[CS-FSLUG] wireless network in a disaster?

[Frank Bax]

Ron Thompson wrote:
> A couple of ideas come to mind.  One was to promote an idea such as the ICE 
> (In Case of Emergency) numbers used for cell phones, something that would be 
> universally understood, but for wireless networks.  Perhaps ICE software that 
> could access emergency routers (part of an emergency preparedness network) 
> with local webpages with disaster / relief information and communications.  
> It wouldn't necessarily have to be part of a larger network if a few of these 
> provided critical local services to an emergency commnad centre.
> 
> Another question was, what, if any, usuable information does a router 
> broadcast.  If the router broadcast a website address as its identification 
> then by looking at the available routers someone would see one named 
> www.localemergency.net would they be able to establish a browser connection 
> to the host, even with the internet down, by accessing the webpage through 
> that router.  I hope I've explained this well enough.


Although I've not done it; a router should be able to present it's own 
page whenever a client computer tries to connect to *any* webpage.  Just 
think about what happens in many hotels.  You open your browser and you 
see the hotel's page asking for credentials to use the system.  You 
could put your page in that place.  Your page could have multiple links 
because you might have redundant "command centres".

When Macro and I mentioned "limited range"; we are talking about not 
being able to reach the other end of your own block.  You need a *large* 
number of routers in a mesh network (like one on every block) for many 
computers to communicate in this manner.  If the mesh is dense enough, 
there should be alternate routes available for access to the "command 
centre".