No Subject

How about a line-of-sight (LOS) infrared network, a neighbor-net?
Always thought this could be a method for a local technical
entrepreneur to fund and share their personal T-1 link or for
some small network enterprise to avoid local and US federal 
regulations and compete with the big cable and telephone 
companies. Appears that LOS infrared is currently unregulated
and could be encrypted.

Get enough people in a neighborhood to put LOS infrared 
relays on top of their houses, allow them to tap in, and feed this 
neighbor-net from some central point that is equipped with 
a more conventional link.

I dunno why infrared, which theoretically has much more 
capacity than a phone line or coax cable, seems currently so slow,
 i.e., less than 10 MB in many commercial offerings. I've no cost 
estimate for the roof top boxes. Heavy wet weather, fog, rain, 
snow obviously can affect LOS infrared, esp. low power.

Personally, I would like more choices than just the phone and cable 
lines, especially something that is locally controlled. However, I 
imagine that if any significant traffic was generated over such 
infrared or wireless neighbor-nets,  the Feds would eventually 
step in and regulate them.  They'd probably want to regulate the 
traffic over a taut string, between paper cups.

Anonymous wrote:
> 
> How about a line-of-sight (LOS) infrared network, a neighbor-net?
> ...
> They'd probably want to regulate the
> traffic over a taut string, between paper cups.
>
I think we should add separate keys to drivers licenses that authorize
one to purchase plumbing components, red meat, optical components,
electronics devices, ammo, porno...just add it to a 2D barcode. It would
not be any inconvenience at all.

It looks like to get any significant distance you would want substantial
power. Then a possible downfall would be "unsafe use of a laser." I
think this is what was used some years back when people started playing
around with laser eavesdropping devices. It makes no difference whether
or not the power levels or use are actually dangerous: in the minds of
most :

#define LASER \
( Spectre + evil_conspiracy + guys_in_labcoats + flash_fried )

Call lots of optics guys who would show how misalignment could cause
stray reflections, eye specialists to talk about retinas etc...still a
good idea for *local* neighborhood. Have you got any specific info on
what is already commercially available? 

BTW - It would probably be easy to map one of these nets using an
appropriate imaging device because there would be a number of sources of
stray light. Turn on the right camera and the spiderweb shows up. I see
a plane going overhead at night, a little upwind, dispersing a fine,
*harmless* dust, storing away a few frames of data as the dust drifts
across the landscape...

You could easily cut a coax into the turf bewteen two houses. The
hardest thing to track or shut down would be a distributed system that
had some unpredictable bridges in it. Build a FrankenNet - sewn together
from all sorts of obscure pieces. 

Mike