Fun Question: How best to wi-fi a high rise?

Here's a big question that I cannot figure out.... if a wireless
access point can communicate with other access points around it,
couldn't several neighbors in the building share one internet
connection and save a bunch of money?

My questions are as follows:

1) Is this possible?
2) Can data "hop" from access points to the base station, such as my
NetGear MR814? Or must each WAP be able to communicate with the base
station on its own?
3) I ask this because I want to be able to access my neighbor's
AirPort Base with my Netgear MR814 which is a WAP/Router/Hub all in
one, with one wired cable going to my ReplayTV (Tivo) and then
transmitting to my WAP in my bedroom.
4) If this is possible, and enough people start getting WAPs and they
can hop to each other, it seems that the wireless world will
explode... yes?

Ben

In article <(E-Mail Removed)> ,
Ben Bethel <(E-Mail Removed)> wrote:
:Here's a big question that I cannot figure out.... if a wireless
:access point can communicate with other access points around it,
:couldn't several neighbors in the building share one internet
:connection and save a bunch of money?

:My questions are as follows:

:1) Is this possible?

Yes. But read the Terms of Service of the internet connection: it
is common that they say that the connection is for the personal
use of the person who obtained the connection. Often, in the
strict reading, even the immediate family of the person is not allowed
to use the connection -- even though the advertisements probably
enthused about how Mom could do her shopping and Sis could do her
homework.

:2) Can data "hop" from access points to the base station, such as my
:NetGear MR814? Or must each WAP be able to communicate with the base
:station on its own?

In order to forward on data, the device must be designed to be
a "bridge". Some APs are bridges, but not all are. The better ones
have multiple radios so that they can be forwarding while receiving.

:3) I ask this because I want to be able to access my neighbor's
:AirPort Base with my Netgear MR814 which is a WAP/Router/Hub all in
ne, with one wired cable going to my ReplayTV (Tivo) and then
:transmitting to my WAP in my bedroom.

Sorry, I don't have time to look up the specs for each of those.

:4) If this is possible, and enough people start getting WAPs and they
:can hop to each other, it seems that the wireless world will
:explode... yes?

Yes. And then [IMHO] it will implode again from security and tracking
problems. Would you allow your neighbour to relay porn through your
AP? Gay porn? Child porn? Send out thousands of spams a minute?
Send out thousands of k00k postings a month?

"My toy, my rules" is a big temptation for wireless networks. It's
a problem that does not get solved by ad-hoc networks thrown
together: it only gets solved by people getting together and
deliberately planning the network organization and rules ahead of time.
--
This signature intentionally left... Oh, darn!

"Ben Bethel" <(E-Mail Removed)> wrote in message
news:(E-Mail Removed) m...
> Here's a big question that I cannot figure out.... if a wireless
> access point can communicate with other access points around it,
> couldn't several neighbors in the building share one internet
> connection and save a bunch of money?
>

Check this out, http://www.speakeasy.net/main.php?page=pr070803

Neighbors still have to pay though.

g'day
youth

On 21 Jul 2003 11:01:28 -0700, Ben Bethel <(E-Mail Removed)> wrote:
> Here's a big question that I cannot figure out.... if a wireless
> access point can communicate with other access points around it,
> couldn't several neighbors in the building share one internet
> connection and save a bunch of money?
>
> My questions are as follows:
>
> 1) Is this possible?

Possible, yes... Easy, no.

> 2) Can data "hop" from access points to the base station, such as my
> NetGear MR814? Or must each WAP be able to communicate with the base
> station on its own?

One of the many problems with doing this is that every product seems to use
a different method of handling communications between APs. If each AP is
the same brand and model and each supports multipoint bridging then there is
a chance they could do what you want. In practice I've only done this with
Linux boxes running hostap. I've got some D-Link 900+s so I may try this at
some point with them.


> 3) I ask this because I want to be able to access my neighbor's
> AirPort Base with my Netgear MR814 which is a WAP/Router/Hub all in
> one, with one wired cable going to my ReplayTV (Tivo) and then
> transmitting to my WAP in my bedroom.

IMHO it's not going to work.

> 4) If this is possible, and enough people start getting WAPs and they
> can hop to each other, it seems that the wireless world will
> explode... yes?

The basic idea (mesh networks where every station is also a repeater) has
been around for a long time. Even with interoperability issues taken care
of there are lots of other issues. For one thing each hop between you and
your destination cuts the amount of bandwidth roughly in half. Another
problem is that if one of the hops between you and your destination goes
away (maybe the person moves etc.) you're SOL unless there is another route
however it you have enough users near by to take care of this problem then
you probably won't have enough bandwidth to support them.

--
Ray