Dharamsala Wireless Mesh - Forum
About the Dharamsala Wireless-Mesh Community Network
Submitted by yahel on Mon, 2006-04-17 12:59. Dharamsala Wireless Mesh - ForumDharamsala Wireless-Mesh Community Network
The Dharamsala Wireless-Mesh community network came to life in February 2005, following the deregulation for outdoor use of WiFi in India (28, January 2005). By the end of February 2005, the mesh had already connected 8 campuses. Extensive tests during February showed that the hard mountainous terrain is most suitable for Mesh networking, as conventional point-to-multipoint networks, cannot overcome the line-of sight limitations presented by the mountains. Mesh topology also offered much larger area coverage, while the “self healing” nature of Mesh routing, proved to be essential in places where electricity supply is very erratic at best.
At present day (October 2005), the Mesh backbone includes over 30 nodes, all sharing a single radio channel. From October 2nd, broadband Internet services are provided to all mesh members. The total upstream Internet bandwidth available is 6Mbps. There are over 2000 computers connected to the Mesh, and about 500 have Internet access. The broadband internet connection, is putting the mesh under great load. At present it seems to handle the load fine without any increase in neither latency nor packet-loss. It is clear however that it’s not going to offer much more scalability if continue to use a single radio channel. New Mesh routers, with multiple radio channel support, are being developed and tested here in Dharamsala. Results are very good, while the main objective of keeping the manufacturing costs very low is met.
Apart from Internet access, the mesh members are using the network for extensive file-sharing applications, off-site backups, playback of high quality video from remote archives and extensive VoIP telephony. A central VoIP, software-based PBX is installed (Asterisk) and it provides advance telephony services to members. The Asterisk PBX is also interfacing the PSTN telephone network, yet due to legal issues it is used at present only for incoming calls into the Mesh. Subscribers use a large variety of software-phones, as well as numerous ATAs (Analog Telephone Adaptors) and full-blown, fancy, IP-Phones.
AirJaldi Mesh Router
Submitted by yahel on Mon, 2006-04-17 12:40. Dharamsala Wireless Mesh - ForumAir Jaldi Mesh Router (AJMR) Technical Description
The AJMR is built around a SBCs (Single Board Computers) which we extract from low-cost popular WiFi devices such as Linksys’s WRT54G.
While most of the SBCs we use, utilizes a 200mhz MIPS CPU with 4Mb of Flash memory and 16Mb of RAM, we also use much lower-scale units and recently also more powerful units. We find the Netgear WGT634U, to be most suitable for our application and we are happy to see a constant decrease in it’s price. This small SBC draws less power then its bulkier cousins, features a MiniPCI slot for radio card, hosting a great Atheros b/g radio, double the flash and ram of the WRT54G and maybe the greatest feature of all is a USB2.0 port.
Most of our current development is based around this unit.
The SBCs are enclosed in a low-profile, weather-proof enclosure which was designed in Dharamsala and is being furbished in Delhi. The present enclosure is the 3rd version, designed based on field experiments in the harsh Himalayan climate. It had proved to stand the extreme cold and snowy winter, the heavy monsoon rains, and the scorching sun of summer heat. Manufacturing costs for the enclosures are just a bit over $10, for the small quantities which we make. We expect to lower the price much more once higher volumes will be produced.
The SBCs also undergoes some Hardware modifications and additions in Dharamsala:
Power supply integrated with a POE (Power Over Ethernet) injector, which allows for long-distance PoE feeds.
Tolerant power-supply for wide-range input voltage 90-240v.
Current-limited battery charger (best results with 12v 7.2Ah dry cells).
Low-voltage disconnect (LVD), to prevent router hung if battery is depleted and to prolong battery life.
Optional solar-powered battery chargers.
Improved antenna feed system, to decrease RF transmission losses.
Optional sensors for remote monitoring, graphing, and logging of temperature and voltage.
Optional lightening surge protector for antenna feed.
Aftermath : Air Jaldi Summit 2006....Project : Adhaar
Submitted by Jagdish Singh on Sun, 2006-11-12 14:43. Dharamsala Wireless Mesh - ForumProject : Adhaar
A Dream Project of
www.agromass.org
Website under Construction
Launch Date :30 November, 2006
Ground Logistics and support by:
http://news.admass.co.in
(Please use Firefox as browser)
Project Overview : Main
1. E-Suraksha Online interface to Jana Shree Beema Yojna under LIC.
2. E-Bank Interface micro financing scheme S.H.G. (Self Help Group ) under NABARD.
3. E-Bazar for rural community for trading or selling farm produce.
4. E-Sathi a civic utility interface for rural community.
Project Overview : Other
1. Promotion and Training workshops :
a. Open Source Software (LAMP: Linux Apache MySql, PHP) among student community
b. Renewable Energy Resources
c. Free Space Communication (Laser Optics)
d. Community Wireless Mesh Networking
e. Biometrics
f. Stress Management (Bipolar Disorder I and II)
Date of Project Implementation & Geographical Domain
5. Chandigarh (Date of Implementation 30 November, 2006)
1. UT Chandigarh
i. Dhanas
ii. Kishan Garh
6. Himachal Pradesh (Date of Implementation 1 January, 2007)
1. District Solan
i. Villages :
1. Anji
2. Seri
7. Uttanchal (Date of Implementation 1 Feb, 2007)
1. District Bageshwar
i. Villages
1. Gagrigole
2. Garshar
Friends Of Adhar
1. http://www.joomla.com
2. http://www.oscommerce.org/
3. http://www.mozilla.com/en-US/
4. http://www.paypal.com/
5. http://www.tibtec.org/
6. http://www.airjaldi.com
7. http://www.fsf.org/
8. http://www.opensourcematters.org/
9. Developing Indigenous Resources-India (http://news.admass.co.in/index.php?option=com_wrapper&Itemid=33)
Aftermath : Air Jaldi Summit 2006....Retrospection
Submitted by Jagdish Singh on Sun, 2006-11-05 04:36. Dharamsala Wireless Mesh - ForumHi,
I have attended this Summit just for two days initially, and due to others things in life, left TCV quite unwillingly, with a feeling what I might be missing...
Hope you people, who have participated in this workshop from start to finish, must have enjoyed, to its fullest.
Through this posting, I would like to invite, all the participants to share their experiences..during Air Jaldi Summit 2006.
As I feel, this will be a beginning in right perspective with in scope of this Summit..open source..sharing..communities..
Best Regards
Jagdish Singh
news.admass.co.in
I can help with documentation
Submitted by kaycee on Sat, 2006-10-07 18:05. Dharamsala Wireless Mesh - ForumI am a professional technical author and would like to volunteer my assistance in any documentation projects you may have.
kaycee
PHP Learner
Submitted by Jampa7 on Wed, 2006-09-27 21:56. Dharamsala Wireless Mesh - ForumI am learning php right now and seems really hard as a begginer. Anybody here willing to help us pls post or e-mail me. Thanks everybody.
l need a help
Submitted by boat on Tue, 2006-09-19 01:29. Dharamsala Wireless Mesh - ForumFor Wireless Ghana to be represented at the conference we would need funding for travel expenses
A member of the Wireless Ghana team could lead an extensive workshop on setting up low-cost, low-resource mesh nodes with an emphasis on longer distance bridges (5km+). We could build two nodes out of old, broken computer parts (that we obtain on location) and demonstrate a working network built in less than a day
Boateng
wireless ghana.
boaeben@gmail.com
Request for information to replicate the mesh
Submitted by daviddedwin on Fri, 2006-08-18 00:36. Dharamsala Wireless Mesh - ForumShalom Yahel,
Would it be possible to support the replication of the wireless mesh in Bangalore, India.
I would like to dry run the replication of the mesh in Bangalore before final deployment in Imphal Valley - Mahendra town upto Ukhrul town in Manipur. (This will be mountain terrain with very rainy conditions but no snowfall)
I am comfortable with networking concepts, Wireless LANs and have embedded linux programming experience
I will also support you if you need to get your mesh to the Tibetian community in Kushalnagar, Karnataka near Bangalore.
Do let me know.
Regards
David
wireless mesh network
Submitted by dhruv on Sat, 2006-04-29 01:08. Dharamsala Wireless Mesh - ForumHi Yahel
So i finally made an account and will post any further queries here. So i just read your mail and was really disheartened to know you guys are also using an adhoc network. Most (or rather all) the mesh implementations i have come across are based on adhoc mode. But then it really isn't a true mesh network. The clients need to be in adhoc mode. Its like a multihop adhoc network. I am more interested in having a true mesh network where you have APS in master mode, not adhoc mode. I guess the only way of doing that is to may be modify WDS or some thing.
Dhruv
World Summits on Free Information Infrastractures
Submitted by yahel on Fri, 2005-12-30 08:28. Dharamsala Wireless Mesh - ForumWe have gotten some suggestions to host a WSFII summit
in Dharamsala.
We feel that the Tibetan Technology Center is perfect for hosting such a summit.
There is no doubt that such a summit, to be held in Dharamsala, will shed much light on the center and it's related projects.
After all, in how many places around India (or other developing countries) can you find such a large and operational Wireless Mesh network, which provides broadband Internet connectivity.
The existence of the Wireless Mesh is the proof that such free infrastructures are real and are here to stay and expend.
Let's move this forward...
The target date is end of April 2006.
-----
Please post your comments.
Linksys WRT54G
Submitted by TorbenV on Mon, 2005-12-12 19:29. Dharamsala Wireless Mesh - ForumHi
I have just seen you request for WRT54G to day.
Do you have solved your need for these routers ?
I have made a request to a danish reseller and they have responded that they have 38, but we have to squeeze them to get them to look for versions numbers.
If you need WRT54G still please reply, so I can ask them and send you a link to the reseller.
I find your mesh net very interesting. I´m trying to establish a wi-fi net "the old-fashioned way".
What I´m trying to do is to make internet access on some small danish islands before everybody leaves those islands because its not posible to make a living here.
I know that our problems are small compared with what your facing,
Will your solution for making mesh net be a open source and is nessary to be a programmer .
All the best for you and you project.
Torben V
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