Maybe too tangential, but here is my question anyways:
Is there a project that tries to build (using Raspberry Pis for example, or an app on a smartphone) a second global network of privately run nodes. The most similar project I can think of was the Fon project [1] where you would purchase a Fon box and share internet access with all other Fon users. Sort of an organised wifi hotspot club.
But, what I'm thinking about is more something that would just need electricity (vs electricity + ISP) and be running more like a big LAN. Everything would be P2P on it, from DNS to hosting. I think some federated systems could work almost just the same on it but possibilities (and speed) would be very limited.
With all the conflicts and natural disasters happening world wide I've been thinking more and more about ways to still be connected to others through something that would be more P2P even hardware wise.
I know internet (arpanet) started by trying to be just what I describe, but we all know now that it's not how it works anymore with some big centralisation points along the stack.
Is what I'm describing the "infamous" Web3? The few hazy definitions I read don't make it sound like it.
Anyways, if anybody knows any project that ressembles my poor explanation, I'm all ears as I'd like to get on board an promote it.
Thank you, a wireless mesh network seems to be the broad name of what I had in mind. You seem to hint at the fact that they are illegal? Or do you mean they are heavily regulated? If it's the case it'd strange as any online private community could be considered a wireless mesh network. Maybe that's the case but there are too many...
In the US, HAM licensing (a) had heavy bandwidth restrictions and (b) banned encryption. Leaving the choice instead of trying to range-extend WiFi without breaking the power restrictions, such as by using directional antennae.
Generally the problem with mesh networks is spectrum licensing.
(a badly functioning mesh network is indistinguishable from a distributed jammer in its band!)
As for the TLAs .. I don't know about that, but the history of radio licensing and telecoms is entangled with national security, because allowing enemy agents free comms into your country was considered Very Bad.
If you’re okay with just text communications, the meshtastic project is also an option. Because it uses LoRa for communications, nodes can be further apart. As a bonus, it allows for encrypted [1] communications as it doesn’t use licensed spectrum. But, LoRa is a low bandwidth technology (or at least meshstatic is), so text is about all you’d get. But it works with pretty cheap components.
[1] I’m not sure if the algorithm has been vetted or not.
If the internet were to go down, experts (perhaps like yourself) would definitely work on building local IP networks for their local communities. The cool thing is that with P2P tech like BitTorrent, you can have edge nodes connected to multiple such networks at once. Edge nodes can then download a torrent from one network, then seed it on all connected networks.
Wireless mesh networking also exists but is complex, unreliable, slow and high-latency. Not to mention there isn't an established standard like there is IP/TCP/UDP.
Is there a project that tries to build (using Raspberry Pis for example, or an app on a smartphone) a second global network of privately run nodes. The most similar project I can think of was the Fon project [1] where you would purchase a Fon box and share internet access with all other Fon users. Sort of an organised wifi hotspot club.
But, what I'm thinking about is more something that would just need electricity (vs electricity + ISP) and be running more like a big LAN. Everything would be P2P on it, from DNS to hosting. I think some federated systems could work almost just the same on it but possibilities (and speed) would be very limited.
With all the conflicts and natural disasters happening world wide I've been thinking more and more about ways to still be connected to others through something that would be more P2P even hardware wise.
I know internet (arpanet) started by trying to be just what I describe, but we all know now that it's not how it works anymore with some big centralisation points along the stack.
Is what I'm describing the "infamous" Web3? The few hazy definitions I read don't make it sound like it.
Anyways, if anybody knows any project that ressembles my poor explanation, I'm all ears as I'd like to get on board an promote it.
[1] https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Fon_Wireless