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Make a donation to PierToPier.net! |
Piertopier.net is a network providing wireless internet
access to Brighton beach, using WiFi (IEEE 802.11b) technologies. With
a WiFi card in your laptop, or a Mac with Apple's airport capabilities,
you can connect to the internet for free from the beach, when in range
of our nodes. Please look here for a list of PierToPier nodes and their locations. You may need to configure your WLAN card to use an SSID of either piertopier.net or ANY (which will allow you to connect to any open WLAN in range). To connect to the network:
Detailed instructions will depend on your computer's operating system and the manufacturer of your wireless LAN card. If you get really stuck, or if you need specific instrutions for an Apple computer, visit the Forum. WiFi is a brand created by WECA (the Wireless Ethernet Compatability Alliance) to show that a Wireless LAN card complies with the IEEE 802.11b wireless LAN specification. All WiFi products have been tested by WECA for interoperability A LAN is a Local Area Network, simply this can be though of as a number of computers connected together in a locality. It used to be that these would all be on the same length of cable (in the case of Ethernet LANs) or on the same ring (if the LAN was built from Token Ring technologies), but this has changed as the technology has developed. A wireless LAN is a group of computers connected together in the same vicinity using radio frequencies instead of wires. Wireless LANs (or WLANs for short) using the IEEE's 802.11b specification use radio frequencies in the 2.4 GHz band to communicate. Isn't 2.4 GHz the same radio frequency microwave ovens use? Yes. IEEE 802.11b uses microwave frequencies, just like some baby monitors and Bluetooth accessories for mobile phones and PDAs. The maximum power output of a WLAN card or network node is 100mW, which is around one ten-thousandth of the power of a microwave oven. There is no danger from this level of output, which is about a tenth of the power output of a typical mobile phone. Piertopier.net is not a business? No, Piertopier.net is not a business. This is an experiment in community networking by interested individuals. As such we are solely donation supported, so there is no business model to fail. If people use this network, it will survive and grow. All the time and effort to build and run this network has been put in by volunteers. Yes. Please see the sponsors' page for details of who has contributed what to the project. We are always looking for more nodes and donations of places to have nodes, internet access, computer equipment and cash, in exchange for a sponsorship credit are all welcome. If you have anything you wish to donate, please go here and hit "Start New Topic". WLANs typically operate in two modes, known as Ad-Hoc (or Peer-to-Peer) and Managed (or Infrastructure). Infrastructure mode requires a device called a Access Point, which acts sort of line a LAN hub for the WLAN. Peer-to-peer mode can be used between any group of WiFi-capable computers. Piertopier.net uses a technology called Mesh Networking to add additional capabilities to a WLAN, so our nodes are not access points, but instead are small PCs running a customised version of Linux, from a group called Locustworld. The login page you see when you first connect is generated using a technology called NoCat from a wireless networking group in the US. Piertopier.net seeks to utilise the best in open source and community networking technologies to provide our infrastructure. Because we need to be able to bar a user if they abuse the network. Without that capability, if an upstream internet service provider complained about SPAM or hacking attempts coming from Piertopier.net, the only recourse would be to turn this network off. Obviously, that would penalise all the well-behaved users too. This is also the reason why we require users of the network to agree to be bound by the Acceptable Use Policy. What will you do with my registration details? We will use your email address solely for communication with you about the piertopier network, and not for any other purpose. We will never pass your details on to a third party or to our sponsors. We're really lovely people. Well, we are, but we also wanted to be able to deal with the annual "Wouldn't it be great to work from the beach" enthusiasm that grips Brighton's digerati once the summer arrives. And because it's time. A new company called Loose Connection had the same idea. Yes. All the hardware is paid for by the sponsors, as is the web site, and the power to run the nodes. Bandwidth is provided by Moving-edge who were very keen to see this happen too. The technical work and all support is done by volunteers, like the writer of this FAQ... A hotspot is a term for a place where you can connect to a public Wireless LAN. If you own or operate a property on the seafront, and are interested in hosting a node, or if you want to sponsor a node or more bandwidth, please tell us about it in the Forum. We are also interested to hear from people with innovative, well-thought-out ideas for using the network - you can use the Forum to tell the world! What is the AUP about? The AUP is there for our protection, and to ensure that Moving-Edge can be confident we have the mechanisms in place to remove users who abuse the network. Internet Service Providers cannot afford to willingly support abuse of their networks by users, and by having the AUP in place it means that we have some mechanism to prevent abuse. Without the AUP, the first abuse of the piertopier.net wireless network would result in the service being ceased permanently. What happens if I abuse the network? Your use of the service will be terminated, your account suspended, and other measures taken to ensure you cannot connect to the piertopier.net. By accessing the network, you have agreed to the terms in the AUP. I have an idea for an application on the network, can you help/is it possible? Maybe. If not, someone we know might be able to help. Tell us about it in the Forum - one of the technical volunteers will do an initial analysis of the feasibility of your idea. Is anyone else doing this near where I live? That depends where you live. There are community wireless networks all over the country - Consume.net's node database is probably the best place to start. What will you do with my cash donation? All cash donations made via PayPal will go towards the PierToPier equipment fund. We're always in need of gear to build new nodes, or survey equipment to let us scope out new locations. By donating via PayPal, you're helping us grow PierToPier and earn yourself an honourable mention on the Friends of PierToPier page in the process. We promise that all monies received will go towards PierToPier itself, and NOT to the thirsty operators of the network :)
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