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My goal:

  • Build a wireless mesh network with some ALIX 2D2 (500 MHz AMD Geode LX800 x86 CPU, 256MB RAM, Atheros wireless card)

  • Aside from working like a normal wireless mesh network users should be able to read/write data from/to the ALIX Boxes and the ALIX boxes should be able to process data.

Questions:

  • Should I try to flash dd-wrt x86, voyage linux (linux.voyage.hk) or something else?

  • What (open source) software should I look into before I start?

  • Should I use a 'server' for data storage and processing instead of the ALIX boxes? Is it even possible to use the ALIX boxes for routing AND data storage and processing?

Final notes:

  • Data can be anything, for example, I want to setup a wireless mesh using the OLSRD protocol so my whole town gets wifi and can access songs on the network. It's not for that, but that's the idea.

  • I'm not afraid of programing, compiling or working with *nix. This is mostly 'for fun' rather than for practicality.

Thanks in advance for any feedback.

cnandreu
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3 Answers3

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I found a company Meraki that is commercializing the open source MIT roofnet technology.

It uses a mesh routing technology, and is a true wireless mesh network technology, apparently widely deployed in university, and other large campus environments.

Warren P
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Theres a protocol that recently made it into the linux kernel to do this called BATMAN. I've never tried it but theoretically should be available in some of the newer distros already.

Matthew Ife
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check out hostapd. you would use this software if you wanted to (for example) turn a linux box into a wireless AP. hostapd supports mesh networks as well.

solid7
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