roofnet - DIY Open Source ISP using 802.11 Technology

This is really awesome--a group at MIT has created a public domain, open source mesh network based on standard 802.11 b/g technology. A mesh network enables a single node with Internet access, such as a house, to share that access with a number of adjacent locations. The mesh involves packets being able to hop from 802.11 node to node, and so long as each node is within the standard range for 802.11 (which is around two miles, if memory serves), there is no conceivable limit to the size of the mesh other than the fact that propagation delay would make performance at the end nodes intolerable after a certain number of hops.

This concept brings high-speed Internet access to many areas that could otherwise not receive it, such as mountainous areas that don't have access to cable modem or DSL and that do not have the exposure needed for satellite Internet. I have heard of some communitities doing this as "homebrew" experiments, but I have not run into an open source alternative until now.

Kudos to the roofnet group--keep up the good work!