more on Neighborhood Wireless Service (NWS)

[David Farber <dave () farber net>]

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.


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