Cohousing-L Mailing List: Re:[C-L]_Geek question WiFi/ 802.11

[Raines Cohen (raines-coho-L]

Lon Goldstein <zebulon303 [at] earthlink.net> wrote on 12/28/01 10:01 AM:

>I'm part of the Wild Sage Cohousing community due to start construction in 
>Boulder, Colorado in Fall of 2002.

Aren't there enough communities in Boulder already? Just kidding... it 
and Oakland are up there for "most communities" (here: 2 built, 2 
retrofit, 2 more built communities w/in a mile)

>  We have been looking at options for 
>shared internet access and I've just started researching wireless network 
>(802.11) options.  Does any one have any experience in implementing a 
>wireless network in a community for shared internet access?

A lot of people in the Bay Area Wireless User Group do. Check out:

http://www.bawug.org/

and look in the mailing list archives.

Of course, anything you learn now will be totally obsolete by move-in in 
2003, so you might want to do what we did here at Swan's: invest in basic 
structural capacity without sweating the details.

In particular:

- Everywhere you run a phone line in a unit, run two "Cat 5" cables (4 
pairs of wires in each)
- Wire units/buildings in a "star" topology, with every jack wired to a 
patch panel in a closet or basement or shed.
- Provide power in the patch panels, and, if you're considering wireless, 
in some high-up central point in each building (not to mention the 
ethernet run there)
- Recruit a local guru to help the group... you probably have someone in 
your members or future members who can work up a plan. You can save lots 
of $ by doing the finish work yourself.

>We have a fairly dense site (about 34 units on 1.6 
>acres) so that works to our advantage in that our distances are probably 
>under 300 ft. 

It is possible to amplify signals and use special antennas to get larger 
distances.

Consider a single wireless access point per building.

But if you're going to be running phone lines, running Ethernet in 
trenches along with it also makes sense.

It might even make sense to run fiber optic between buildings... if 
you're designing for the next 15 years, that could be useful down the 
road.

Don't be overly concerned about the security stuff... there are ways to 
protect the data as it moves across the network, be it wired or wireless. 
The WEP problems currently a hot issue are already being addressed now 
and I expect a large variety of cheap solutions to be available by the 
time you move in. The same issues apply to DSL and cable modem use... 
wireless just forces you to be a little more aware of the existing issues 
/ security flaws in operating systems / etc.

I've proposed an article for the Cohousing Journal on this topic (wired 
and wireless broadband sharing in communities)

Our use of broadband/wireless also got mentioned in the SF Chronicle last 
week:

> [hidden on page B4 continuation of the business section article "communal
> broadband"]:
> 
>> Raines Cohen and 19 other neighors in their downtown Oakland condo building
>> each pay $4 for their DSL connection by sharing a single $80 DSL line using
>> a combination of traditional Ethernet connections - which the building
>> developer installed before the residents moved in -- plus a wireless 
network.
>> 
>> "It is a backdoor way of saving money," said Cohen, a 35-year-old
>> software consultant. "All our neighbors (which included nurses, teachers,
>> retirees and architects) now have computers at home and several have
>> laptops using the wireless connection."
> 
> Unfortunately, the piece overall makes it sound like we're stealing cable
> here, unless you read carefully and notice that we're sharing DSL, not
> cable. And the security stuff they write about is way overblown, largely
> inaccurately portrayed.
> 
> http://www.sfgate.com/cgi-bin/article.cgi?f=/c/a/2001/12/19/BU44717.DTL

And of course it misses the point about how Cohousing made it possible to 
do all this.

Raines

Raines Cohen <coho-L [at] raines.com> <http://www.swansway.com/>
Looking for Coho metaphors in "The Royal Tenenbaums"

  Vice President, Swan's Market Cohousing [Old Oakland, CA]
Rotating the compost for the last time before a crew of regular 
volunteers takes it on.

  Member, East Bay Cohousing [no site yet] <http://www.ebcoho.org/>
Excited about prospects for sites in the new year.

  Boardmember, The Cohousing Network <http://www.cohousing.org/>
Reminding you that your online donation can be processed instantly for a 
2001 deduction.

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