Steve's Broadband/Wireless Networking page

Following is a list of wireless networking links that I've collected for those who might be interested.

Way back when I used dial-up to reach the internet, but was one of the first people to get ISDN (using the Ascend Pipeline 50 two houses ago back in 1993). I also had ISDN in my previous house for three years, and again in my current house. Back in 1997 I was one of the first to get PacBell DSL,though luckily I decided to keep my ISDN line which has frequently come in handy as a backup when DSL is down.

Recently, I've had some *HORRIBLE* experiences with PacBell DSL technical support. After being without my DSL service for almost a week, I decided to order AT&T's @Home cable modem service. I've heard that cable modems aren't really any better (read "more reliable") than DSL, but at this point I figured it can't really be any worse than DSL, especially when the DSL is through PacBell. Besides, AT&T kept sending me these mailers every month offering "Free installation, free cable modem, free service for two months, and no long term contract" - how could I go wrong with an offer like that? After trying it, I've since cancelled my PacBell DSL service and remain connected with @Home.

Before I got @Home, I thought about trying Sprint Broadband, but I seem to live in a very small "hole" in the middle of their Silicon Valley coverage area. Go figure. I've also used Ricochet from time to time. It's pretty awesome, especially for a notebook when you're not at home where you have 802.11 access to a fast broadband connection. However, it's much better when it's free during their beta testing period. Unfortunately, I'm not mobile enough (or rich enough) to justify paying almost $100/month for their service.

Ultimately, I believe that metropolitan area wireless broadband may be the way to go. I'm collecting related links and posting them here for those who may be interested. Basically this means putting an antenna on your rooftop and linking together into a Ricochet-like mesh network with other participating homes and businesses. The article on Urbone below (and some of the other links as well) explains how this works. As soon as something like this is available in Sunnyvale, I'll be among the first to join. If you're also interested in this stuff, let me know...

General Broadband links:

• DSLReports.com - test your bandwidth, monitor your connectivity, message boards, etc.
• DSL Users Can't Get No Satisfaction - found it searching Google for "PacBell DSL sucks"

Commercial and public wireless internet access:

• AirWave - wireless 802.11 internet access at various locations all over the Bay Area
• Surf and Sip - wireless 802.11 internet access at various locations all over the Bay Area
• MobileStar - wireless 802.11 internet access at various airports
• Wayport - wireless 802.11 internet access at various airports and hotels
• Free Wireless Internet Access at Dana Street Roasting Company in Mountain View
• Bay Area Wireless Internet (a general listing of alternatives to DSL and Cable)
• GAWD - Global Access Wireless Database - wireless access points all over the world

Wireless groups/projects:

• Bay Area Wireless Users Group - meets in San Francisco the first Thursday of every month
• SeattleWireless.net - non-profit project to develop a community wireless network in Seattle
• Personal Telco Project - wireless group in Portland, Oregon

Interesting wireless articles:

• Wired Magazine: Free the Wireless Net
• Urbone: a metropolitan area wireless network project in Mexico
• Dandin Group's vision statement (users as first mile, not last mile consumers)

Other miscellaneous stuff:

• Ever wondered what the inside of an Apple AirPort looks like?

©2001 Steve Lemke (steve@lemkeville.org)