Hard News by Russell Brown

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Hard News: Another Network in a Different City

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  • Robert Cross,

    I am a resident of Pt Chevalier and a director of Kiwi Wirless providing Wi-Fi networks in the more progresive regions of NZ.
    The free Wi-Fi model promoted in your article does'nt work in practice as someone has to support it and they need to be paid. Community Wi-Fi however has a lot of potential advantages and I firmly believe in the integrity of my investment motivated largely by frustrations of the current service providers.
    Its difficult to place infrastructure on domestic houses as this comes with a host of potential hastles. You need street furniture and a progressive council who is prepared to make this available. The light poles in Pt Chev (which Kiwi wireless designed a network around) are half owned by council and half by Vector. Somehow no one could make this work for us so it went no further.
    My full congradulations to councils such as Taupo who at no cost to them have said Why not! please do it. They now enjoy a total Wi-Fi blanket coverage over their town and exciting things are happening there.
    Auckland has coverage over parts of mainstreet Parnell, Remuera, Newmarket, K rd and ponsonby. The council had an RFI out for the development of a Wireless Mesh network over the CBD and the submission that I was involved in would provide this at no cost to the tax payer.
    My understanding is that this will still proceed, but we have a new mayor now who seems to take the stand that he can do everything better. Whatch this space.
    Robert Cross

    Pt Chevalier • Since Oct 2007 • 1 posts Report Reply

  • Rich of Observationz,

    Somehow I think being on a wifi network would be the very last thing a serious terrorist would want to do. Especially not out in the bush when you're trying to keep radio silence.

    The WiFi protocol would be quite hard to do direction finding on, I think, certainly compared to a VHF walkie talkie. It's spread spectrum and quite low power.

    You could layer a fairly secure comms system onto WiFi. SMS style text messages, encrypted and sent as bursts (160 bytes at 54Mbits = 300ns of data) would be hard to intercept and locate.

    Back in Wellington • Since Nov 2006 • 5550 posts Report Reply

  • BenWilson,

    Rich, true. It would be virtually undetectable from outside of a few hundred meters (& therefore of little use in the bush). But anyone listening in would be able to capture the digital data and if they thought you were a terrorist then decrypting it might almost be justifiable. Ask the US to do it, they'd love it. Or charge for it, and love that too.

    They might as well just send SMS messages, but encrypt those. Then they don't have to pay for the network, it might work in the bush, and it will definitely work everywhere else. The encryption could be 100% secure for such short messages, if these guys put half as much thought into security as they put into buying grenade launchers. Mind you, encrypted text messages would probably set off alarm bells. But when you're into discussing killing the white man, you've already set them off, I'd say.

    Auckland • Since Nov 2006 • 10657 posts Report Reply

  • Peter Darlington,

    That was a great story Stephen, although I kind of wonder at why she was revealed so openly. I assume names / identifying data have been changed but still.

    Never mind that, what the hell is 'Jimmy Dean Sausage'???

    Nelson • Since Nov 2006 • 949 posts Report Reply

  • Stephen Judd,

    Is it so hard to just Google up Jimmy Dean Sausage?

    Wellington • Since Nov 2006 • 3122 posts Report Reply

  • Steve Reeves,

    I'm in the UK currently, and noticed this on BT and wi-fi in Teh Grauniad a while ago:

    Near Donny Park, Hamilton… • Since Apr 2007 • 94 posts Report Reply

  • JulianPriest,

    Thanks for the headsup Russel. There are lots of different models in use by different groups around the world. One of my favorites is freifunk in Berlin and a bunch of other cities in Germany. They have built a peer produced wireless mesh freenetwork there, which works well in urban situations where you might have a node every kilometer or so. There are around 1000 nodes in Berlin, each of which serves say 10 users +. Another one in Catalunya guifi covers 150km x 150 km north of Barcelona in a rural area. That network is an open access local network based on point to point links. They are at about 4500 nodes and growing fast. Another is Djurslandsnet in Denmark that uses a fiber backbone and wireless breakouts to cover a whole province in a network co-op serving 10,000 households. In Wanganui we're looking at bringing elements of these and other models together, maybe mesh in towns, point to point in rural areas, and fibre wherever it can be found. The project is at a very early stage right now but I've put up a stub site at wha.net.nz and a mailing list there where I'd like to explore the options and see what is going to make sense for Wanganui. Please feel free to join in and I'll post back to Russel as the project develops.

    Wanganui • Since Oct 2007 • 1 posts Report Reply

  • Ben Austin,

    I believe unauthorised use of wifi is a 500 pound fine in England and Wales, due to a slightly obscure 2003 law.

    London • Since Nov 2006 • 1027 posts Report Reply

  • Peter Darlington,

    Is it so hard to just Google up Jimmy Dean Sausage?

    Not particularly, but it was more of an exclamation than a genuine question.

    Nelson • Since Nov 2006 • 949 posts Report Reply

  • Jeremy Andrew,

    Speaking of breakfast sausage...

    Hamiltron - City of the F… • Since Nov 2006 • 900 posts Report Reply

  • reece palmer,

    Hi Public Address,
    I haven't posted in ages which some of you may consider a great favour so,

    *lodges cotton wool in cheek*

    "Now maybe you can do me a favour"

    The school I work at has entered and has made the final five of a competition to create and produce a song around the integrated use of ICT in our school and classroom. There is a rather large portion of prize action up for grabs and I'd like you to help us win it. If you go to the url below,

    http://contest.interwritelearning.com/contestant/90/

    and vote for us I'd be ever so greatful. You have to create an account to vote which will cost nothing but a little of you time and an email addy. You get to watch a video which is based around our school and stars some of our kids and some guy who shall remain nameless, heh.

    P.S. I'm going to spam this message on loads of threads and if this irritates you, I do apologise.

    the terraces • Since Nov 2006 • 298 posts Report Reply

  • David Swift,

    Hey Russell....John Cale will be WELLl worth seeing. Trust me.

    I caught him here in Glasgow just 8 months ago, a few weeks before my trip to NZ, and it was the first time I had seen him for 20 years.

    He played to a half-full ABC (former cinema) on Sauchiehall Street with a back-up band of three far younger hipsters.

    The newer stuff was teriffic, and the old 70s classics were performed respectfully with his typical retouches to keep them fresh for him, at least.

    Damn good show. And he was courteous and in good humour.

    Unlike in the mid 1980s. I sympathise with your personal experience of him. I did a phone interview for The Press before his NZ tour and he was brusque but forthcoming....

    ...but later during my time on the NME i met a rock hackette who had, uh, entertained him intimately and she did not have very nice words for him as a person. Hell, can you trust a anyone who did not want to hear The Clean in 1983?

    I still remember his Hillsborough Tavern show in Christchurch that year....that was absolutely outstanding... and as you well recall the fact that a real-life Velvet was in our city was kinda stunning. I do believe there were 800 people there that night, it was a sell-out.

    A subsequent sighting, like yourself, in London during a Ronnie Scott's mini-season in 1986 was not quite as riveting though still good. Maybe it just didn't feel as special. (I call it the ''Ramones 1980 tour'' syndrome)

    But I think you will be mighty impressed with the Welshman this time round.

    Read these reviews....this is the first Cale album I have bought since 1982's Music For A New Society............and it's teriffic:

    http://www.metacritic.com/music/artists/calejohn/hobosapiens?q=cale

    The follow-up, 2005's Black Acetate, is not quite as good.

    Enjoy the show anyway and regards

    Dave Swift

    Whitley Bay, England • Since Dec 2006 • 7 posts Report Reply

  • David Swift,

    forgot to add...

    I have a cassette of the 1983 Hillsborough Tavern show.........it's with me here in the UK...I will send it to you if you can get it put on a CD and do a copy for me also......I will check the quality....have not played it for 20-plus years.....

    Whitley Bay, England • Since Dec 2006 • 7 posts Report Reply

  • Andrew Cooke,

    Of course, Tuhoe (and to a lesser extent) the taxpayer _are_ paying for a wireless network in the Ureweras...


    We're helping build it, but are happy to help (relatively) wealthy urbanites who have a need too. Although while we play with a lot of mesh and other wifi here, I'd be careful about expecting too much of it in suburban areas.

    Hamilton • Since Nov 2007 • 1 posts Report Reply

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