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TheEvolvingFAQ


Where can I get the equipment?

Why not start by looking at the TheIncredibleBulk
Otherwise if your neigbour has an unused galaxy grid antenna on their roof see if they'll let you have it, even at a small cost. There are many pages on modifying these antenna's to work with Wireless.

How do I get started?

One of the best ways to get started is just to register your interest on LocFinder. Then other people in the area will know you exist & will have a
a much greater interest in getting something happening.
Secondly, Dont be afraid to email other nodes in your area, they'll probably be just as keen to connect to somebody!

Can I use my Apple Macintosh and/or Airport hardware or not?

Yes, generally you can. The Airport hardware uses the same 802.11 standards as all other equipment, so they do intercommunicate. Further details will be available at AppleHelp

How long can 802.11b wireless links go?

The distance greatly depends on a few things;

There are nodes already active on Melbourne wireless with stable 35 km+ Links across Melbourne with the acheived upper limit being in the 50 km area.

Be aware that once you go over around 20 km on 802.11b timing issues in the protocol start to limit the bandwidth acheivable down toward 1mbs.

If you are going to try to establish a long link for the melbourne
wireless network and are new to wireless - email some of the nodes
on LocFinder that already have long links for tips - it may save
you a lot of headaches!


What's the closest node to my house/office/mountain hut?

Take a look at LocFinder

When creating a node, how can you get the latitude and longitude required for locfinder from the Melway street directory?


Is there a standard format for ESSID's on Melbourne Wireless ?

ESSIDs on the MW network generally take the form of XXX.wireless.org.au or nodeXXX.wireless.org.au where XXX is a the 3 letter node identifier eg. GIR

What is line of sight / LoS ?

Line of site is basically 'how well can you see the node your trying to connect to'. Wireless networking runs on a very high frequency and one of the characteristics of this frequency (2.4Ghz) is that it's easily blocked by trees, buildings, hills and other obstructions in the path.

Some tips for working out your possible line of site are;

The idea is to get above as many obsticals as possible with a mast, or even make arrangements to get space for an antenna on a local tower / tall building for you & other local nodes to uplink to and on connect into the MW Network.
You may be surprised if you ask, thats how Mt Dandenong Evolved!

A clear line of site is ideal , but rarely possible. Strong reliable links can still be possible if the node is close enough.

How can I verify line of sight?

Get up on your roof and use a telescope. It really is the ONLY way, as trees etc. just can't be known about. A small area around the direct line of sight must also be clear. See Fresnel Zone.

How do I plot a node on a Melway map using longitude and latitude from locfinder?


How do I use a magnetic compass to determine the bearing to a node?

The easiest way is to do a node comparison on LocFinder and get the bearing from north to a node from you. Then use your compass to estabish what direction that is from you. (North is 0 Deg, East is 90 deg, South is 180 Deg, West is 270 Deg)

What GPS format is required in the Create New Node Form? My GPS has several \"Standard Formats\"

The coordinates are in decimal degrees to 5 digits with the WGS84 map datum.

What is a Fresnel Zone?

The Fresnel Zone is the area where the elctromagnetic energy travels. This is a football shapped area between the antennas. Wifi requires that about 40% of the Fresnel zone be clear. On a 10 km link, the Fresnel Zone is about 40 m in diameter in the middle of the link.

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Version 15 (old) modified Mon, 26 Jul 2021 12:49:29 +0000 by markweee
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