Building Wireless Community Networks

Chapter 1.  Wireless Community Networks

In recent times, the velocity of technology development has exceeded “blur” and is now moving at speeds that defy description. Internet technology in particular has made astounding strides in the last few years. Where only a few short years ago 56Kb modems were all the rage, many tech heads now find themselves complaining about how slow their company’s T1 connection seems compared to their 6Mb DSL connection at home.

Never before have so many had free and fast access to so much information. As more people get a taste of millisecond response times and megabit download speeds, they seem only to hunger for more. In most places, the service everyone is itching for is DSL , or Digital Subscriber Line service. It provides high bandwidth (typically, anywhere from 384Kbps to 6Mbps) over standard copper telephone lines, if your installation is within about three miles of the telephone company’s CO, or central office (this is a technical constraint of the technology). DSL is generally preferred over cable modems, because a DSL connection provides guaranteed bandwidth (at least to the telephone company) and thus is not directly affected by the traffic habits of everyone else in your neighborhood. It isn’t cheap, ranging anywhere from $50 to $300 per month, plus ISP and equipment charges, but that doesn’t seem to be discouraging demand.

Telephone companies, of course, are completely enamored with this state of affairs. In fact, the intense demand for high-bandwidth ...