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more on Neighborhood Wireless Service (NWS)
From: David Farber <dave () farber net>
Date: Mon, 9 Jan 2006 20:16:42 -0500
Begin forwarded message: From: Brad Templeton <btm () templetons com> Date: January 9, 2006 7:46:09 PM EST To: David Farber <dave () farber net> Cc: ip () v2 listbox com Subject: Re: [IP] more on Neighborhood Wireless Service (NWS) Where the ISPs are not against it, the world of wifi access to the public could be revolutionized with a modest change to the way home wifi gateway boxes work. I have proposed for some time that these boxes come by default to simulate two networks (both on the same RF channel.) Network one, the private network, would be WPA encrypted with an easy interface for adding trusted devices in the home. Such use would be natted if necessary. Network two would be public, for use by guests in your home, passers-by, and perhaps even neighbours. It would not be encrypted, and would be natted, but in an independent NATwork from the private network, so that packets do not normally flow between them. It would have its own SSID. Furthermore network two would be bandwidth limited, so that its packets always take 2nd place to the private network. As such users of the private network would never feel slowness due to use of the public network. In fact, the bandwidth limiting could be more than that. It could limit guests to a lesser bandwidth, or some number of megabytes per month. The latter choice would allow short term guests in the home and passers-by to make temporary use of the network, but neighbours could not (easily) make long term use of it without asking permission. Of course anybody can fake their MAC address to get around such limits but most people will not. Some high end APs already can do this, but if this feature were to be implemented in the cheaper APs sold into homes, there would soon be a network of free wifi almost anywhere you went. No roaming from AP to AP without fancy tools, but still free access. All with no downside to the homeowner, who would never notice the bandwidth. The only people who would complain would be the ISPs, many of whom have TOS that forbid this sort of sharing already. Indeed the "short term use by passers-by, but not longtime use by neighbours" feature is there to placate these ISPs, who might tolerate the small extra use by the roaming user, but fear that long-term use by a neighbour is a lost customer. Of course the for-pay hotspot companies would hate it. ------------------------------------- You are subscribed as lists-ip () insecure org To manage your subscription, go to http://v2.listbox.com/member/?listname=ip Archives at: http://www.interesting-people.org/archives/interesting-people/
Current thread:
- more on Neighborhood Wireless Service (NWS) David Farber (Jan 09)
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- more on Neighborhood Wireless Service (NWS) David Farber (Jan 09)
- more on Neighborhood Wireless Service (NWS) David Farber (Jan 12)