Sharing is caring

We have 6 internal web servers, 20+ users in CT doing HTTP/FTP/e-mail etc, and we are running the SMTP/POP servers for our branch in JHB all through 1 4MB Axxess Uncapped Business account. Speeds are excellent and I am very happy with this solution. So yes, there are uncapped solutions in SA that work well. All I did was to install an ubuntu router with a traffic shaper (i.e. make sure SSH and the like is fast) and scheduler for torrent traffic to only allow outside business hours. I can monitor traffic and limit ports etc from firestarter. Perfect solution for us.
 
I have not yet joined the CTWUG due to money constraints :(
But I do see the benefit in that there are DEFINATELY common downloads...
Now instead of downloading just for yourself, you can share what you would have downloaded anyway by means of FTP or Torrents...
In fact you will probably stretch you cap much further this way as everyone else will do the same and if by even a little bit of organizing, you can post what you are planning to download, you could save another user from doing the same.

Alternatively, if the local SAIX (dono IS) servers would up their retension time, or local torrent hosts would less exclusive, then we would automatically use less international capacity, mainly by means of eliminating duplicate downloads... but that sound like daydreaming :rolleyes: So until international bandwidth becomes "cheap", we will have to apply: "'n boer maak 'n plan" :D or pass your removable
hard drive around :eek:
 
With an uncapped ADSL connection costing as little as R1,100 per month nowadays and offering speeds of 1MB/s and upwards, connection sharing makes perfect sense.

At that price your talking of one of those nice express packages with a rate-limit as soon as you go over some Gb threshold in 10days. See how much fun it is sharing that connection after a 256k rate limit kicks in.
 
Well, I have a friend in the CT WUG. I saw him using uTorrent to download stuff. What would be great it that one can download Windows 7 RC for example, service packs, trial software, etc. Rather than use my small 2GB cap for that, I can copy it from someone else who has downloaded it already.


Hehe, I joined CTWUG recently.

They run a WSUS (Windows update server mirror) so all my pcs updated. Vista downloaded the service pack. I downloaded both Win7 32bit and 64bit to try out. I downloaded Visual studio 2010 beta.

Even my old XP box is up to date now.

That is one of the benefits of the WUG, I get free updates. They also run Linux mirrors, so if that is your primary OS you can keep it up to date too.

Then there is gaming. They run a Call of Duty server and lots of other game servers, depending on what everyone feels like. They even play DOTA :D

A WUG is what you make of it :)
 
I have no problem sharing my internet - but not while I am still paying R89 per GB.
If they offer a truly unlimited option on Amobia I will gladly share.
 
The facts...

As mentioned in this thread, the article author is -seriously- in the dark about wifi, thinking his idea is "revolutionary". Sorry, the article was so bad I can't restrain myself from posting that it is probably the worst thing I've read this month. :sick:

@Psichron, please don't show your ignorance to everybody on myADSL with your vapid comments. Connection sharing using wi-fi is a global phenomenon that has simply not taken hold in SA for obvious reasons. The article was aimed at stimulating debate on this as a possible alternative to helping get more people online quickly and affordably.

If you visit www.skyrove.com or www.open-mesh.com you will see that connection sharing is not just practical, it's affordable and makes supreme sense, even business sense. As prices drop and bandwidth increases ie. we start seeing 8MB and 20MB ADSL services coming into play, then it will make even more sense. If you setup a skyrove.com network in your complex, you can add nodes as you go and they will auto-configure.

Obviously this solution will allow people to have BASIC Internet access so that people can browse and check emails. Not everybody is a flaming gamer who needs a fiber line connected to their trigger finger at all times. Can you imagine if large flats with middle-income earners have to provide connection sharing services @ a nominal fee of say, R200/month for each household to have a 256KB best effort wi-fi service? That would have a MASSIVE efffect on usage patterns.

Some links to familiarise yourself before you go shooting off at the mouth...this article has been comprehensively researched.

http://news.cnet.com/8301-1035_3-10143548-94.html

http://www.fon.com/en/info/whatsFon

http://www.open-source.com

http://www.skyrove.com
 
I have not yet joined the CTWUG due to money constraints :(
But I do see the benefit in that there are DEFINATELY common downloads...
Now instead of downloading just for yourself, you can share what you would have downloaded anyway by means of FTP or Torrents...
In fact you will probably stretch you cap much further this way as everyone else will do the same and if by even a little bit of organizing, you can post what you are planning to download, you could save another user from doing the same.

Alternatively, if the local SAIX (dono IS) servers would up their retension time, or local torrent hosts would less exclusive, then we would automatically use less international capacity, mainly by means of eliminating duplicate downloads... but that sound like daydreaming :rolleyes: So until international bandwidth becomes "cheap", we will have to apply: "'n boer maak 'n plan" :D or pass your removable
hard drive around :eek:

I have to agree... to start up joining a WUG is not cheap. The Hardware is quite costly.... so i just stuck to my DSL :(
 
Hopeful and optimistic. Good article. But this is Africa my friend. The power lies with government. Yes we can bend backwards and provide these fancy technologies. The main recipients of these technologies should be the poor. Not people in neighborhoods.

I would love to spend my time helping under privileged communities financially and skills wise, but my only problem is that it will always be an uphill battle. Until GVT and/or ICASA provide an environment that fosters that kind of behaviour I am not going to waste my time. I have better things to do than to keep on swimming upstream all the time.
 
Hehe, I joined CTWUG recently.

They run a WSUS (Windows update server mirror) so all my pcs updated. Vista downloaded the service pack. I downloaded both Win7 32bit and 64bit to try out. I downloaded Visual studio 2010 beta.

Even my old XP box is up to date now.

That is one of the benefits of the WUG, I get free updates. They also run Linux mirrors, so if that is your primary OS you can keep it up to date too.

Then there is gaming. They run a Call of Duty server and lots of other game servers, depending on what everyone feels like. They even play DOTA :D

A WUG is what you make of it :)

That is awesome. Currently my PC is not up to date as I cannot afford to run windows update. So setting up a WSUS server is such a good idea.
 
I have to agree... to start up joining a WUG is not cheap. The Hardware is quite costly.... so i just stuck to my DSL :(

The startup costs aren't really that much. The reason why they recommend to go for the higher end product is that they can help you in the future and they know the product well. Buying a Routerboard is like buying a mini pc, with Linux on it and set to be doing your routing/shaping/wireless connectivity, hotspot, dhcp, pppoe, you name it and it is there. Latest firmware update includes meshing. Power usage is low, made to run 24/7/365.

You don't really need that equipment, but because most are not skilled, but want to know the finer arts of networking. Buying a routerboard gives you all that and makes it a lot easier to learn + other wuggers can assist. If you are a guru, your current PC + wifi pci card is all that is needed to join another access point node on the WUG. If you know how to do your own routing/shaping from the get go, then you obviously don't need help from other wuggers that knows the routerboard products.

Other guys prefer Ubiquiti, but that is choice. Also a another Linux product and your startup is also a lot less.

Writing networking applications is so much easier now to test, because I'm not wasting any bandwidth. There is a small crowed that are willing to test even with. Really a WIN WIN situation.

Hope to see you on the WUG!
 
The startup costs aren't really that much. The reason why they recommend to go for the higher end product is that they can help you in the future and they know the product well. Buying a Routerboard is like buying a mini pc, with Linux on it and set to be doing your routing/shaping/wireless connectivity, hotspot, dhcp, pppoe, you name it and it is there. Latest firmware update includes meshing. Power usage is low, made to run 24/7/365.

You don't really need that equipment, but because most are not skilled, but want to know the finer arts of networking. Buying a routerboard gives you all that and makes it a lot easier to learn + other wuggers can assist. If you are a guru, your current PC + wifi pci card is all that is needed to join another access point node on the WUG. If you know how to do your own routing/shaping from the get go, then you obviously don't need help from other wuggers that knows the routerboard products.

Other guys prefer Ubiquiti, but that is choice. Also a another Linux product and your startup is also a lot less.

Writing networking applications is so much easier now to test, because I'm not wasting any bandwidth. There is a small crowed that are willing to test even with. Really a WIN WIN situation.

Hope to see you on the WUG!

How much do you think the equipment will cost? R1200 for an antenna and R800 for a router? R2000 right?
 
How much do you think the equipment will cost? R1200 for an antenna and R800 for a router? R2000 right?

That's what CPE costs - I paid that much to get onto Amobia.
I pick up a few networks but I am not sure if I can use the same CPE for both WUG and Amobia ?
 
How much do you think the equipment will cost? R1200 for an antenna and R800 for a router? R2000 right?

Well there happens to be a WUG kit priced in that range.

What this kit includes is the Routerboard 433 + 3x mini PCI slots + 1 mini PCI wifi card + adapter to external aerial + 1M aerial extension + 27dBi grid + 3 ethernet ports. Assembled, tested and includes weather proofing too!

Check out here.

Since you will be only using 1 mini PCI slot, it will allow you to connect to the WUG. You still have 2 mini PCI slots left. Which means in the future if another neighbour wants to connect and see you as a way to connect to the network. Then you can extend your self into a access point by buying a additional mini PCI wifi card + adapter + external cable + grid or sector.

You don't have buy that product. There are cheaper Routerboards (RB) like the 411 with only 1 mini PCI slot + 1 ethernet port. Cheaper, but you can't expand. Or you can buy Ubiquiti, or anything else that works in the 2.4GHz or 5.8GHz spectrum.

The benefit with these Routerboards are that they are made for outdoor use, they work over clear Line of Sight ranges up to 30km known so far. Ubiquiti seems to fall short.

The Wifi cards themselves can do 2.4GHz or 5.8GHz, it depends on the aerial that you buy. So if you bought a 2.4GHz but your only WUG AP that has Line of Sight to you is 5.8GHz, you need to buy a new 5.8GHz grid.

Logon on to irc irc://irc.wug.za.net join the channel associated with your area and have a chat. There are some that will bend over backwards to get you on to the WUG.
 
Routerboard 433 for the win, it helps expand the wug (by using the 2 extra mini pci slots) and give coverage to areas. Normal users can link to other users or help their neighbours get connected through them.

If all the users that joined PTAWUG bought routerboard 411's we would have been about 150 users now I scheme (we are 427). PTAWUG streches from Hammanskraal in the north to Midrand in the south.

Most of our highsites started off as users that expanded and expanded and expanded, like bashtux that now has 9 antennas on a 15m tower in his yard in a complex :)
 
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Routerboard 433 for the win, it helps expand the wug and give coverage to areas. Normal users can link to other users or help their neighbours get connected through them.

If all the users that joined PTAWUG bought routerboard 411's we would have been about 150 users now I scheme (we are 427).

+1
 
Well there happens to be a WUG kit priced in that range.

What this kit includes is the Routerboard 433 + 3x mini PCI slots + 1 mini PCI wifi card + adapter to external aerial + 1M aerial extension + 27dBi grid + 3 ethernet ports. Assembled, tested and includes weather proofing too!

Check out here.

Since you will be only using 1 mini PCI slot, it will allow you to connect to the WUG. You still have 2 mini PCI slots left. Which means in the future if another neighbour wants to connect and see you as a way to connect to the network. Then you can extend your self into a access point by buying a additional mini PCI wifi card + adapter + external cable + grid or sector.

You don't have buy that product. There are cheaper Routerboards (RB) like the 411 with only 1 mini PCI slot + 1 ethernet port. Cheaper, but you can't expand. Or you can buy Ubiquiti, or anything else that works in the 2.4GHz or 5.8GHz spectrum.

The benefit with these Routerboards are that they are made for outdoor use, they work over clear Line of Sight ranges up to 30km known so far. Ubiquiti seems to fall short.

The Wifi cards themselves can do 2.4GHz or 5.8GHz, it depends on the aerial that you buy. So if you bought a 2.4GHz but your only WUG AP that has Line of Sight to you is 5.8GHz, you need to buy a new 5.8GHz grid.

Logon on to irc irc://irc.wug.za.net join the channel associated with your area and have a chat. There are some that will bend over backwards to get you on to the WUG.

That is great. I am more than willing to spend that sort of money. The only problem I have is that I cannot construct anything on my roof (Sectional title). But I can get permission to have something coming out of my wall, and perhaps have a long pole with the antenna at the top. It will be a bit tricky though.
 
Well there happens to be a WUG kit priced in that range.

What this kit includes is the Routerboard 433 + 3x mini PCI slots + 1 mini PCI wifi card + adapter to external aerial + 1M aerial extension + 27dBi grid + 3 ethernet ports. Assembled, tested and includes weather proofing too!

Check out here.

Since you will be only using 1 mini PCI slot, it will allow you to connect to the WUG. You still have 2 mini PCI slots left. Which means in the future if another neighbour wants to connect and see you as a way to connect to the network. Then you can extend your self into a access point by buying a additional mini PCI wifi card + adapter + external cable + grid or sector.

You don't have buy that product. There are cheaper Routerboards (RB) like the 411 with only 1 mini PCI slot + 1 ethernet port. Cheaper, but you can't expand. Or you can buy Ubiquiti, or anything else that works in the 2.4GHz or 5.8GHz spectrum.

The benefit with these Routerboards are that they are made for outdoor use, they work over clear Line of Sight ranges up to 30km known so far. Ubiquiti seems to fall short.

The Wifi cards themselves can do 2.4GHz or 5.8GHz, it depends on the aerial that you buy. So if you bought a 2.4GHz but your only WUG AP that has Line of Sight to you is 5.8GHz, you need to buy a new 5.8GHz grid.

Logon on to irc irc://irc.wug.za.net join the channel associated with your area and have a chat. There are some that will bend over backwards to get you on to the WUG.
So it includes everything you need to connect to a WUG, except for the mounting pole and the power point, correct?
 
The thing is that most people don't even know about WUG's this journo included. But its good that he raises the issue albeit a bit behind the times, because then WUGs can become more known and mentioned in mainstream media, then more people who can afford to connect might just set up high sites.
 
So it includes everything you need to connect to a WUG, except for the mounting pole and the power point, correct?

Yes. It includes a 240v to 15v power adapter and POE injector.

All you need apart from this kit is:

Somewhere to mount it (a pole if you don't have it. some ppl use a 6m pole, others a short u-bend. Depends on your situation)

2x Ethernet cables. One long enough to run from your power adaper inside the house to the Wug kit on your roof. This cable supplies both data and power to the kit. And another short cable to connect your kit to your pc/hub/whatever you have inside your home.

You may also need some help ;)
 
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