Wireless Networking in the Developing World
A practical guide to planning and
building low-cost telecommunications
infrastructure.
Second Edition
Creative Commons Attribution-ShareAlike 3.0
Rob Flickenger, lead author and editor, et al
Free to download from http://wndw.net/

By Frederick Noronha

Spread across 425 pages, and available via a free download,
this book promises to act as "a practical guide to planning
and building low-cost telecommunications infrastructure".

From http://wndw.net/ comes the second-edition of Wireless
Networking in the Developing World.

The co-authors come from a range of background. Their
word-profiles are interesting. Take one:

Tomas Krag spends his days working with
wire.less.dk, a registered nonprofit, based in
Copenhagen, which he founded with his friend and
colleague Sebastian Büttrich in early 2002.
wire.less.dk specialises in community wireless
networking solutions, and has a special focus on
low-cost wireless networks for the developing
world. Tomas is also an associate of the Tactical
Technology Collective http://www.tacticaltech.org/,
an Amsterdam-based non-profit "to strengthen social
technology movements and networks in developing and
transition countries, as well as promote civil
society's effective, conscious and creative use of
new technologies." Currently most of his energy
goes into the Wireless Roadshow
(http://www.thewirelessroadshow.org/), a project
that supports civil society partners in the
developing world in planning, building and
sustaining connectivity solutions based on
license-exempt spectrum, open technology and open
knowledge.

Explains the book: "This book was created by a team of
individuals who each, in their own field, are actively
participating in the ever-expanding Internet by pushing its
reach farther than ever before. The massive popularity of
wireless networking has caused equipment costs to continually
plummet, while equipment capabilities continue to sharply
increase."

Its chapters look at the basics of radio physics, network
design, antennas and transmission lines, networking hardware,
security and monitoring, solar power, building an outdoor
node, troubleshooting, economic sustainability and case
studies (from Timbaktu, Gao, Nigeria, Mali, East Africa,
Dharamsala in India, Merida in Latin America,
Chinesincables,org and a long-distance 802.11 network).

Five appendices offer links to more resources, and discuss
themes like channel allocations, path loss, cable sizes and
solar dimensioning.

Interesting ... and potentially useful.
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Frederick 'FN' Noronha | Ym/Gmailtalk: fredericknoronha
http://fn.goa-india.org | fred@...
Independent Journalist | +91(832)2409490 Cell 9970157402
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