Building Wireless Community Networks: Implementing the Wireless Web

In Building Wireless Community Networks, author Rob Flickenger offers a compelling case for building wireless networks on a local level: They are inexpensive, and they can be implemented and managed by the community using them, whether it's a school, a neighborhood, or a small business. This nuts-and-bolts guide provides all the necessary information for planning a network, getting the necessary components, and understanding protocols that you need to design and implement your network. The wireless Internet infrastructure, also known as Wi-Fi, is based on the 802.11b standard. The book covers Rob's experiences with the Sebastopol Community Network (NoCAT), a multi-tiered network the provides wireless access for O'Reilly employees and free Web browsing to anyone in the area who has a Wi-Fi card in his or her computer. He describes his experience in using 802.11b, selecting the appropriate equipment, finding antenna sites, and coping with the general problems of outdoor networking. If you want to join the grassroots effort to build freely available wireless Internet infrastructures in your community, this book is invaluable.