There was a thread posted in the past six months where you could take multiple access points and create a single mesh network that everyone with the correct credentials (ie, login and pass) could hop on.

I am thinking of something similar, but different. That is, I have contemplated what it would take to blanket my entire subdivision with wireless access. First I want to see how to acheive this from a connection point of view - single t1/t3 plus repeaters spread through the hood. Or, to use the method mentioned in the last thread of having multiple broadband connections with multiple APs. Then figure out the bandwidth available per user given the incoming pipe. Eventually, a look at the cost per user would need to be figured out because thats the bottom line.

More to come later...

4/19/2006 12:33:42 PM

it would suck a bunch of balls if it was multiple broadband connections b/c you're going to drop any active connections everytime you roam APs.

4/19/2006 12:39:33 PM

Of course a lot of work has been done about this already.

http://www.cnds.jhu.edu/pub/papers/cnds-2005-2.pdf

I think with the coming of MIMO and routers with better range (ie, needing less for a given area), this could be very feasible for a community.

4/19/2006 4:07:56 PM

Who would pay for it

4/19/2006 4:09:40 PM

Well, it isn't that simple, but in general, it would be included in the home owners associations fees. Also, I think our mayor would take an interest in the project if we can prove it is viable and kick in some initial funding simply for the press it could generate in the area, ie "Holly Springs eighborhood first in triangle to offer wireless connectivity" or something to that effect. That is, I'm not aware of any other subdivisions that have something like this.

There are tons of hurdles to be overcome and to be honest I don't think its necessarily feasible at this point, but I at least would like to do some number crunching. Heck, IT support for it alone is enough to kill it at this point, because as it is now, they can call TWC if something is wrong. Who are they gonna call when something happens to the neighborhood provided internet?

4/19/2006 4:34:21 PM

i wonder if this is something isps like time warner could pick up.

you might think that cell companies with their already existant wireless networks might expand into wifi, but time warner might be able to do it better in places like subdivisions.

If they already have the pipe in place in these neighborhoods, they'd just be plugging in more devices.

However since they already have the cable layed to each house theres no real benifit to them.

4/19/2006 4:39:33 PM

Cisco has such a solution, but it's probably way out of your budget.

4/19/2006 4:55:50 PM

I'm sure it is, pm me though, I'd be curious to hear some basics of the specifics (PM I guess)

I discovered yesterday that we have about 600 homes in the 'hood. If only half of those folks are using RR (probably an overestimate), thats 12+ grand a month being spent which certainly puts us in DS3 land in regards to cost.

4/26/2006 2:11:11 PM