OReilly building wireless community networks 2nd edition ISBN 0596005024

• • • • • Table of Contents Index Reviews Reader Reviews Errata Building Wireless Community Networks, Second Edition By Rob Flickenger Publisher : O'Reilly Pub Date : June 2003 ISBN : 0-596-00502-4 Pages : 182 Slots : 1 Building Wireless Community Networks is about getting people online using wireless network technology The 802.11b standard (also known as WiFi) makes it possible to network towns, schools, neighborhoods, small business, and almost any kind of organization All that's required is a willingness to cooperate and share resources The first edition of this book helped thousands of people engage in community networking activities This revised and expanded edition adds coverage on new network monitoring tools and techniques, regulations affecting wireless deployment, and IP network administration, including DNS and IP Tunneling • • • • • Table of Contents Index Reviews Reader Reviews Errata Building Wireless Community Networks, Second Edition By Rob Flickenger Publisher : O'Reilly Pub Date : June 2003 ISBN : 0-596-00502-4 Pages : 182 Slots : 1 Copyright Preface New in This Edition Audience Organization Comments and Questions Typographical Conventions Acknowledgments Chapter 1 Wireless Community Networks Section 1.1 Why Now? Section 1.2 The WISP Approach Section 1.3 The Cooperative Approach Section 1.4 About This Book Chapter 2 Defining Project Scope Section 2.1 The Standards Section 2.2 Hardware Requirements Section 2.3 Site Survey Section 2.4 802.11b Channels and Interference Section 2.5 Topographical Mapping 101 Chapter 3 Network Layout Section 3.1 Layer 1 (Physical) Connectivity Section 3.2 Wired Wireless Section 3.3 Vital Services Section 3.5 Summary Section 3.4 Security Considerations Chapter 4 Using Access Points Section 4.1 Access Point Caveats Section 4.2 The Apple AirPort Base Station Section 4.3 Access Point Management Software Section 4.5 Configuring Dialup Section 4.7 Bridging Section 4.9 Roaming Section 4.4 Local LAN Access Section 4.6 NAT and DHCP Section 4.8 WEP, MAC Filtering,and Closed Networks Section 4.10 Channel Spacing Chapter 5 Host-Based Networking Section 5.1 Anatomy of a Wireless Gateway Chapter 6 Long-Range Networking Section 6.1 Topo Maps 102: Geographical Diversity Section 6.2 Antenna Characteristicsand Placement Chapter 7 Other Applications Section 7.1 Software Section 7.2 Point-to-Point Links Section 7.3 Point-to-Multipoint Links Section 7.5 Redundant Links Section 7.7 Security Concerns Section 7.9 Fun with IP Section 7.4 Home-Brew Antennas Section 7.6 Repeaters Section 7.8 NoCatAuth Captive Portal Section 7.10 In Closing Chapter 8 Radio Free Planet Section 8.1 Seattle Wireless Section 8.2 Universal Wireless Section 8.3 The Future Chapter 9 Radio Free Sebastopol Section 9.1 OSCON 2000 Section 9.2 The Campus Section 9.3 Coffee, Coffee, Coffee Section 9.5 Seattle Wireless Section 9.7 The Community Takes Notice Section 9.9 And So On Section 9.4 Online From Home,No Strings Attached Section 9.6 NoCat Section 9.8 The Portland Summit Appendix A Regulations Affecting 802.11 Deployment Section A.1 Disclaimer Section A.2 Abstract and Objectives Section A.3 Introduction to the Technology Section A.5 Power Limits Section A.7 Interference Section A.9 Human Exposure to RadioFrequency Radiation Section A.11 The Future: Good News and Bad News Section A.13 Conclusions Section A.4 Regulations and Laws Affecting802.11 Network Deployment Section A.6 Equipment Limitationsand Certification Section A.8 Broadband AUPs Section A.10 Laws ConcerningAntennas and Towers Section A.12 What Can You Do? Appendix B Path Loss Calculations Appendix C Simple Scheme Management Colophon Index Copyright © 2003, 2002 O'Reilly & Associates, Inc Printed in the United States of America Published by O'Reilly & Associates, Inc., 1005 Gravenstein Highway North, Sebastopol, CA 95472 O'Reilly & Associates books may be purchased for educational, business, or sales promotional use Online editions are also available for most titles (http://safari.oreilly.com) For more information, contact our corporate/institutional sales department: (800) 998-9938 or corporate@oreilly.com Nutshell Handbook, the Nutshell Handbook logo, and the O'Reilly logo are registered trademarks of O'Reilly & Associates, Inc Many of the designations used by manufacturers and sellers to distinguish their products are claimed as trademarks Where those designations appear in this book, and O'Reilly & Associates, Inc was aware of a trademark claim, the designations have been printed in caps or initial caps The association between the image of a Carolina parakeet and the topic of wireless community networks is a trademark of O'Reilly & Associates, Inc While every precaution has been taken in the preparation of this book, the publisher and authors assume no responsibility for errors or omissions, or for damages resulting from the use of the information contained herein Preface Building Wireless Community Networks is about getting people connected to one another Wireless technology is being used right now to connect neighborhoods, businesses, and schools to the vast and nebulous entity known as the Internet One of the goals of this book is to help you get your community "unplugged" and online, using inexpensive off-the-shelf equipment A secondary, but critical goal of this book is to come to terms with exactly what is meant by community It might refer to your college campus, where many people own their own laptops and want to share files and access to the Internet Your idea of community could encompass your apartment building or neighborhood, where broadband Internet access may not even be available This book is intended to get you thinking about what is involved in getting people in your community connected together, and it will demonstrate working examples of how to make these connections possible New in This Edition The most important addition to this book is the inclusion of Tim Pozar's excellent paper, "Regulations Affecting 802.11 Deployment." Tim is a microwave communications engineer and ham radio operator, and he has done terrific work in exploring the labyrinthine FCC Part 15 regulations His paper helps us all to understand exactly what is required to operate wireless equipment legally in the United States I will also take a look at relevant technologies that have recently entered the wireless networking world, including 802.11a, 802.11g, and 802.1x While 802.11b is still widely regarded as the champion technology of the community wireless networking effort, these newer technologies are poised to bring interesting new capabilities to networking projects everywhere In addition, I discuss a number of fun new home-brew equipment and software designs that have come to light, and evaluate some new security tools (and challenges) In particular, the Host AP driver has graduated to near-production quality, and can provide a very flexible alternative to traditional APs More on that later Audience This book describes some solutions to the current (but rapidly changing) problem of building an open wireless network for community use It is not intended to be a design guide for wireless companies and ISPs, though I hope they find the information in it useful (and at least a little bit entertaining) This book is intended for the technical user who is interested in bringing wireless high-speed network access to wherever it's needed This could include extending Internet connectivity to areas where other types of access (such as DSL and cable) aren't available It might also include setting up access at a school, where structures were built long before anyone thought about running cables and lines into classrooms This book should also be useful for people interested in learning about how dozens of groups around the planet are providing wireless access in their own communities The story of wireless network access is still in its infancy, but is already full of fascinating twists and turns (never mind its potential!) I hope to communicate what I've learned of this story to you Organization Early chapters of this book introduce basic wireless concepts and essential network services, while later chapters focus on specific aspects of building your own wireless network Experienced users may prefer to skip around rather than read this book from cover to cover, so here's an overview of each chapter: Chapter 1, gives a brief history of the state of wireless connectivity, and some ideas (and warnings) about how things might proceed Chapter 2, is an overview of many important logistical considerations you will face in designing your own network, and describes some tools that may make your job easier Chapter 3, provides a detailed description of critical network components that you will need to provide your users Network design and security considerations are also addressed Chapter 4, details how to use Wireless Access Point hardware effectively in your networking project Chapter 5, is a step-by-step guide to building your own Access Point using Linux, inexpensive PC hardware, and conventional wireless client cards Chapter 6, is about extending your range It looks at using topographic mapping software to evaluate long distance links, and examines the myriad antennas, cables, connectors you are likely to encounter It also provides a simple method for calculating the usable range of your gear [SYMBOL] [A] [B] [C] [D] [E] [F] [G] [H] [I] [J] [K] [L] [M] [N] [O] [P] [R] [S] [T] [U] [V] [W] [Y] paper maps web site parabolic antennas path loss table and calculations PCMCIA cards 2nd 3rd wireless configuration installation web site network settings Pebble Linux distribution web site peer-to-peer (or ad-hoc) peer-to-peer IBSS networking Pepperidge Farm Pirouette can antenna PersonalTelco web site pigtails Pike and Fischer web site PlayaNet plotting points on a 3D map point-to-multipoint applications links point-to-point applications links polarity circular defined using to eliminate noise polarization advantages port authentication method, 802.1x port security port-forwarding mechanism Portland area Portland Summit power limits Pozar, Tim 2nd 3rd Pringles can yagi antenna 2nd can preparation element construction front collector construction parts list variations Prism 2 cards Prism chipset proprietary-to-standard adapters protocol analysis tools pseudoscience, radio frequency radiation and public class wireless user public-access wireless links [SYMBOL] [A] [B] [C] [D] [E] [F] [G] [H] [I] [J] [K] [L] [M] [N] [O] [P] [R] [S] [T] [U] [V] [W] [Y] radio frequency radiation and pseudoscience radio frequency radiation, human exposure to radio navigation stations (RADAR) radio repeater [See repeaters] radio sensitivity data web site radiodetermination (RADAR) range, signal raw frames receiver sensitivity matrix RedLibre Regulations Affecting 802.11 Deployment repeaters residential gateway (RG) RG configuration utility for Linux roaming routing RTS/CTS (Request To Send/Clear to Send) [SYMBOL] [A] [B] [C] [D] [E] [F] [G] [H] [I] [J] [K] [L] [M] [N] [O] [P] [R] [S] [T] [U] [V] [W] [Y] safety issues San Francisco Bay area San Jose area Satellite Broadcasting and Communications Association (SBCA) satellite communications scheme, defined Seattle Wireless 2nd Sebastopol, wireless in sectoral antennas sectorizing access points security 2nd host-based networking and OpenSSH SSL Sevy, Jon shotgun yagi antenna signal range signal strength signal-to-noise ratio (SNR) site surveys 2nd SMA connectors SMB connectors SMC connectors Society of Broadcast Engineers web site socket, defined Soekris AP software utilities Sony PlayStation 2 Spectrum allocations for 802.11b and co-users spectrum analyzer SSH tunnel SSL security sudo supplicant sysadmin [SYMBOL] [A] [B] [C] [D] [E] [F] [G] [H] [I] [J] [K] [L] [M] [N] [O] [P] [R] [S] [T] [U] [V] [W] [Y] tcpdump protocol analysis tool tin can waveguide antenna web site TNC connectors top-level domains (TLDs) setting up topo [See topographical mapping] Topo! software topographical mapping 2nd commercial GPS and software TopoUSA 2.0 Tourrilhes, Jean 2nd tower construction regulation tower registration, FAA and FCC transmission power control (TPC) protocols trees, as obstacles 2nd Trumbell, Roy tunneling web site [SYMBOL] [A] [B] [C] [D] [E] [F] [G] [H] [I] [J] [K] [L] [M] [N] [O] [P] [R] [S] [T] [U] [V] [W] [Y] über-crackers udhcpd web site UHF connectors United States Geological Survey (USGS) web site [SYMBOL] [A] [B] [C] [D] [E] [F] [G] [H] [I] [J] [K] [L] [M] [N] [O] [P] [R] [S] [T] [U] [V] [W] [Y] vertical polarization 2nd Via-based computers AP vibra-slaps web site virtual private network (VPN) [SYMBOL] [A] [B] [C] [D] [E] [F] [G] [H] [I] [J] [K] [L] [M] [N] [O] [P] [R] [S] [T] [U] [V] [W] [Y] warchalking wardriving waveguides Wavemon web site web sites 802 specifications 802.11 security specifications 802.1x security methods Advanced Router HOWTO Airport antennas AirPort Open Source java client antenna mounts ARRL Belden 9913 cell phone facts community networking project list Cygwin DHCP overview DHCP server by ISC EarthViewer3D FCC daily digests radio frequency safety Firewall and Proxy Server HOWTO GlobeXplorer GPO version of FCC rules Heliax cable human exposure to radio frequency radiation Hypertext FCC Rules Project IANA RFC 1918 ip routing utility IP-Masquerade-HOWTO Java Runtime Environment Kernel HOWTO Kismac Kismet Knoppix bootable CD distribution Leaf Linux distribution Linux Documentation Project Linux Wireless Tools Package LinuxCare Bootable Toolkit LMR cable MacStumbler MapQuest NetStumbler NetStumbler tool network link analysis NoCat network online wireless design CGIs open source 802.1x OpenSSH OpenSSL paper maps PCMCIA installation Pebble Linux distribution PersonalTelco Pike and Fischer radio sensitivity data security Society of Broadcast Engineers tin can waveguide antennas tunneling udhcpd USGS vibra-slaps Wavemon wireless communities list Wireless HOWTO Wireless Tools package wound helical antenna WEP 2nd encryption 2nd key management Wi-Fi wired equivalent privacy [See WEP] wireless cost 2nd hardware requirements range wireless client bridge wireless communities list Bay Area Wireless Users Group (BAWUG) BC Wireless communities web site Consume Houston Wireless Melbourne Wireless NYCwireless PersonalTelco RedLibre Seattle Wireless Wireless Leiden wireless cooperatives wireless discovery tool Wireless Distribution System (WDS) Wireless DSL wireless gateway Wireless HOWTO web site wireless in Sebastopol Wireless Internet Service Provider [See WISP] Wireless Leiden wireless networking standard, de facto wireless networks around the globe wireless router-on-a-floppy (WRP) Wireless Tools package web site wireless utopia WISP WLAN Service Area ID wound helical antenna web site WPAN [SYMBOL] [A] [B] [C] [D] [E] [F] [G] [H] [I] [J] [K] [L] [M] [N] [O] [P] [R] [S] [T] [U] [V] [W] [Y] yagi antennas 2nd ... Errata Building Wireless Community Networks, Second Edition By Rob Flickenger Publisher : O'Reilly Pub Date : June 2003 ISBN : 0-596-00502-4 Pages : 182 Slots : 1 Copyright Preface New in This Edition. .. errors or omissions, or for damages resulting from the use of the information contained herein Preface Building Wireless Community Networks is about getting people connected to one another Wireless technology is being used right now to connect neighborhoods, businesses, and schools to... a finished book Chapter 1 Wireless Community Networks A year is an eternity in networking Anonymous In the time since the first edition of this book was published, millions of wireless networking components have shipped into