WiFi vs Cell Networks Question
30 Jul 2007 in General by GarrickIf disaster strikes which one do you bet on for getting back up and usable faster?
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Comments (4)
Peter F added these pithy words on Jul 30 07 at 5:11 pmNeither. We need a satellite infrastructure for disaster. I’ve got a paper I downloaded around here if you’re interested (and I can find it).
Without satellite, it’s really a crapshoot which would work.
Garrick Van Buren added these pithy words on Jul 30 07 at 5:50 pmPeter, good point. It’s the crapshoot I’m interested in. WiFi, citizens have a shot at bootstrapping. I’m not sure if the potential exists for other communication methods.
Peter F added these pithy words on Jul 30 07 at 10:14 pmYou’re right about the bootstrapping, Garrick, and it did happen in NOLA after Katrina. Community Wireless types got their and got a mesh of sorts going. Certainly easier than trying to set up ad hoc cell towers, I would think!
Interesting and related point, the FCC ruled that emergency wireless networks for disaster relief are still subject to CALEA (http://urltea.com/13n5) which would make it pretty difficult for community wireless activists to create compliant networks.
Garrick Van Buren added these pithy words on Jul 30 07 at 10:28 pmHmmmm. So, if a US community goes dark and the fastest way to get reconnected to the rest of the nation is a cobbled-together mesh, the implementors could be taken to court because the emergency network wasn’t CALEA-compliant? Unhelpful.
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