Over View

An overview of the Bristol Wireless Project

The Legal Framework

The recent development of low cost, standard wireless networking has triggered the emergence of global movement to use this technology to empower individuals and communities. TV, radio, mobile phones, and much more - now including wireless computer networking - all use similar techniques to transmit information over the air without wires. Just like radio stations, these services operate at different frequencies in order to avoid interference. There is great commercial demand for these radio frequencies and governments excercise tight control over their use, usually charging large amounts to corporations for the right to use them. ?WiFi?, or 802.11 wireless networking, has in the UK and elsewhere been allocated an unregulated frequency, which means that individuals, companies and community groups can simply buy cheap wireless networking hardware (add on cards for computers) and set up networks without explicit permission and without charge.

Implementation

The clever use of this off-the-shelf technology allows the creation of wireless access networks over large areas by the process of setting up wireless nodes at a sufficiently dense spacing. These nodes can be built using cheap hardware, including otherwise obsolete low-specification PCs. The necessary software is available at no cost, and the only running cost is a small power requirement - nodes should wherever possible not be switched off. Even then, the decentralised, organic structure of mesh networks - a particular architecture of wireless network - is resilient to the failure of individual nodes.

Reuse

At the same time, larger companies are discarding increasingly useful computers as more powerful ones become available, and popular commercial software grows to use this available power. For running much Free (otherwise known as Open Source) software, however, these discarded computers make excellent home computers, and to establish nodes in the wireless network, even older machines are usable.

Using the network

A free to access, pervasive wireless network has enormous potential. Anyone with the desire and necessary skills can create a radio programme or video, record a demo, and make it available online to others with access to the network. Using streaming media servers, viewers and listeners can listen at a time which suits them, thus increasing the potential exposure. A computer network is a medium for conversation, not consumption, and conversations around such creative expression can also build community and social capital. A curious property of networks is that they tend to be used for purposes not foreseen by their makers - we might reasonably predict that a community with access to a pervasive network will invent new forms of expression.

Sharing skills

Naturally, just building a network is unlikely to be enough: to use it requires not only desire, but also skills. These skills can be learned, however, and there are many people who possess those skills and wish to share them.

Our Vision

These then are the main elements of the Bristol Wireless vision. Giving a new lease of life to discarded computers, in combination with cheap commodity networking cards, to provide affordable access to a broad band computer network. To foster the use of that network by and for community. To share knowledge and skills, reducing the digital divide.

Written by Hamish