An attempt to build a wireless mesh network throughout the city from lessons learned from hurricane damage

ByKārlis Dambrāns

America'sNew York BayLocated inRed hookIn 2012Hurricane SandyOne of the areas that suffered tremendous damage. Although the city has recovered by the restoration work, further utilizing the lessons of the hurricane, it is possible to connect to the Internet anywhere,Mesh network"Red Hook WiFi"Has been built.

Red Hook's Cutting-Edge Wireless Network - NYTimes.com
http://www.nytimes.com/2014/08/24/nyregion/red-hooks-cutting-edge-wireless-network.html

Hyperlocal Mesh Networks - AVC
http://avc.com/2014/08/hyperlocal-mesh-networks/

Red HookBrooklynThere are public housing complexes for single employees and factory workers. The subway does not pass, the only public transportation is the bus network that continues to downtown, and the only IKEA ferries and water taxis that are occasionally operated.

This district is also known for being greatly damaged by the large hurricane Sandy landed in 2012. From the lessons learned of hurricane damage that was a situation where mobile phones were not connected and mobile communications were hard to connect, local communitiesRed Hook Initiative, We are working on the construction of a mesh network of the scale covering the entire city in order to strengthen the communication environment of the city.


Mesh network is to various pointsnodeAnd establishing a mode of network communication that spreads like the eye of the network by mutual communication between the nodes. A public Wi - Fi access point can only communicate within an area centered on routers, but mesh networks can gain Internet communication anywhere. Nodes communicate by connecting to the public Internet, but since they continue to communicate locally even if the net is dropped, it becomes possible to make mails and voice calls over the wireless network even in the event of a disaster.


Communication equipment is installed on the roof of a high building such as a church as follows.


It is said that facilities such as nodes are relatively inexpensive and internet is provided free of charge. Red Hook InitiativeA service that can locate the location of the nodeAlso, even in areas with low Internet penetration rates, if the node is nearby, it means that the Internet will be available for free.