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The performance of WiFi-based long distance networks in real-world deployments is abysmal. This poor performance is a reflection of the design of the IEEE 802.11 protocol which was intended for use in local settings. Various projects and vendors have constructed systems for outdoors using a variety of techniques from tuning the MAC layer parameters to replacing the MAC layer entirely. This talk will discuss the issues in building long distance wireless networks and describe a novel solution that leverages existing, low-cost, commercial 802.11 wireless parts. The system has been deployed in several remote locations to provide IT infrastructure where it is impractical to use normal mechanisms. This work was sponsored by the Intel Research Laboratory in Berkeley, CA.
Sam Leffler is an independent consultant doing everything from system design to expert witness work. He has been actively working with UNIX since 1975 when he first encountered it at Case Western Reserve University. While working for the Computer Systems Research Group (CSRG) at the University of California at Berkeley he helped with the 4.1BSD release and was responsible for the release of 4.2BSD. He has contributed to almost every aspect of BSD systems; most recently working (again) on the networking subsystem. For the past few years he has focused on wireless networking--his work appears in open source projects and many commercial products.