DAiict Mesh Network

DAIICT Mesh Network (DAMN) is an attempt to establish an active mesh network at Dhirubhai Ambani Institute of Information and Communication Technology. The mesh network will act as a vehicle for free communication inside the campus. It shall also act as a test bed for future wireless networks research at DAIICT.

DAMN is hosted on Sourceforge. Please do find time to read the full wiki. Also, do read the READMEs given inside the downloads carefully. For further technical details, refer to DAMNTechnical. Please take part in the discussions page at our Sourceforge account. Post bugs, solutions and random concepts. You must understand that this is a student initiative and will have flaws. We look forward to working together to making DAMN come true. Have a look at the Contact Us section in this wiki to get in touch with the developers.

Idea

An Ad-hoc network consists of nodes communicating with each other without any infrastructure. Nodes themselves serve as routers forwarding information to other nodes in their range. A mesh network is an adhoc network with limited infrastructure penetration. A mesh network is hybrid between infrastructure and pure adhoc network.DAMN is meant to be a community wireless mesh network. Starting from DAIICT, we aim to expand into Gandhinagar.

Wifi enabled devices are on the rise. In about a couple of years from now, almost everyone will have a wifi enabled smart phone OR a tablet while walking around the campus. A couple of software running on your system will allow your system to connect to the network automatically. Once you are connected to the network, you can make free audio / video calls, IM, share files and access the internet also. It will be almost like a Wireless LAN covering the whole campus.

A multi-hope mesh network depends on people to build paths between computers. Two computers far away from each other will connect to each other by nodes in between. For example, a person standing at the first counter will send packets to a guy third counter who will then forward it the person at the fifth counter. Thus, a network of people all over the campus will establish multiple routes between nodes. Also, it cannot be taken for granted that there will be enough people for connectivity. For this reason, a wireless extender OR a router has to be placed at strategic places. The routers have greater range and provide coverage to the whole campus.

One has to understand that establishing a robust mesh network is an evolving process. It will take a year or more to establish a full fledged Mesh. Also, we will require funds to buy routers.

So What's There For Me

When you make a phone call from your room to your friend in the cafe asking whether he has reached or not, your cell phone first contacts the radio tower. This radio tower then contacts the local service station, possibly a couple of km away from the campus and from there it comes back the same way to the cafe. We think this is stupid use of resources.

With DAMN you will be able to make VOIP calls anywhere in the campus, FREE. Also, it will mean you can run your favourite IP messenger anywhere in the campus. Share files and if we have things our way, access the Internet anywhere in the campus.

Have a look at the Use Cases section for more..

What Do I Have To Do

We shall provide you with a couple of software and scripts. Just Run them on your system. As we keep on evolving, we shall keep on providing scripts for all kinds of operating systems, personal computers as well as smart phones a tablets.

Also, a wireless community mesh network is built on the assumption of public co-operation. Your Wifi needs to be ON.

THE MOST IMPORTANT thing you have to do is to give us feedback. Do have a look at the Talk To Us section

Use Cases

Current Stage

Currently, we do not have routers. Due to this, DAMN is an adhoc network purely. Also, as of 22nd April, 2012 we have released the Windows script. We have completed the Linux script and will release it soon. We imagine DAMN shall occur in pockets of networks, disconnected components. i.e. Different groups will work in an adhoc network in a disconnected fashion. Of course, in some cases, the network can grown large enough to cover a large area, like a wing.

Talk To Us, contribute to DAMN

The project page at Sourceforge has Discussions page, mailing lists and places to comment. Please talk to us about your problems. We will not be able to survive without your responses. Please help us perfect DAMN. Any kind of troubles you face in connecting, "the mouse keeps on rotating and I can't connect", configuration issues OR anything related, we want to know about it.

Posting about your queries and doubts in the discussions page will do two things. One, get our attention and answer from us. Secondly, other people who have the same queries will be able to get answers too. Based on the query and request, we will help you out with your issues. If needed, we will come to your room and configure your system correctly.

It is important that we get your support and feedback for this is a long and experimental project. We are also experimenting. Help is appreciated.