'Anti-authority' tech rebels take on ISPs, connect NYC with cheap Wi-Fi

#1

Post by standeven » Wed, May 02, 2018, 4:23 PM UTC

'Anti-authority' tech rebels take on ISPs, connect NYC with cheap Wi-Fi
cbc.ca

Re: 'Anti-authority' tech rebels take on ISPs, connect NYC with cheap Wi-Fi

#2

Post by mapmap » Wed, May 02, 2018, 7:05 PM UTC

I'm curious about the technology they are using. Is it an actual mesh network or point-to-point wireless?

Re: 'Anti-authority' tech rebels take on ISPs, connect NYC with cheap Wi-Fi

#3

Post by tlrobinson » Wed, May 02, 2018, 7:17 PM UTC

mapmap wrote: post #2

I'm curious about the technology they are using. Is it an actual mesh network or point-to-point wireless?

Here's a map of their network: https://nycmesh.net/map/ (uncheck everything except "Link" to see the network)

Re: 'Anti-authority' tech rebels take on ISPs, connect NYC with cheap Wi-Fi

#4

Post by Zekio » Wed, May 02, 2018, 7:18 PM UTC

mapmap wrote: post #2

I'm curious about the technology they are using. Is it an actual mesh network or point-to-point wireless?

Looks like point to point in the video

Re: 'Anti-authority' tech rebels take on ISPs, connect NYC with cheap Wi-Fi

#5

Post by crishoj » Wed, May 02, 2018, 7:18 PM UTC

mapmap wrote: post #2

I'm curious about the technology they are using. Is it an actual mesh network or point-to-point wireless?

Seems to be an actual mesh network, based on the BMX6 mesh protocol [0].

[0] http://nycmeshnet.github.io/faq/

Re: 'Anti-authority' tech rebels take on ISPs, connect NYC with cheap Wi-Fi

#6

Post by stcredzero » Wed, May 02, 2018, 7:22 PM UTC

Is there an inexpensive point to point technology that isn't hampered by rain?

Re: 'Anti-authority' tech rebels take on ISPs, connect NYC with cheap Wi-Fi

#7

Post by notyourday » Wed, May 02, 2018, 7:23 PM UTC

I'm in NYC. I know a few people who played with it. It barely works.

I'm all for this kind of tech solutions, but for crying out loud pretending that this is a replacement for ISPs in NYC really discredits techies.

Re: 'Anti-authority' tech rebels take on ISPs, connect NYC with cheap Wi-Fi

#8

Post by notyourday » Wed, May 02, 2018, 7:24 PM UTC

stcredzero wrote: post #6

Is there an inexpensive point to point technology that isn't hampered by rain?

Yes. Whatever TowerStream uses. But it is definitely line of sight and you have to be on Empire State or Trump Tower or a few other buildings to have any reasonable visibility

Re: 'Anti-authority' tech rebels take on ISPs, connect NYC with cheap Wi-Fi

#9

Post by tlrobinson » Wed, May 02, 2018, 7:24 PM UTC

This sounds neat. Is anyone working on something like it in the SF bay area? I know there's Webpass and Monkeybrains, which are great, but I'd love to be part of a community-owned, actual mesh network.

Re: 'Anti-authority' tech rebels take on ISPs, connect NYC with cheap Wi-Fi

#10

Post by jeffreyrogers » Wed, May 02, 2018, 7:26 PM UTC

This stuff is cool and maybe useful in far-fetched scenarios, but it's not going to replace ISPs anytime soon. Mesh networks don't make economic sense in most circumstances.

Also, I'm guessing that users share the same IP address, which can cause problems. Plus, if one user is doing something illegal and causes the supernode to get shutdown then no one on the mesh network will have access to the internet.

Addition: quotes like "The internet doesn't really cost you anything, it's just the connection [that has a fee]... Nobody owns the internet, there's no one to pay." Are shockingly naive. Who does he expects pays for the fiber that runs across the country and along the ocean floor? The marginal cost of a new user on the internet is effectively zero, but that doesn't say anything important. The infrastructure that makes the internet work is enormously expensive.