consumes more data than they share in a month, there is a 5GB data cap. After that, the user can pay the super cheap price of $1/GB for additional data.

Re: Volk Fi: Distributed network smartphone

#9

Post by slackfan » Wed, Mar 20, 2019, 2:44 AM UTC

nickodell wrote: post #6

>Volk One devices can connect to each other, from several miles away. Assuming that a voice call requires 8kbit/s of bandwidth, and assuming that you have about a watt of power, how feasible is it to connect through a phone that is a mile away? Serious question - I don't know how to do the math here.

Several miles? Sure, maybe, if conditions are good and you're line-of-sight. Good luck turning every phone into a cellphone tower.

This seems like an overly optimistic scam.

Re: Volk Fi: Distributed network smartphone

#10

Post by slackfan » Wed, Mar 20, 2019, 2:46 AM UTC

These data collection scams are getting more and more elaborate.