Homemade VoIP Network Over Wi-Fi Routers

AnInkle writes "A blogger on The Tech Report details his research and testing of wireless voice communication options for remote mountainous villages in rural undeveloped areas. The home-built project involves open-source software, low-cost wireless routers, solar power, mesh networking, unlicensed radio frequencies and VoIP technology. Although his research began several months ago, he has concluded the first stage of testing and is preparing to move near one of the sites where he hopes to eventually install the final functional network. Anyone with experience or ideas on the subject is invited to offer input and advice."

Urban Networks...

[PC and Sony Fanboy]

Wouldn't this be great! You could use your networking skills to setup a private, free telephone system. And, if it was encrypted, no one could snoop in on it... and if it was in an urban environment... Hmmm....

Why not cellular?

[ostiguy]

Read this yesterday, still don't get it. Can omni directional wifi ever compete with a cell tower's coverage range? Cellular has the advantage of insanely cheap commoditized phones.

Seems a bit like trying to use bluetooth to connect two buildings in a campus together - nominally cheap hardware, but probably cannot be coerced into doing what you seek.

Re:Why not cellular?

[Anonymous Coward]

Insanely cheap commoditized phones subsidized by an insanely marked up cell phone plan. The point of this exercise is to provide the infrastructure where private business currently doesn't feel there would be return on investment. Think OLPC for VoIP.

Re:Why not cellular?

[MichaelSmith]

Read this yesterday, still don't get it. Can omni directional wifi ever compete with a cell tower's coverage range? Cellular has the advantage of insanely cheap commoditized phones.

But cellular base stations have to transmit at high power. Doing that attracts attention from authorities. Wireless mesh networks can be low power everywhere.

Re:Why not cellular?

[Anonymous Coward]

The cell providers own the slices of the spectrum that the cell phones use. And while they can't be bothered to install towers to give coverage to rural areas no doubt they would be quick to take away your birthday if you tried to use "their" spectrum.

Wifi you'd be using directional antennas from point to point. Even cell phones have lousy range with a stubby antenna and low power. The point is to use off the shelf wireless tec as a replacement for running land lines, not to build a wireless mobile phone system.

Re:Urban Networks...

[Spokehedz]

"Not sure why this never took off... could have something to do with the less money that the cell providers would make."

Gee, you think?

Re:Urban Networks...

[Catbeller]

Shrug. Killing the joke, but:

Al Qaeda NEVER uses electronic communications. They communicate face to face, always. No cell phones, no computers, no GPS, no mail, no land lines, nada. This is why I scream madly at every "homeland" security citation about encryption and internet use. They don't use anything of the sort. That's why we can't find them. That's why they got away. We're building a surveillance state that has no way of watching people riding horses in mountains, but does a bang-up job in keeping us from, oh, building a free hippyphone system using wifi.

Re:Urban Networks...

[Dan541]

Don't tell me you Actually believe the Anti-Terrorism laws are to do with terrorists.