Wlan ljubljana
Encyclopedia
Started in beginning of 2009 the wlan ljubljana open wireless network of Ljubljana
aims to connect Ljubljana's public, artistic and cultural, production, educational, research and all other interested spaces and individuals into an autonomous and independent wireless network
above Ljubljana, in which there is enough space, freedom and possibilities for new content, interaction and communication, research, data exchange, services and alternative access to Internet
content and services. It also tries to spawn and help similar wireless networks in other cities around Slovenia
to build even larger common independent network.
. It uses common and widespread wireless technologies based on IEEE 802.11 standards
, open source systems and because of its wireless and innovative organic nature its spread and access to the network is limited only with participation of users in it: more users there is more the network is spread and useful, for more purposes users can use it, more and richer content it provides.
Around the network, which is in the first place an initiative, a community of people and organizations is forming and thus ideas, motivations and concepts around the network are various as participants in the network are various. But mostly all agree about common reasons for the network: free access and sharing of knowledge and information, building an alternative media and because it is interesting, educational and fun. More people put up nodes of the wireless networks, more people share their Internet uplinks with others, more everybody gains.
wlan ljubljana tries to attract also people without technical skills but who still share common philosophy. Because of this wlan ljubljana focuses on ease to use, proven good practices, polished open source technologies which not just work but also have good user experience, combined with education, lectures and workshops to teach people about wireless technologies and possible ways of contributing to the network. Nodes used are as secure as possible while still open and accessible and they protect shared uplinks with using VPN to connect to the rest of the network.
system has been developed. It is a centralized web user interface which enables easier coordination and planning of a network with monitoring at the same time. Furthermore it is also a web based image generator which generates a customized image for a given network node, so no node configuration after flashing
is necessary.
The idea is that for participation in the network almost no technical skills are required. Users can simply register location of a new node and select some basic properties of a new node, where system fills more technical properties with good-practice defaults (the system also allows customization if the user wishes so). nodewatcher system then produces customized OpenWrt
based firmware
image with all configuration already included so the user just have to flash the wireless router
, connect the node to electricity and possible uplink and node is connected to the network over VPN or wirelessly if there is a neighboring node somewhere in vicinity.
Afterward, nodewatcher monitors the node and displays gathered data about its performance in intuitive and graphical ways so users can understand how their node is working, how many users are using it, how much of their shared bandwidth is consumed... And all this through longer periods of time so better understanding of how the node interacts with the rest of the network is possible and easier planning of future nodes.
Ljubljana
Ljubljana is the capital of Slovenia and its largest city. It is the centre of the City Municipality of Ljubljana. It is located in the centre of the country in the Ljubljana Basin, and is a mid-sized city of some 270,000 inhabitants...
aims to connect Ljubljana's public, artistic and cultural, production, educational, research and all other interested spaces and individuals into an autonomous and independent wireless network
Wireless network
Wireless network refers to any type of computer network that is not connected by cables of any kind. It is a method by which homes, telecommunications networks and enterprise installations avoid the costly process of introducing cables into a building, or as a connection between various equipment...
above Ljubljana, in which there is enough space, freedom and possibilities for new content, interaction and communication, research, data exchange, services and alternative access to Internet
Internet
The Internet is a global system of interconnected computer networks that use the standard Internet protocol suite to serve billions of users worldwide...
content and services. It also tries to spawn and help similar wireless networks in other cities around Slovenia
Slovenia
Slovenia , officially the Republic of Slovenia , is a country in Central and Southeastern Europe touching the Alps and bordering the Mediterranean. Slovenia borders Italy to the west, Croatia to the south and east, Hungary to the northeast, and Austria to the north, and also has a small portion of...
to build even larger common independent network.
General description
wlan ljubljana open wireless network is an example of a wireless community networkWireless community network
Wireless community networks or wireless community projects are the organizations that attempt to take a grassroots approach to providing a viable alternative to municipal wireless networks for consumers....
. It uses common and widespread wireless technologies based on IEEE 802.11 standards
IEEE 802.11
IEEE 802.11 is a set of standards for implementing wireless local area network computer communication in the 2.4, 3.6 and 5 GHz frequency bands. They are created and maintained by the IEEE LAN/MAN Standards Committee . The base version of the standard IEEE 802.11-2007 has had subsequent...
, open source systems and because of its wireless and innovative organic nature its spread and access to the network is limited only with participation of users in it: more users there is more the network is spread and useful, for more purposes users can use it, more and richer content it provides.
Around the network, which is in the first place an initiative, a community of people and organizations is forming and thus ideas, motivations and concepts around the network are various as participants in the network are various. But mostly all agree about common reasons for the network: free access and sharing of knowledge and information, building an alternative media and because it is interesting, educational and fun. More people put up nodes of the wireless networks, more people share their Internet uplinks with others, more everybody gains.
wlan ljubljana tries to attract also people without technical skills but who still share common philosophy. Because of this wlan ljubljana focuses on ease to use, proven good practices, polished open source technologies which not just work but also have good user experience, combined with education, lectures and workshops to teach people about wireless technologies and possible ways of contributing to the network. Nodes used are as secure as possible while still open and accessible and they protect shared uplinks with using VPN to connect to the rest of the network.
nodewatcher
For easier planning, deployment and maintenance of the network nodewatcher open sourceOpen source
The term open source describes practices in production and development that promote access to the end product's source materials. Some consider open source a philosophy, others consider it a pragmatic methodology...
system has been developed. It is a centralized web user interface which enables easier coordination and planning of a network with monitoring at the same time. Furthermore it is also a web based image generator which generates a customized image for a given network node, so no node configuration after flashing
Flashing (technology)
Flashing refers to the overwriting of existing data on ROM modules present in a electronic device with new data. This can be done to upgrade a device or to change the provider of a service associated with the function of the device, such as changing from one mobile phone service provider to...
is necessary.
The idea is that for participation in the network almost no technical skills are required. Users can simply register location of a new node and select some basic properties of a new node, where system fills more technical properties with good-practice defaults (the system also allows customization if the user wishes so). nodewatcher system then produces customized OpenWrt
OpenWrt
OpenWrt is a Linux distribution primarily targeted at routing on embedded devices. It comprises a set of about 2000 software packages, installed and uninstalled via the opkg package management system. OpenWrt can be configured using the command-line interface of BusyBox ash, or the web interface...
based firmware
Firmware
In electronic systems and computing, firmware is a term often used to denote the fixed, usually rather small, programs and/or data structures that internally control various electronic devices...
image with all configuration already included so the user just have to flash the wireless router
Wireless router
A Wireless router is a device that performs the functions of a router but also includes the functions of a wireless access point and a network switch. They are commonly used to allow access to the Internet or a computer network without the need for a cabled connection. It can function in a wired...
, connect the node to electricity and possible uplink and node is connected to the network over VPN or wirelessly if there is a neighboring node somewhere in vicinity.
Afterward, nodewatcher monitors the node and displays gathered data about its performance in intuitive and graphical ways so users can understand how their node is working, how many users are using it, how much of their shared bandwidth is consumed... And all this through longer periods of time so better understanding of how the node interacts with the rest of the network is possible and easier planning of future nodes.
External links
- wlan ljubljana web site
- nodewatcher project web site
- wlan slovenia web site