Wireless Networking

Wireless Communities

A number of cities in the USA have had some enterprising people pull together and form Community Wireless Networks, or CWN's. Groups like Seattle Wireless, NYC Wireless, Southern CA Wireless User Group, Capital Area Wireless Networks, and others are full of people who are big into WiFi, and all share the common goal of providing free or low-cost wireless access to the internet.

Some groups have enterprising individuals that have started their own Wireless ISP's, serving up a T1 connection to nearby neighbors for a monthly fee comparable to a Cable or DSL connection. Those wireless ISP's then also provide a relatively limited amount of bandwidth, usually 56 to 128 kbit/sec, for free access. This gives enough of a taste to see what wireless can do, while keeping  the high speed for those paying for the service.

Many people involved in these groups typically have some form of high speed internet that doesn't mind wireless sharing (without charging) or they have a dedicated T1, and have an access point set up with a common SSID. Some CWN's have registration systems in place that require you to register to be able to use the service, then log in with your User ID before you can use the connection.

CWN's help provide wireless access in otherwise unconnected areas, like parks, local businesses, and other common areas that people might find internet access helpful. These groups even help each other. As one area might find a new problem, they share their findings on the problem as well as any fixes they've discovered so that other groups can benefit from what has been found. In this way, these groups help foster community interactions between the communities in addition to within their own communities.

 

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