The Mesh Potato project hopes to build an 802.11bg mesh router with a single FXS port. It is designed to provide telephony via VOIP while simultaneously facilitating a mesh cloud. It is an open hardware and open software design. It will run off a nominal 12VDC, from either a mains supply or solar PV system, and be priced in the range of currently available Wifi routers (sub US$100).
The target application is mesh routed VOIP networks, in particular (but not limited to) developing communities. An analog phone connects to the potato via the FXS port. When you make a call you potato talks to the potato down the street which talks to the next potato, and eventually to the destination. The mesh network can be augmented via backbone links and connected to the rest of the world via VOIP gateways.
[More]
posted by pierow at 3:19 pm
Back in July, 2008, Freespace Systems announced the availability of their high performance 802.11 miniPCI radio. The Valemount KXS30SG is the first full 1 Watt miniPCI radio module available worldwide.
The card is Atheros AR5414 based and is supported by a wide number of open-source & commercial operating systems (Including StarOS, Linux MadWifi, MikroTik, & Ikarus. It also comes with both MMCX (micro-miniature coaxial) and Hirose U.FL antenna connectors.
[Pasadena Networks has the cards for $69] [Datasheet for the KXS30SG]
posted by pierow at 3:17 pm
Vitelity PBX in a Flash Offer
Vitelity Communications has apparently been offering their inbound SIP service at a discounted rate for PBX in a Flash users for a while now. Their offering includes a Tier A ratecenter DID, 2 simul. channels + 100 free outbound U.S. minutes for $3.99/month. Their customer service thus far has been top notch and it’s easy to see why they’re listed as one of the few Editor’s Choice providers.
To qualify for the special offer, you have to sign up from the provider’s page on the PBX in a Flash site. (Note that the coupon says the offer expires in October of 2008 but we were able to sign up and get the rate in March 2009 with no problems)
[PBX in a Flash Provider Listing] [Vitelity Website]
posted by admin at 3:17 am
ETH Zürich has a write-up about building an inexpensive embedded Stratum 1 time server using a PC Engines ALIX board and a Garmin GPS 18x OEM (aprx $50) which supports the highly accurate one-pulse-per-second (PPS) output.
posted by pierow at 1:03 pm
Ubiquiti Networks Bullet
The Ubiquiti Networks Bullet outdoor 802.11 access point is scheduled for release this month has been released. The low-power (100 mW) version is $40 and the 1,000 mW (1 watt) version is $90. (No, that’s not a typo) It’s powered via PoE and connects directly to the antenna so the only connection required is CAT-5. The operating temp is inline with an outdoor application -20C to +70C (-4F to 158F) and it runs AirOS. This could be the Holy Grail for implementing low-cost mesh wireless data networks.
UPDATE: Pasadena Networks has the Ubiquiti Bullet in stock!
[Datasheet] [Resellers] [Bullet Forum]
posted by pierow at 11:03 am
Using NEMA enclosures to house and protect wireless gear in an outdoor environment is nothing new but they tend to look like someone gutted their Linksys WRT54G and crammed the guts into a plastic box.
L-CON has some really elaborate examples showing multiple access points, surge protection, amplifiers, band pass filters, etc all in a neat, logical layout. Impressive!
[HyperLink Brand NEMA Enclosure Configuration Examples]
posted by pierow at 1:23 pm
Tony’s Cafe has a really interesting article on using amplifiers along with a combination of omnidirectional and yagi antennas to create a ship-to-shore 802.11 wireless link. Of particular interest is the use of Hyperlink amps and the calculations to compute signal loss due to connectors, cable length, etc.
[Understanding 802.11 2.4GHz Amplifiers and Antennas (and Creating a Ship to Shore Link)]
posted by pierow at 7:09 am
Andrew Bradley II has a great write-up on how to clone a VM with ESXi by logging into the shell and copying the disk files. (Since ESXi does not have the VirtualCenter framework, there’s no easy way to clone a VM) His write-up on using the Dell 755 as a lab ESXi box is worth checking out too.
[ESXi Copy/Clone VM - Poor Man's Template and Clone]
posted by pierow at 6:45 pm
There are lots of places on the ‘net that tell you how to create a bootable USB key using the infamous HP USB Disk Storage Format Tool. The guys at Bay-Wolf.com not only have such a write-up but were also kind enough to host the files and the appropriate Windows 98 boot files to make the operation successful.
[How to Create a bootable USB Memory Key]
posted by pierow at 9:36 am
Is your Internet access blocked by your company’s web filter an oppressive Communist government? Maybe you’re just looking for a way to protect your wireless traffic when you jump online from a cafe? You could always use The Onion Router (TOR) but access speeds tend to be slow and since there’s no way to control what your source IP is going to be when you exit to the ‘net, pages like Google and Wikipedia will try to customize results in your language. If you don’t read German or Vietnamese, this can present a problem.
The question came up recently, “Can’t I just buy VPN access from someone?” Well, it turns out that you can.
Of course, real geeks will use other methods to circumvent filtering – but real geeks wouldn’t ask about buying a pre-packaged VPN service.
posted by pierow at 3:03 am