PROJECT REPORT

On
OUTERNET:WIRELESS WIFI

Submitted by
(Arati zha)
(Roll.No : 57)
Sem 6th,T.Y.B.M.S

Under Guidance of
MR.Prashant Konkane

Submitted to University of Mumbai in partial fulfillment of the requirements

for the Awards of Degree
Of
BACHELOR OF MANAGEMENT STUDIES

PATUCK GALA COLLEGE OF COMMERCE&MANAGEMENT

SANTACRUZ,MUMBAI-400055

ACKNOWLEDGMENT
It is earnest and sincere desire and ambition to acquire profound knowledge
in the study of Management Studies.I have considerable help to advice at very
outset of this Project.It is my Pleasure to acknowledge the help and Guidance
that I had received from that personnel and to thank them individually.
First Of all, I express my thanks to DR.(MRS.) Meeta Pathade,I/C Principal
for having given me a chance to undergo the project work.
Secondly ,I convey my sincere thanks to the Course Coordinator Ms . Byshi
Panikar for her valuable suggestions and Cooperation which helped me to
complete the project successfully.
The Compilation of the project is a milestone in the life of the management
student and its execution is inevitable without the co-operation of the project
guide.I am deeply grateful to my project guide Mr.Prashant Konkane for his
valuable ideas,required suggestions and encouragement for refining this
project study.
Finally,I thank all the staff members and my friends for their valuable
support and contribution to the project.

CERTIFICATE

This is to certify that the project report entitled OUTERNET :Wireless

WIFI is a true and satisfactory work done by MR.Prashant
Konkane,T.Y.B.M.S,Roll.No.57.The project report is submitted to University
of Mumbai in partial fulfillment of the requirement for the award of degree
of Bachelor of Management Studies for the academic year 2014-2015.

--------------------------

----------------------

Signature of

Signature of External

Project Guide

Examiner.

------------------------

--------------------------------

Signature of

Signature of Principal

Coordinator

DECLARATION
I Arati Zha,Student Of Patuck Gala College of Commerce &
Management,T.Y.B.M.S (SEM 6) hereby declare that I have completed the
project on OUTERNET: Wireless Wifi in the Academic year 2014-2015.
The subject matter contained in this project is a research work and
most of the work carried out is original and was done under the guidance of
my project is Mr.Prashant Konkane.
The information submitted is true and original to the best of my
knowledge.

SIGNATURE
--------------------------( ARATI ZHA)
(ROLL.NO.-5

CONTENTS
CHAPTER 1
INTRODUCTION
1.1 WIFI Introduction
1.2 WIFI certification
CHAPTER-2
HISTORY
2.1 History
CHATER-3
WIFI
3.1 WIFI Direct
3.2WIFI Frequencies and Signal strength
3.3 Comparing Wireless Wifi
3.4 Uses Of wifi
3.5 Advantages & Limitation Of Wfi
2.2 Dematerialization of Securities (DEMAT)
2.3 Sale/Delivery of Securities
2.4 Purchase/ Receipt of Securities
2.5 Dematerializations
2.6 Pledge
2.7 Freezing/Defreezing

2.8 Corporate Benefit- Dividend, Bonus, Right Issue

2.9 Public Issue
2.10 Nominations
2.11 Transmission
2.12 Demat Account Statement
2.13 Registration for Internet/ Phone Access & E-instructions
2.14 Mobile Banking
2.15 Billing & Payments
2.16 Change of Address & Bank Details
2.17 Change of Rate Card
2.18 Account Security
CHAPTER-3
Introduction to the Study
3.1 Theoretical Backgrounds of the Study
3.2 Objectives
3.4 Research Methodology
3.5 Targeted People
CHAPTER-4
Company Profile
4.1 A Brief Introduction of ICICI Bank Limited
CHAPTER-5(PRODUCTS AND SERVICES DESCRIPTION)
Bank Deposits
5.1 Preamble

5.2 Types of Deposit Accounts

5.3 Key Features of Different Types of Accounts
5.3.1 Minor's Account
5.3.2 Account of Illiterate & Blind Person
5.3.3 Addition or Deletion of the Name's of Joint Account Holders
5.3.4 Dormant Accounts
5.4 Directives on Interest Payments & Term Deposit
5.4.1 Interest Payments
5.4.2 Premature Withdrawal of Term Deposits
5.4.3 Premature Renewals of Term Deposits
5.4.4 Advances Against Deposits
5.5 Deceased Account Holding
5.5.1 Settlement of Dues in Deceased Deposit Account
5.5.2 Interest Payable on Term Deposit in Deceased Account
5.6 Facilitation of Other Banking Services
5.6.1 Stop Payment Facility
5.6.2 Safe Deposit Lockers
5.7 Safeguarding Customer Interest
5.7.1 Customer Information
5.7.2Secrecy of Customer's Accounts
5.7.3 Insurance Cover for Deposits
5.7.4 Redressal Of Complaints & Grievances
CHAPTER-6

Loans Available at ICICI Bank

6.1 Home Loans
6.2 Persona Loan
6.3 Car Loans
6.4 Farm Equipment Loans
6.5 Construction Equipment Loans
6.6 Loan against Securities
6.7 Loan against Property
6.8 Farmer Finance
6.9 Rural Education Loan
CHAPTER-7
Non-Depository Services
7.1 Consumer Cards
7.2 Commercial Cards
7.3 Mobile Banking
7.4 Phone Banking
CHAPTER- 8
Demat & Investments
8.1 Demat Service
8.2 Investments
CHAPTER-9
Life and General Insurance Services
CHAPTER-10

Other ICICI Initiatives

CHAPTER-11
Analysis,Findings,Recommendations & Conclusion

CHAPTER 1
INTRODUCTION
1.1 WIFI INTRODUCTION

The Wi-Fi logo used by the Wi-Fi Alliance.

Wi-Fi,

also

spelled Wifi or WiFi,

is

a local

area

wireless

technology that allows an electronic device to exchange data or connect

to the internet using 2.4 GHz UHF and 5 GHz SHF radio waves. The
name is a trademark name, and is a play on the audiophile term Hi-Fi.
TheWi-Fi Alliance defines Wi-Fi as any "wireless local area network
(WLAN) products that are based on the Institute of Electrical and
Electronics Engineers' (IEEE) 802.11 standards".[1] However, since most
modern WLANs are based on these standards, the term "Wi-Fi" is used
in general English as a synonym for "WLAN". Only Wi-Fi products that
complete

Wi-Fi

Alliance interoperability certification

testing

successfully may use the "Wi-Fi CERTIFIED" trademark

Many devices can use Wi-Fi, e.g., personal computers, video-game
consoles, smartphones, digital cameras, tablet computers and digital
audio players. These can connect to a network resource such as the

Internet via a wireless network access point. Such an access point

(or hotspot) has a range of about 20 meters (66 feet) indoors and a
greater range outdoors. Hotspot coverage can comprise an area as small
as a single room with walls that block radio waves, or as large as many
square kilometres achieved by using multiple overlapping access points.

Depiction of a device sending information wirelessly to another device,

both connected to the local network, in order to print a document.
Wi-Fi can be less secure than wired connections (such as Ethernet)
because an intruder does not need a physical connection. Web pages that
use SSL are secure but unencrypted internet access can easily be
detected by intruders. Because of this, Wi-Fi has adopted various
encryption technologies. The early encryption WEP, proved easy to
break. Higher quality protocols (WPA, WPA2) were added later. An
optional feature added in 2007, called Wi-Fi Protected Setup (WPS), had
a serious flaw that allowed an attacker to recover the router's
password.[2] The Wi-Fi Alliance has since updated its test plan and
certification program to ensure all newly certified devices resist
attacks.3 Uses.

1.2Wi-Fi certification
Wi-Fi Alliance
The IEEE does not test equipment for compliance with their standards.
The non-profit Wi-Fi Alliance was formed in 1999 to fill this void to
establish and enforce standards for interoperability and backward
compatibility, and to promote wireless local-area-network technology.
As of 2010, the Wi-Fi Alliance consisted of more than 375 companies
from around the world. The Wi-Fi Alliance enforces the use of the Wi-Fi
brand to technologies based on the IEEE 802.11 standards from the
IEEE. This includes wireless local area network (WLAN) connections,
device to device connectivity (such as Wi-Fi Peer to Peer aka Wi-Fi
Direct), Personal area network (PAN), local area network (LAN) and
even

some

limited wide

area

network (WAN)

connections.

Manufacturers with membership in the Wi-Fi Alliance, whose products

pass the certification process, gain the right to mark those products with
the Wi-Fi logo.
Specifically, the certification process requires conformance to the IEEE
802.11 radio standards, the WPA and WPA2 security standards, and
the EAP authentication standard. Certification may optionally include
tests of IEEE 802.11 draft standards, interaction with cellular-phone

technology in converged devices, and features relating to security set-up,

multimedia, and power-saving.
Not every Wi-Fi device is submitted for certification. The lack of WiFi certification does not necessarily imply that a device is
incompatible with other Wi-Fi devices. If it is compliant or partly
compatible, the Wi-Fi Alliance may not object to its description as a
Wi-Fi device though technically only certified devices are approved.
The Wi-Fi Alliance may or may not sanction derivative terms, such
as Super Wi-Fi, coined by the US Federal Communications
Commission (FCC) to describe proposed networking.
Wi-Fi certification
The Wi-Fi Alliance owns and controls the "Wi-Fi Certified" logo, a
registered trademark, which is permitted only on equipment which has
passed testing. Purchasers relying on that trademark will have greater
chances of interoperation than otherwise. Testing is rigorous because the
standards involve not only radio and data format interoperability,
butsecurity protocols, as well as optional testing for quality of service
and power management protocols. From a Wi-Fi Alliance paper on WiFi Certification. A focus on user experience has shaped the overall
approach of the Wi-Fi Alliance certification program: Wi-Fi Certified
products have to demonstrate that they can perform well in networks
with other Wi-Fi Certified products, running common applications, in

situations similar to those encountered in everyday use. This pragmatic

approach stems from three tenets, around which certification is centered:

Interoperability is the primary target of certification. Rigorous test

cases are used to ensure that products from different equipment
vendors can interoperate in a wide variety of configurations.

Backward compatibility has to be preserved to allow for new

equipment to work with existing gear. Backward compatibility
protects investments in legacy Wi-Fi products and enables users to
gradually upgrade and expand their networks.

Innovation is supported through the introduction of new certification

programs as the latest technology and specifications come into the
marketplace. These certification programs may be mandatory
(e.g. WPA2) or optional (e.g. WMM). Equipment vendor
differentiation and inventiveness are preserved in areas that are not
covered by certification testing.

The Wi-Fi Alliance definition of interoperability goes well beyond the

ability to work in a Wi-Fi network. To gain certification under a specific

program, products have to show satisfactory performance levels in

typical network configurations and have to support both established and
emerging applications. A user that purchases a Wi-Fi enabled laptop, for
instance, would not be satisfied if the laptop established a connection
with the home network, only to get the throughput of a dial-up
connection. Similarly, subscribers using a Wi-Fi enabled mobile phone
would be disappointed, if a voice call could not go through or was
dropped. The Wi-Fi Alliance certification process includes three types of
tests to ensure interoperability. Wi-Fi Certified products are tested for:

Compatibility: certified equipment has been tested for connectivity

with other certified equipment . Compatibility testing has always
been, and still is, the predominant component of interoperability
testing, and it is the element that most people associate with

"interoperability". It involves tests with multiple devices from

different equipment vendors. Compatibility testing is the program
component that helps to ensure devices purchased today will work
with Wi-Fi Certified devices already owned or purchased in the
future.

Conformance: the equipment conforms to specific critical elements of

the IEEE 802.11 standard. Conformance testing usually involves
standalone analysis of individual products and establishes whether the
equipment responds to inputs as expected and specified. For example,
conformance testing is used to ensure that Wi-Fi equipment protects
itself and the network when the equipment detects evidence of
network attacks.

Performance: the equipment meets the performance levels required to

meet end-user expectations in support of key applications.
Performance tests are not designed to measure and compare
performance among products, but simply to verify that the product
meets the minimum performance requirements for a good user
experience as established by the Wi-Fi Alliance. Specific
performance tests results are not released by the Wi-Fi Alliance.

Certification types
The Wi-Fi Alliance provides certification testing in two levels:
Mandatory:

Core MAC/PHY interoperability over 802.11a, 802.11b, 802.11g,

and 802.11n. (at least one)

Wi-Fi Protected Access 2 (WPA2) security,[7] which aligns with

IEEE 802.11i. WPA2 is available in two types: WPA2-Personal for
consumer use, and WPA2 Enterprise, which adds EAP
authentication.

Optional:

Tests corresponding to IEEE 802.11h and 802.11d.

WMM Quality of Service,[8] based upon a subset of IEEE 802.11e.

WMM Power Save,[9] based upon APSD within IEEE 802.11e

Wi-Fi Protected Setup,[10] a specification developed by the Alliance

to ease the process of setting up and enabling security protections on
small office and consumer Wi-Fi networks.

Application Specific Device (ASD), for wireless devices other than

Access Point and Station which has specific application, such as
DVD players, projectors, printers, etc.

Converged Wireless GroupRadio Frequency (CWG-RF, offered in

conjunction with CTIA), to provide performance mapping of Wi-Fi
and cellular radios in converged devices.

CHAPTER 2
HISTORY
2.1History of WIFI

Early 802.11 products suffered from interoperability problems because

the Institute of Electrical and Electronics Engineers (IEEE) had no
provision for testing equipment for compliance with its standards. In
1999, pioneers of a new, higher speed variant, endorsed the IEEE
802.11b specification to form the Wireless Ethernet Compatibility
Alliance (WECA) and branded the new technology Wi-Fi.[1][2]
The group of companies included 3Com, Aironet (acquired
by Cisco), Harris Semiconductor (now Intersil), Lucent (now AlcatelLucent),Nokia and Symbol Technologies (now Motorola).[3] As key
sponsors, the alliance lists Apple
inc., Comcast, Samsung, Sony, LG, Intel, Dell,Broadcom, Cisco, Qualco
mm, Motorola, Microsoft, Texas Instruments, and T-Mobile. The charter

for this independent organization was to perform testing, certify

interoperability of products, and to promote the technology.[4]
WECA renamed itself the Wi-Fi Alliance in 2002.[5] It is based
in Austin, Texas.
Most producers of 802.11 equipment became members, and as of 2012,
the Wi-Fi Alliance had over 550 member companies. Wi-Fi Alliance
extended Wi-Fi beyond wireless local area network applications into
point-to-point and personal area networking, and enabled specific
applications such as Miracast.

CHAPTER 3

WIFI
3.1 Wi-Fi Direct
In October 2010, the Alliance began to certify Wi-Fi Direct, that allows
Wi-Fi-enabled devices to communicate directly with each other, without
going through a wireless access point or hotspot.[11] Since 2009 when it
was first announced, some suggested Wi-Fi Direct might replace the
need for Bluetooth on applications that do not rely on Bluetooth low
energy.

HISTORY
In 1971, ALOHAnet connected the Hawaii islands with a UHF wireless
packet network. The protocol was an early forerunner to Ethernet, and
later the WiFi protocol.
A 1985 ruling by the US Federal Communications Commission released
the ISM band for unlicensed use. These frequency bands are the same
ones used by equipment such as microwave ovens and are subject to
interference.

In

1991, NCR

Corporation with AT&T

Corporation invented

the

precursor to 802.11 intended for use in cashier systems. The first

wireless products were under the nameWaveLAN.
The Australian radio-astronomer John O'Sullivan developed a key patent
used in Wi-Fi as a by-product in a CSIRO research project, "a failed
experiment to detect exploding mini black holes the size of an atomic
particle". In 1992 and 1996, Australian organization CSIRO (the
Australian Commonwealth

Scientific

and

Industrial

Research

Organisation) obtained patents for a method later used in Wi-Fi to

"unsmear" the signal.
The first version of the 802.11 protocol was released in 1997, and
provided up to 2Mbit/s link speeds. This was updated in 1999
with 802.11b to permit 11Mbit/s link speeds, and this proved to be
popular.
In 1999, the Wi-Fi Alliance formed as a trade association to hold the
Wi-Fi trademark under which most products are sold.
WiFI uses a large number of patents held by many different
organizations. In April 2009, 14 technology companies agreed to pay
CSIRO $250 million for infringements on CSIRO patents This led to
Australians labelling Wi-Fi as an Australian invention, though this has
been the subject of some controversy. CSIRO won a further $220
million settlement for Wi-Fi patent-infringements in 2012 with global

firms in the United States required to pay the CSIRO licensing rights
estimated to be worth an additional $1 billion in royalties
The name
The term Wi-Fi, commercially used at least as early as August 1999, was
coined by a brand-consulting firm called Interbrand Corporation. The
Wi-Fi Alliance had hired Interbrand to determine a name that was "a
little catchier than 'IEEE 802.11b Direct Sequence'". Phil Belanger, a
founding member of the Wi-Fi Alliance who presided over the selection
of the name "Wi-Fi", also stated that Interbrand invented Wi-Fi as a play
on words with Hi-Fi, and also created the Wi-Fi logo.
The Wi-Fi Alliance used the "nonsense" advertising slogan "The
Standard for Wireless Fidelity" for a short time after the brand name was
invented, leading to the misconception that Wi-Fi was an abbreviation of
"Wireless Fidelity"
The yin-yang Wi-Fi logo indicates the certification of a product
for interoperability.
Non-Wi-Fi technologies intended for fixed points such as Motorola
Canopy are usually described as fixed wireless. Alternative wireless
technologies

include

as 2G, 3G, 4G or LTE.

mobile

phone

standards

such

3.2 Wi-Fi frequencies and signal strength

Learn the basics of how Wi-Fi networks work and why Internet speed
differs on Wi-Fi compared to a wired connection.
The Wi-Fi radio in your Network Box operates on the following
frequencies and protocols:
Models GFRG100 and GFRG110:

5 GHz: 802.11a/n

2.4 GHz: 802.11b/g/n

Models GFRG2006 and GFRG210:

5 GHz: 802.11a/n/ac

2.4 Ghz: 802.11b/g/n

If you have Fiber TV service, each TV Box has a Wi-Fi radio that
supports the following frequencies and protocols:
Model GFHD100:

5 GHz: 802.11a/n

2.4 GHz: 802.11b/g/n

Model GFHD200:

5 GHz: 802.11a/n/ac

2.4 Ghz: 802.11b/g/n

You can use the advanced settings on the Network tab to control
whether your network is visible to nearby wireless devices, or to specify

a different network name (SSID) to use for 5 GHz. You can enable or
disable the Wi-Fi access pointsin individual TV Boxes or in all Google
Fiber devices
.

3.3 Comparing wireless frequencies

If both 2.4 GHz and 5 GHz frequencies are in range and your wireless
device is capable of communicating on both, it selects the best signal for
its location. In theory, it should prefer a 5 GHz signal over a 2.4 GHz
signal and only switch to 2.4 GHz if the 5 GHz signal becomes degraded
because of distance or interference. If only one frequency is in range, the
wireless device connects at that frequency.
Google Fiber's experience is that signal selection and the threshold
for switching varies significantly from device to device.
If your device connects at 5 GHz, the signal can carry more data but can
only be used when the device is fairly close to the access point. When
the device connects at 2.4 GHz, it can communicate from further away

but might experience interference from other devices in your home, such
as a microwave oven, baby monitor, or cordless landline phone.
The following table summarizes the advantages and disadvantages of
each frequency.
Advantages
2.4 GHz

Disadvantages

Accessible

from

greater

distances
Compatible with lots of devices

Crowded frequency from

All the devices that it
Supports

5 GHz

Lots

more

bandwidth

Generally less interference on

Available

for

Not compatible with as many de

5GHz because the frequency is

not

as

shorter

crowded

Allows you to extend your

network with your TV Boxes,
since they are capable of 5 GHz
only
If you have a fairly small home and position your Network Box on a
high shelf near the center of your home, your wireless devices can take
advantage of both the 2.4 GHz and 5 GHz frequencies. Each of your

wireless devices automatically connects at the best frequency it can

reach.
If you subscribe to Google Fiber TV service, the Wi-Fi radios in your
TV Boxes operate at 5 GHz to create a distributed Wi-Fi network
throughout your home. The TV Box access points are enabled by
default. If signals from one of your TV Boxes interferes with another
access point, you can disable it.

To optimize wireless reception

You can take some steps to ensure that your wireless network is the best
it can be:

Stay close to an access point.

Without any obstructions, theoretically, Wi-Fi signals can reach 300500 feet. But, unless you live in a space with no walls, you are more
likely to see decent signals in the 50-100 foot range. Even within that
range, Wi-Fi signals can sometimes be less than optimal in some
areas of your home.

Ensure that walls or other solid objects are not blocking your
signal.
Wi-Fi signals can be blocked or weakened by any number of
construction materials: cinder block, concrete, metal, and even wood
and drywall. The more barriers between the Wi-Fi access point (the
Network Box or TV Box) and a wireless device, the weaker the
signal.

Location, location, location...

In general, the best location to place your Network Box for
maximum coverage throughout your home is as close to the center of
your home as possible. So if your access point is near an outside
wall, try moving it closer to the middle of your home. Keep your
access points off the floor, out of closets and cabinets, and away
from walls and large metal objects, like file cabinets.

3.4Uses of WIFI

A sticker indicating to the public that a location is within range of a

Wi-Fi network. A dot with curved lines radiating from it is a
common symbol for Wi-Fi, representinHow does Wi-Fi work?
How does Wi-Fi work?
To connect to a Wi-Fi LAN, a computer ho be equipped with a wireless
network interface controller. The combination of computer and interface
controller is called a station. All stations share a single radio frequency
communication channel. Transmissions on this channel are received by
all stations within range. The hardware does not signal the user that the
transmission was delivered and is therefore called a best-effort
delivery mechanism. A carrier wave is used to transmit the data in
packets, referred to as "Ethernet frames". Each station is constantly

tuned in on the radio frequency communication channel to pick up

available transmissions.
Internet access
A Wi-Fi-enabled device can connect to the Internet when within range
of a wireless network which is configured to permit this. The coverage
of one or more (interconnected) access pointscalled hotspotscan
extend from an area as small as a few rooms to as large as many square
kilometres. Coverage in the larger area may require a group of access
points with overlapping coverage. Outdoor public Wi-Fi technology has
been used successfully in wireless mesh networks in London, UK.
Wi-Fi provides service in private homes, businesses, as well as in public
spaces at Wi-Fi hotspots set up either free-of-charge or commercially,
often using a captive portal webpage for access. Organizations
and businesses, such as airports, hotels, and restaurants, often provide
free-use hotspots to attract customers. Enthusiasts or authorities who
wish to provide services or even to promote business in selected areas
sometimes provide free Wi-Fi access.

Routers that incorporate a digital subscriber line modem or a cable

modem and a Wi-Fi access point, often set up in homes and other
buildings, provide Internet access and internetworking to all devices
connected to them, wirelessly or via cable.

Similarly, there are battery-powered routers that include a cellular

mobile Internet radiomodem and Wi-Fi access point. When subscribed
to a cellular phone carrier, they allow nearby Wi-Fi stations to access the
Internet over 2G, 3G, or 4G networks. Many smartphones have a built-in
capability

of

this

sort,

including

those

based

on Android, BlackBerry,Bada, iOS (iPhone), Windows

Phone and Symbian, though carriers often disable the feature, or charge
a separate fee to enable it, especially for customers with unlimited data
plans. "Internet packs" provide standalone facilities of this type as well,
without use of a smartphone; examples include the MiFi- and WiBrobranded devices. Some laptops that have a cellular modem card can also
act as mobile Internet Wi-Fi access points.

Wi-Fi also connects places that normally don't have network access,
such as kitchens and garden sheds.
City-wide Wi-Fi
Municipal wireless network

An outdoor Wi-Fi access point

In the early 2000s, many cities around the world announced plans to
construct city-wide Wi-Fi networks. There are many successful
examples; in 2004, Mysore became India's first Wi-Fi-enabled city. A
company called WiFiyNet has set up hotspots in Mysore, covering the
complete city and a few nearby villages.
In 2005, Sunnyvale, California, became the first city in the United States
to offer city-wide free Wi-Fi. Minneapolis has generated $1.2 million in
profit annually for its provider. Junn, Argentina, became the first city in
Buenos Aires province to offer free Wi-Fi service in parks and other
public spaces in 2010.

In May 2010, London, UK, Mayor Boris Johnson pledged to have

London-wide Wi-Fi by 2012.] Several boroughs including Westminster
and Islington already have extensive outdoor Wi-Fi coverage.
Officials in South Korea's capital are moving to provide free Internet
access at more than 10,000 locations around the city, including outdoor
public spaces, major streets and densely populated residential areas.
Seoul will grant leases to KT, LG Telecom and SK Telecom. The
companies will invest $44 million in the project, which will be
completed in 2015.
Campus-wide Wi-Fi
Many traditional college campuses in the developed world provide at
least partial wireless Wi-Fi Internet coverage. Carnegie Mellon
University built the first campus-wide wireless Internet network,
called Wireless Andrew, at its Pittsburgh campus in 1993 before Wi-Fi
branding originated. Many universities collaborate in providing Wi-Fi
access

to

students

and

staff

through

the eduroam international

authentication infrastructure.
In 2000, Drexel University in Philadelphia became the United States'
first major university to offer completely wireless Internet access across
its entire campus.[37] The Far Eastern University in Manila is the first
university in the Philippines to implement a campus-wide Wi-Fi

coverage.

Direct computer-to-computer communications

Wi-Fi also allows communications directly from one computer to
another without an access point intermediary. This is called ad hoc WiFi transmission. This wireless ad hoc network mode has proven popular
with multiplayer handheld
DS, PlayStation

game consoles, such as

Portable, digital

cameras,

and

the Nintendo
other consumer

electronicsdevices. Some devices can also share their Internet

connection using ad hoc, becoming hotspots or "virtual routers".
Similarly, the Wi-Fi Alliance promotes a specification called Wi-Fi
Direct for file transfers and media sharing through a new discovery- and
security-methodology. Wi-Fi Direct launched in October 2010.

Another mode of direct communication over Wi-Fi is TDLS or Tunneled

Direct Link Setup, which enables two devices on the same Wi-Fi
network to communicate directly, instead of via the access point.
3.5Advantages and limitations

A keychain-size Wi-Fi detector

Advantages
Wi-Fi allows cheaper deployment of local area networks (LANs). Also
spaces where cables cannot be run, such as outdoor areas and historical
buildings, can host wireless LANs.
Manufacturers are building wireless network adapters into most laptops.
The price of chipsets for Wi-Fi continues to drop, making it an
economical networking option included in even more devices.
Different competitive brands of access points and client networkinterfaces can inter-operate at a basic level of service. Products
designated as "Wi-Fi Certified" by the Wi-Fi Alliance are backwards
compatible. Unlike mobile phones, any standard Wi-Fi device will work
anywhere in the world.

Wi-Fi Protected Access encryption (WPA2) is considered secure,

provided a strong passphrase is used. New protocols for quality-ofservice (WMM) make Wi-Fi more suitable for latency-sensitive
applications (such as voice and video). Power saving mechanisms
(WMM Power Save) extend battery life.

Limitations
Spectrum assignments and operational limitations are not consistent
worldwide: Australia and Europe allow for an additional two channels
beyond those permitted in the US for the 2.4 GHz band (113 vs. 111),
while Japan has one more on top of that (114).
A Wi-Fi signal occupies five channels in the 2.4 GHz band. Any two
channel numbers that differ by five or more, such as 2 and 7, do not
overlap. The oft-repeated adage that channels 1, 6, and 11 are

the only non-overlapping channels is, therefore, not accurate. Channels

1, 6, and 11 are the only group of three non-overlapping channels in
North America and the United Kingdom. In Europe and Japan using
Channels 1, 5, 9, and 13 for 802.11g and 802.11n is recommended.
Equivalent isotropically radiated power (EIRP) in the EU is limited to
20 dBm (100 mW).
The

current

'fastest'

spectrum/bandwidth

norm,

(40 MHz)

802.11n,

uses

compared

double

to 802.11a or

the

radio

802.11g

(20 MHz). This means there can be only one 802.11n network on the
2.4 GHz band at a given location, without interference to/from other
WLAN traffic. 802.11n can also be set to use 20 MHz bandwidth only to
prevent interference in dense community. Many newer consumer
devices support the latest 802.11ac standard, which uses the 5 GHz band
and is capable of multi-station WLAN throughput of at least 1 gigabit
per second. According to a study, devices with the 802.11ac
specification are expected to be common by 2015 with an estimated one
billion spread around the world.

Long-range Wi-Fi
The wifi signal range depends on the frequency band, radio power
output, antenna gain and antenna type. Line-of-sight is the thumbnail
guide but reflection and refraction can have a significant impact. An
Access Point compliant with either 802.11b or 802.11g, using the stock
antenna might have a range of 100 m (330 ft). The same radio with an
external semi parabolic antenna (15db gain) might have a range over 20
miles. IEEE 802.11n, however, can more than double the range. Range
also varies with frequency band. Wi-Fi in the 2.4 GHz frequency block

has slightly better range than Wi-Fi in the 5 GHz frequency block used
by 802.11a (and optionally by 802.11n). On wireless routers with
detachable antennas, it is possible to improve range by fitting upgraded
antennas which have higher gain in particular directions. Outdoor ranges
can be improved to many kilometers through the use of high
gain directional antennas at the router and remote device(s). In general,
the maximum amount of power that a Wi-Fi device can transmit is
limited by local regulations, such as FCC Part 15 in the US.
Due to reach requirements for wireless LAN applications, Wi-Fi has
fairly high power consumption compared to some other standards.
Technologies

such

as Bluetooth (designed

to

support

wireless PAN applications) provide a much shorter propagation range

between 1 and 100m and so in general have a lower power consumption.
Other low-power technologies such as ZigBee have fairly long range,
but much lower data rate. The high power consumption of Wi-Fi makes
battery life in mobile devices a concern.
Researchers have developed a number of "no new wires" technologies to
provide alternatives to Wi-Fi for applications in which Wi-Fi's indoor
range is not adequate and where installing new wires (such as CAT-6) is
not possible or cost-effective. For example, the ITU-T G.hn standard for
high speed Local area networks uses existing home wiring (coaxial
cables, phone lines and power lines). Although G.hn does not provide
some of the advantages of Wi-Fi (such as mobility or outdoor use), it's

designed for applications (such as IPTV distribution) where indoor range

is more important than mobility.
Due to the complex nature of radio propagation at typical Wi-Fi
frequencies, particularly the effects of signal reflection off trees and
buildings, algorithms can only approximately predict Wi-Fi signal
strength for any given area in relation to a transmitter. This effect does
not apply equally to long-range Wi-Fi, since longer links typically
operate from towers that transmit above the surrounding foliage.
The practical range of Wi-Fi essentially confines mobile use to such
applications as inventory-taking machines in warehouses or in retail
spaces, barcode-reading

devices

at

check-out

stands,

or

receiving/shipping stations. Mobile use of Wi-Fi over wider ranges is

limited, for instance, to uses such as in an automobile moving from one
hotspot to another. Other wireless technologies are more suitable for
communicating with moving vehicles.

Data security risks

The most common wireless encryption-standard, Wired Equivalent
Privacy (WEP), has been shown to be easily breakable even when
correctly configured. Wi-Fi Protected Access (WPA and WPA2)
encryption, which became available in devices in 2003, aimed to solve
this problem. Wi-Fi access points typically default to an encryption-free
(open) mode. Novice users benefit from a zero-configuration device that
works out-of-the-box, but this default does not enable any wireless
security, providing open wireless access to a LAN. To turn security on
requires

the

user

to

configure

the

device,

usually

via

software graphical user interface (GUI). On unencrypted Wi-Fi networks

connecting devices caSuch networks can only be secured by using other
means of protection, such as a VPN or secure Hypertext Transfer
Protocol over Transport Layer Security (HTTPS).
Interference
Electromagnetic interference at 2.4 GHz.
Wi-Fi connections can be disrupted or the internet speed lowered by
having other devices in the same area. Many 2.4 GHz 802.11b
and 802.11g access-points default to the same channel on initial startup,
contributing to congestion on certain channels. Wi-Fi pollution, or an
excessive number of access points in the area, especially on the
neighboring channel, can prevent access and interfere with other devices'
use of other access points, caused by overlapping channels in the

802.11g/b spectrum, as well as with decreased signal-to-noise

ratio (SNR) between access points. This can become a problem in highdensity areas, such as large apartment complexes or office buildings
with many Wi-Fi access points.
Additionally, other devices use the 2.4 GHz band: microwave
ovens, ISM

band devices,

cameras, ZigBee devices, Bluetooth devices, video

security
senders,

cordless

phones,baby monitors, and (in some countries) Amateur radio all of

which can cause significant additional interference. It is also an issue
when municipalities or other large entities (such as universities) seek to
provide large area coverage.

CHAPTER 4
TYPES OF WIFI

In a public pay phone, there is also sometimes a hotspot.

Free hotspots operate in two ways:

Using an open public network is the easiest way to create a free

hotspot. All that is needed is a Wi-Fi router. Similarly, when users of
private wireless routers turn off their authentication requirements,
opening

their

connection,

intentionally

or

not,

they

permitpiggybacking (sharing) by anyone in range.

Closed public networks use a HotSpot Management System to

control access to hotspots. This software runs on the router itself or
an external computer allowing operators to authorize only specific
users to access the Internet. Providers of such hotspots often associate
the free access with a menu, membership, or purchase limit.
Operators may also limit each user's available bandwidth (upload and

download speed) to ensure that everyone gets a good quality service.

Often this is done through service-level agreements.

4.1Hotspot (Wi-Fi)
hotspots running on a mobile telephone, see tethering.

A diagram showing a Wi-Fi network

A hotspot is a site that offers Internet access over a wireless local area
network (WLAN) through the use of a router connected to a link to
an Internet service provider. Hotspots typically use Wi-Fihnology.
Hotspots may be found in coffee shops and various other public
establishments in many developed urban areas throughout the world.

History

Public park in Brooklyn, New York, has free Wi-Fi from a local
corporation.
Public access wireless local area networks (LANs) were first proposed
by Henrik Sjdin at the NetWorld+Interop conference in The Moscone
Center in San Francisco in August 1993.[1] Sjdin did not use the term
hotspot but referred to publicly accessible wireless LANs.
The first commercial venture to attempt to create a public local area
access network was a firm founded in Richardson, Texas known as
PLANCOM (Public Local Area Network Communications). The
founders of that venture, Mark Goode, Greg Jackson, and Brett Stewart
dissolved the firm in 1998, while Goode and Jackson created MobileStar
Networks. The firm was one of the first to sign such public access
locations as Starbucks,[2] American Airlines,[3] and Hilton Hotels.[4] The
company was sold to Deutsche Telecom in 2001, who then converted
the name of the firm into "T-Mobile Hotspot." It was then that the term

"hotspot" entered the popular vernacular as a reference to a location

where a publicly accessible wireless LAN is available.
Uses
The public can use a laptop or other suitable portable device to access
the wireless connection (usually Wi-Fi) provided. Of the estimated 150
million laptops, 14 million PDAs, and other emerging Wi-Fi devices
sold per year for the last few years, most include the Wi-Fi feature.
For venues that have broadband Internet access, offering wireless access
is as simple as configuring one access point (AP), in conjunction with a
router and connecting the AP to the Internet connection. A single
wireless router combining these functions may suffice.

Security
Security is a serious concern in connection with Hotspots. There are
three possible attack vectors. First, there is the wireless connection
between the client and the access point. This needs to be encrypted, so
that the connection cannot be eavesdropped or attacked by a man-in-themiddle-attack. Second, there is the Hotspot itself. The WLAN
encryption ends at the interface, then travels its network stack
unencrypted and then travels over the wired connection up to the BRAS
of the ISP. Third, there is the connection from the Access Point to
the BRAS of the ISP. ...
The safest method when accessing the Internet over a Hotspot, with
unknown security measures, is end-to-end encryption. Examples of
strong

end-to-end

encryption

are HTTPS

and SSH.

Locations
Hotspots

are

often

found

at airports, bookstores, coffee

shops, department stores, fuel stations, hotels, hospitals, libraries, public

pay phones, restaurants, RV parks and campgrounds, supermarkets, train
stations,

and

other

public

places.

Additionally,

many schools and universities have wireless networks in their campuses.

ABI Research reported there was a total of 4.9 million global Wi-Fi
hotspots in 2012 and projected that number would surpass 6.3 million by
the end of 2013.

Commercial hotspots
A commercial hotspot may feature:

A captive portal / login screen that users are redirected to

for authentication and payment

A payment option using a credit card, iPass, PayPal, or another

payment service

A walled garden feature that allows free access to certain sites

Service-oriented provisioning to allow for improved revenue

Many services provide payment services to hotspot providers, for a

monthly fee or commission from the end-user income. For
example, Amazingports can be used to set up hotspots that intend to
offer both fee-based and free internet access, and ZoneCD is a Linux
distribution that provides payment services for hotspot providers who
wish to deploy their own service.
Major airports and business hotels are more likely to charge for service,
though most hotels provide free service to guests; and increasingly,
small airports and airline lounges offer free service.
Roaming services are expanding among major hotspot service providers.
With roaming service the users of a commercial provider can have

access to other providers' hotspots, either free of charge or for extra fees,
which users will usually be charged on an access-per-minute basis.

Software hotspots
Many Wi-Fi adapters built into or easily added to consumer computers
and mobile devices include the functionality to operate as private or
mobile hotspots, sometimes referred to as "mi-fi".Manufacturers can
enable this functionality through driver-level support. Modern consumer
operating systems, including Apple OS X 10.6 and later,added features
to support this. However, some service providers, such as AT&T,
Sprint, and T-Mobile charge users for this service.
Third-party software vendors offer applications to allow users to operate
their own hotspot, whether to access the Internet whie on the go, share

an existing connection, or extend the range of another hotspot. Third

party implementations of software hotspots include:

Antamedia HotSpot software

Connectify Hotspot

Jaze Hotspot Gateway by Jaze Networks

Hot Spot Network Manager (HSNM)

Virtual Router

Hotspot 2.0
Hotspot 2.0, also known as HS2 and Wi-Fi Certified Passpoint, is an
approach to public access Wi-Fi by the Wi-Fi Alliance. The idea is for
mobile devices to automatically join a Wi-Fi subscriber service
whenever the user enters a Hotspot 2.0 area, in order to provide better
bandwidth and services-on-demand to end-users, while also alleviating
mobile carrier infrastructure of traffic overheads.
Hotspot 2.0 is based on the IEEE 802.11u standard, which is a set of
protocols published in 2011 to enable cellular-like roaming. If the device
supports 802.11u and is subscribed to a Hotspot 2.0 service it will
automatically connect and roam.

Supported handsets

Some Chinese tablet computers

iOS 7 devices

Some Samsung Galaxy smartphones

Billing
EDCF User-Priority-List

Net traffic

low

High

Audio Video Data Audio Video Data

time-critical

User needs
not
critical

time-

The so-called "User-Fairness-Model[22] " is a dynamic billing model,

which allows a volume-based billing, charged only by the amount of
payload (data, video, audio). Moreover, the tariff is classified by net
traffic and user needs (Pommer, p. 116ff).
If the net traffic increases, then the user has to pay the next higher tariff
class. By the way the user is asked for if he still wishes the session also
by a higher traffic class. Moreover, in time-critical applications (video,
audio) a higher class fare is charged, than for non time-critical
applications (such as reading Web pages, e-mail).
Tariff classes of the User-Fairness-Model

Net traffic

time-critical

Low

high

Standard

exclusive

User needs
not time-critical low priced

standard

The "User-fairness model" can be implemented with the help of EDCF

(IEEE 802.11e). A EDCF user priority list shares the traffic in 3 access
categories (data, video, audio) and user priorities (UP) (Pommer,
p. 117):

Data [UP 0|2]

Video [UP 5|4]

Audio [UP 7|6]

If the net traffic increases, then the frames of the particular access
category (AC) are assigned a low priority value (e.g. video UP 5 to UP
4). This is also, if the data transfer is not time-critical.
See Service-oriented provisioning for viable implementations

Security concerns
Some hotspots authenticate users; however, this does not prevent users
from viewing network traffic using packet sniffers.
Some vendors provide a download option that deploys WPA support.
This conflicts with enterprise configurations that have solutions specific
to their internal WLAN.
In order to provide robust security to hotspot users, the Wi-Fi Alliance is
developing a new hotspot program that aims to encrypt hotspot traffic
with WPA2 security. The program was scheduled to launch in the first
half of 2012.
Legal concerns
Legality of piggybacking
Providers of public hotspot access may incur legal obligations, including
privacy requirements and liability for use for unlawful purposes,
depending on the jurisdiction.[24]
European Union

Data Retention Directive Hotspot owners must retain key user

statistics for 12 months.

Directive on Privacy and Electronic Communications

United Kingdom

Data Protection Act 1998 The hotspot owner must retain individual's
information within the confines of the law.

Digital

Economy

Act

2010 Deals

with,

among

other

things, Copyright infringement, and imposes fines of up to 250,000

for contravention.
4.2 Wireless router

The WRT54G wireless router supporting only 802.11b and 802.11g. Its
OEM firmware gave birth to OpenWrt

An embedded RouterBoard 112

R52 miniPCI Wi-Ficard.

with

U.FL-RSMA pigtail

and

CHAPTER 5

NETWORKS
5.1 Network security
Wireless security
The main issue with wireless network security is its simplified access to
the network compared to traditional wired networks such as Ethernet.
With wired networking, one must either gain access to a building
(physically connecting into the internal network), or break through an
external firewall. To enable Wi-Fi, one merely needs to be within the
range of the Wi-Fi network. Most business networks protect sensitive
data and systems by attempting to disallow external access. Enabling
wireless connectivity reduces security if the network uses inadequate or
no encryption. An attacker who has gained access to a Wi-Fi network
router can initiate a DNS spoofing attack against any other user of the
network by forging a response before the queried DNS server has a
chance to reply.

5.2 Securing methods

A common measure to deter unauthorized users involves hiding the
access point's name by disabling the SSID broadcast. While effective
against the casual user, it is ineffective as a security method because the
SSID is broadcast in the clear in response to a client SSID query.
Another method is to only allow computers with known MAC
addresses to join the network,] but determined eavesdroppers may be
able to join the network by spoofing an authorized address.
Wired Equivalent Privacy (WEP) encryption was designed to protect
against casual snooping but it is no longer considered secure. Tools such
as AirSnort or Aircrack-ng can

quickly

recover

WEP

encryption

keys. Because of WEP's weakness the Wi-Fi Alliance approved Wi-Fi

Protected Access (WPA) which uses TKIP. WPA was specifically
designed to work with older equipment usually through a firmware
upgrade. Though more secure than WEP, WPA has known
vulnerabilities.
The more secure WPA2 using Advanced Encryption Standard was
introduced in 2004 and is supported by most new Wi-Fi devices. WPA2
is fully compatible with WPA.

A flaw in a feature added to Wi-Fi in 2007, called Wi-Fi Protected

Setup, allows WPA and WPA2 security to be bypassed and effectively
broken in many situations. The only remedy as of late 2011 is to turn off
Wi-Fi Protected Setup, which is not always possible.

5.3 Piggybacking
Legality of piggybacking
Piggybacking refers to access to a wireless Internet connection by
bringing one's own computer within the range of another's wireless
connection, and using that service without the subscriber's explicit
permission or knowledge.
During the early popular adoption of 802.11, providing open access
points

for

anyone

within

range

to

use

was

encouraged to

cultivate wireless community networks, particularly since people on

average use only a fraction of their downstream bandwidth at any given
time.

Recreational logging and mapping of other people's access points has

become known as wardriving. Indeed, many access points are
intentionally installed without security turned on so that they can be used
as a free service. Providing access to one's Internet connection in this
fashion may breach the Terms of Service or contract with the ISP. These
activities do not result in sanctions in most jurisdictions; however,
legislation and case law differ considerably across the world. A proposal
to

leave graffiti describing

available

services

was

called warchalking. A Florida court case determined that owner laziness

was not to be a valid excuse.
Piggybacking often occurs unintentionally, since most access points are
configured without encryption by default and operating systems can be
configured to connect automatically to any available wireless network.
A user who happens to start up a laptop in the vicinity of an access point
may find the computer has joined the network without any visible
indication. Moreover, a user intending to join one network may instead
end up on another one if the latter has a stronger signal. In combination
with

automatic

discovery

of

other

network

resources

(see DHCP and Zeroconf) this could possibly lead wireless users to send
sensitive data to the wrong middle-man when seeking a destination
(see Man-in-the-middle attack). For example, a user could inadvertently
use an unsecure network to log into a website, thereby making the login

credentials available to anyone listening, if the website uses an unsecure

protocol such as HTTP.
Safety
Wireless electronic devices and health
The World Health Organization (WHO) says "there is no risk from low
level, long-term exposure to Wi-Fi networks" and the United
Kingdom's Health Protection Agency reports that exposure to Wi-Fi for
a year results in the "same amount of radiation from a 20-minute mobile
phone call". A review of studies involving 725 people that claimed
electromagnetic hypersensitivity found no evidence for their claim
5.4 Wireless access point
A wireless router is a device that performs the functions of a router but
also includes the functions of a wireless access point. It is commonly
used to provide access to the Internet or a computer network. It does not
require a wired link, as the connection is made wirelessly, via radio
waves. It can function in a wired LAN (local area network), in a
wireless-only LAN (WLAN), or in a mixed wired/wireless network,

depending

on

the

manufacturer

and

model.

Features
Most current wireless routers have the following characteristics:

One

or

multiple NICs supporting Fast

Ethernet or Gigabit

Ethernet integrated into the main SoC

One or multiple WNICs supporting a part of the IEEE 802.11standard family also integrated into the main SoC or as separate chips
on the Printed circuit board. It also can be a distinct card connected
over a MiniPCI or MiniPCIe interface.

So far the PHY-Chips for the WNICs are generally distinct chips
on the PCB. Dependent on the mode the WNIC supports, i.e.
1T1R, 2T2R or 3T3R, one WNIC have up to 3 PHY-Chips
connected to it. Each PHY-Chip is connected to a Hirose U.FLconnector on the PCB. A so-called pigtail cable connects the
Hirose U.FL either to a RF connector, in which case the antenna
can be changed or directly to the antenna, in which case it is
integrated into the casing. Common are single-band (i.e. only for
2.4 GHz or only for 5 GHz) and dual-band (i.e. for 2.4 and 5 GHz)
antennas.

Often

an Ethernet

Switch supporting Gigabit

Ethernet or Fast

Ethernet, with support for IEEE 802.1Q, integrated into the main SoC
(MediaTek SoCs) or as separate Chip on the PCB.

Some

wireless

routers

come

either xDSL modem, DOCSIS modem, LTE modem,

with
or fiber

optic modem integrated.

IEEE 802.11n compliant or ready.

Some dual-band wireless routers operate the 2.4 GHz and 5 GHz
bands simultaneously.

Some high end dual-band wireless routers have data transfer rates of
at most 300 Mbit/s (For 2.4 GHz band) and 450 Mbit/s (For 5 GHz
band).

The Wi-Fi clone button simplifies Wi-Fi configuration and builds a

seamless unified home network, enabling Super Range Extension,
which means it can automatically copy the SSID and Password of
your router.

Some wireless routers have 1 or 2 USB port(s). For wireless routers

having 1 USB port, it is designated for either printer or
desktop/mobile external hard disk drive. For wireless routers having 2
USB ports, one is designated for the printer and the other one is
designated for either desktop or mobile external hard disk drive.

Some wireless routers have a USB port specifically designed for

connecting mobile broadband modem, aside from connecting the
wireless router to an Ethernet with xDSL or cable modem. So, can
be inserted a mobile broadband USB adapter into the router to
share the mobile broadband Internet connection through the
wireless network
5.5 Hardware
Standard devices

An embedded Router Board 112 withU.FL-RSMA pigtail and R52 mini

PCI Wi-Fi card widely used by wireless Internet service providers
(WISPs) in the Czech Republic

OSBRiDGE 3GN 802.11n Access Point and UMTS/GSM Gateway in

one device

An Atheros Wi-Fi N draft adaptor with built in Bluetooth on a Sony

Vaio E series laptop

USB wireless adapter

A wireless access point (WAP) connects a group of wireless devices to
an adjacent wired LAN. An access point resembles a network hub,
relaying data between connected wireless devices in addition to a
(usually) single connected wired device, most often an Ethernet hub or
switch, allowing wireless devices to communicate with other wired
devices.
Wireless adapters allow devices to connect to a wireless network. These
adapters connect to devices using various external or internal
interconnects such as PCI, miniPCI, USB, ExpressCard, Cardbus and PC
Card. As of 2010, most newer laptop computers come equipped with
built in internal adapters.

Wireless routers integrate a Wireless Access Point, Ethernet switch, and

internal router firmware application that provides IP routing,NAT,
and DNS forwarding through an integrated WAN-interface. A wireless
router allows wired and wireless Ethernet LAN devices to connect to a
(usually) single WAN device such as a cable modem or a DSL modem.
A wireless router allows all three devices, mainly the access point and
router, to be configured through one central utility. This utility is usually
an integrated web server that is accessible to wired and wireless LAN
clients and often optionally to WAN clients. This utility may also be an
application that is run on a computer, as is the case with as
Apple's AirPort, which is managed with the ity for their products.
In June 2014 Texas Instruments introduced the first ARM Cortex-M4
with an onboard dedicated WiFi MCU, the SimpleLink CC3200.
Developers are now able to design Embedded systems to connect to the
Internet of Things (IoT) using a single chip.
5.6Multiple access points
Increasing the number of Wi-Fi access points provides network
redundancy, support for fast roaming and increased overall networkcapacity by using more channels or by defining smaller cells. Except for
the smallest implementations (such as home or small office networks),
Wi-Fi implementations have moved toward "thin" access points, with
more of the network intelligence housed in a centralized network
appliance, relegating individual access points to the role of "dumb"

transceivers.

Outdoor

applications

may

use mesh topologies.

5.7Operating System
The most common operating system on such embedded devices is
Linux. More seldom VxWorks is being used. The devices are configured
over a web user interface served by a light web server software running
on the device.
It is possible for a computer running a desktop operating system such as
Windows to, with appropriate software, act as a wireless router. This is
commonly referred to as aSoftAP, or "Software Access Point".
Aside from the OEM firmware, for a couple of wireless routers a third
party firmware called OpenWrt is available. It is an open source project
with the ambition to mainline support for components found in

embedded

devices

into

the Linux

kernel

CHAPTER 6
ANALYSIS OF WIFI
Wireless networks used to be simply for convenience, but thanks to
today's IT organizations, they can drive high performance applications
critical to businesses, or in the case of medical facilities, deliver lifesaving information to doctors, nurses, and healthcare applications. The
explosive growth of tablets, Netbooks, and other mobile devices has
driven the demand for Wi-Fi service even further as these BYODs
(Bring Your Own Devices) are brought into the workplace and expect
service.
In the old days, the wireless network was only used in focused locations
for a few data-based applications. Now, these devices demand voice,
video, and data services - on the move. To meet these demands, some
wireless environments are requiring complete overhauls to deliver
thorough wireless signal coverage and high quality connectivity at high
speeds, without sacrificing security. It used to be that supporting new
users only required adding new access points. That is no longer the case.
Since the wireless user of today requires more bandwidth for high
performance, business critical applications, in addition to voice and

video, signal quality as well as complete coverage is critical.

What's Trending?
If they don't have one already, IT organizations will soon be required to
have a wireless network engineer. Since the Wireless network is now a
business critical service, it requires monitoring, analysis and
troubleshooting skills specific to Wi-Fi. In many environments,
engineers have only been concerned with signal coverage - a well
covered area was the goal, and enough to provide acceptable service.
This is no longer the case.

To support voice, video, and high performance business apps, we need

good quality as well, which requires low interference, correct channel
planning, and understanding of Spectrum Analysis to locate interferers.
Businesses may also be required to enforce wireless usage policies
affecting tablets and smartphones, as these will continue their steady
increase in the workplace. Due to the fact that most tablet and
smartphone devices have lower-power radios than their full-power
laptop counterparts, poor signal coverage and quality will have a greater
impact on them, requiring a more robust WiFi environment.
Additionally, the need for security within a wireless network is a must.
Being able to detect and block attacks before they infect the network is a
must have.
Key Considerations
In a home network we simply buy an 802.11n router and plug it in. This
doesn't work in a business environment. The implications of migrating
to 802.11n, along with all the interference and channel considerations
should be thoroughly understood. Mobile devices have lower-power
radios than traditional laptop radios, so these will require more signal
coverage in order to have a similar performance experience.
Additionally, mobile devices allow a new pathway into the network
environment for hackers, as these can be compromised to allow a
backdoor around security mechanisms. These threats need to be

understood and mitigated through use policies and constant site scans.
The increase in access points to support mobile users can put a greater
load on the infrastructure cabling. In addition to user data, these cables
carry the power which drives these infrastructure devices. Legacy cable
may not be ready for the increased load in both data and power.
Best Practices
Businesses today should be preparing for the steady influx of
bandwidth-hungry mobile devices. To do so, a complete site survey
should be conducted before adding additional access points. Watch for
more than just signal coverage. Identify areas where throughput is low,
where channels overlap and cause interference, and where interferers are
located

A spectrum analysis tool should be used to identify and locate interferers

including microwave ovens, BlueTooth devices, cordless phones,
security cameras, and other unexpected devices. Security assessments
are critical in Wi-Fi environments, and should be conducted regularly.
Companies should consider a WIPS/WIDS solution to protect the
network as well as using guest SSID's to support tablets and other
mobile devices, thus protecting business applications from the casual
user and from hackers who could compromise them.
When users have problems connecting to the wireless environment, or
when performance is slow, handheld tools are needed to validate and
troubleshoot these problems. Built-in features in these tools should bring
simplicity in a complex wireless environment, allowing network
technicians to resolve problems without needing expert-level experience
in wireless systems.
CHAPTER 7
INTERPRETATION DATA OF WIFI

ABSTRACT

With the development of more powerful sensors compared with

traditional data sensors, in this paper the short range wireless sensors

and modules like UWB and others are elaborated and analyzed, by
which we could interpret the comparative discriminations between
various wireless technologies adopted by the industry for the wireless
communication. On the basis of this analysis, it is suggested that which
wireless technology should be better to use for the industry and home
automation networking and data communication purpose.
Keywords: UWB, Home RF, FHHS, Wi-Fi, Bluetooth, Zig Bee, Insteon,
Infra red.
INTRODUCTION: Wireless technologies are becoming more and
more popular around the world. Consumers appreciate the wireless
lifestyle, relieving them of the well known cable chaos that tend to
grow under their desk. Nowadays, the world would virtually stop if
wireless communication suddenly became unavailable. Both our way of
life and the global economy are highly dependent on the flow of
information through wireless mediums like television and radio. Cell
phones have become highly available during the last decade.
[1] New wireless technologies are introduced at an increasing rate.
During the last few years the IEEE 802.11
[2] technologies have started to spread rapidly, enabling consumers to
set up their own wireless networks. This constitutes an important change
in how wireless communications are made available to consumers.
Wireless networks are no longer provided by big corporations alone,
they can just as well be implemented by individuals. Our society is

becoming more and more dependent on wireless communications as new

areas of use are introduced. Infrared Technology:IR wireless is the use of wireless technology in devices or systems that
convey data through infrared (IR) radiation. Infrared is electromagnetic
energy at a wavelength or wavelengths somewhat longer than those of
red light. The shortest-wavelength IR borders visible red in the
spectrum; the longest-wavelength IR borders radio waves. IR wireless is
used for short- and medium-range communications and control. Some
systems operate in line-of-sight mode; this means that there must be a
visually unobstructed straight line through space between the transmitter
(source) and receiver (destination). Other systems operate in diffuse
mode, also called scatter mode. This type of system can function when
the source and destination are not directly visible to each other. IR
wireless technology is used in intrusion detectors; home-entertainment
control units; robot control systems; medium-range, line-of-sight laser
communications; cordless microphones, headsets, modems, and printers
and other peripherals. Unlike radio-frequency (RF) wireless links, IR
wireless cannot pass through walls. Therefore, IR communications or
control is generally not possible between different rooms in a house or
between different houses in a neighbourhood (unless they have facing
windows). This might seem like a disadvantage, but IR wireless is more
private than RF wireless. Some IR wireless schemes offer a level of
security comparable to that of hard-wired systems. It is difficult, for

example, to eavesdrop on a well-engineered, line-of-sight, IR laser

communications link. Home RF Technology
Home RF used frequency hopping spread spectrum (FHSS) in the 2.4
GHz frequency band and in theory could achieve a maximum of 10
Mbit/s throughput; its nodes can travel within a 50 meter range of an
wireless access point while remaining connected to the personal area
network (PAN). Home RF allowed both voice telephone signals and data
signals to be exchanged over the same wireless network. Therefore, in
Home RF, cordless telephones and laptops, for example, could share the
same bandwidth in the same home or office. Available Home RF local
area networks (LANs) supported 1.6 Mbit/s, relatively slow compared to
technology marketed under the Wi-Fi brand name. For example, second
generation 802.11b LANs supported 11 Mbit/s. 802.11n reaches a
maximum of 600 Mbit/s. Several standards and working groups focused
on wireless networking technology in radio frequency (RF). Standards
include the popular IEEE 802.11 family, 802.16, and Bluetooth
Bluetooth Technology:- The Bluetooth wireless technology is also
spreading rapidly. The number of Bluetooth chipset shipped per year has
doubled from 2002 to a total of 69 million chipset in 2003 [3]. Bluetooth
applications become available; many consumers will already have
Bluetooth devices and be ready to start using Bluetooth PANs (Personal
Area Networks) where all their Bluetooth devices communicate with one

another [4]. Bluetooth is an open standard for short range, low power,
and low cost digital radio wireless communication [5].
Bluetooth is a current industry standard for short-range wireless
connectivity. Bluetooth technology is widely used in consumer
electronics for short-range wireless data transfer, like printers and digital
cameras. It operates efficiently within the range of 20-25 ft in the
environment without WLAN equipments. Bluetooth signals operate in
the same frequency range as Wi-Fi (802.11b, g) standard. This is the
biggest disadvantage of it because of its interference with Wi-Fi signals.
A Bluetooth enabled device is not being able to function efficiently in
the vicinity of Wi-Fi signals. Bluetooth technology took many years to
come into mass market but still is struggling to really prove its
potentials. Bluetooth faces major challenges by upcoming UltraWideband standard which has many advantages such as higher data-rate
and capability to co-exist with other wireless standards. Wi-Fi
Technology:- Wi-Fi (802.11a, b, g) Wireless LAN technology is not
new to us. It is been in the market for some years and now it is seen as
mature wireless LAN solution that replaced Ethernet cables in many
office and home networks. Ethernet provides 100 Mbps connection
while Gigabit Ethernet is much more. Not comparable with Ethernet
data-rate, Wi-Fi struggles to provide good data-rate for bandwidth
hungry applications in LAN environment. WLAN technologies are
much better for LAN environment where network connectivity is more

important than peer-to-peer file sharing. With maximum data-rate of 11

Mbps (802.11b), 22 Mbps (802.11a) and 54 Mbps (802.11g), WLAN is
still not capable enough to handle Data vendor provide high data rate
with instant connectivity. Zigbee Technology:Zigbee is a relatively new, wireless personal are network technology
based on IEEE 802.15.4, with a transmission range of 100+ meters [6].
ZigBee based communication devices consume very little power and
hence the battery life of 1000+ days is common. With low power
consumption and less cost compared with Bluetooth and Wi-Fi, Zigbee
is a promising technology for applications which are NOT too much
bandwidth hungry. The reason includes more coverage area, less power
consumption, and secure networking. Zigbee operates in the industrial,
scientific and medical radio bands 868 MHz in Europe, 915 MHz in
the USA and 2.4 GHz in most other countries in the rest of the world.
UWB designed for multimedia file sharing and instant connectivity
which Zigbee cannot promise. Range will be an issue for data vendor
products with Zigbee technology. Insteon Technology:It is a system for connecting lighting switches and loads without extra
wiring, similar to the X10 standard, designed specifically to address the
inherent limitations in the X10 standard but also to incorporate
backward compatibility with X10. Insteon is designed to enable simple
devices - such as light switches - to be networked together using the
power line, radio frequency (RF), or both. All Insteon devices are peers,

meaning each device can transmit, receive, and repeat any message of
the Insteon protocol, without requiring a master controller or routing
software. Ultra-Wideband Technology:Ultra-Wideband is a proposed standard for short-range wireless
communications that aims to replace Bluetooth technology in near
future. It is an ideal solution for wireless connectivity in the range of 10
to 20 meters between consumer electronics (CE), mobile devices, and
PC peripheral devices which provides very high data-rate while
consuming very little battery power. It offers the best solution for
bandwidth, cost, power consumption, and physical size requirements for
next generation consumer electronic devices. UWB radios can use
frequencies from 3.1 GHz to 10.6 GHz, a band more than 7 GHz wide.
Each radio channel can have a bandwidth of more than 500 MHz
depending upon its centre frequency. Due to such a large signal
bandwidth, FCC has put severe broadcast power restrictions. By doing
so UWB devices can make use of extremely wide frequency band while
emitting very less amount of energy to get detected by other narrower
band devices. Hence, a UWB device signal cannot interfere with other
narrower band device signals and because of this reason a UWB device
can co-exist with other wireless devices. UWB is considered as Wireless
USB replacement of standard USB and fire wire (IEEE 1394)
solutions due to its higher data-rate compared to USB and fire
wire.UWB signals can co-exists with other short/large range wireless

communications signals due to its own nature of being detected as noise

to other signals. Under current FCC regulations, UWB signals used for
commercial communications are capable of delivering very high data
rates within short-ranges. Comparative Study:- Some Comparative
parameters have been discussed as given below [7] A. Radio Channels
Bluetooth, ZigBee and Wi-Fi protocols have spread spectrum techniques
in the 2.4 GHz band, which is unlicensed in most countries and known
as the industrial, scientific, and medical (ISM) band. Bluetooth uses
frequency hopping (FHSS) with 79 channels and 1 MHz bandwidth,
while Zigbee uses direct sequence spread spectrum (DSSS) with 16
channels and 2 MHz bandwidth. Wi-Fi uses DSSS (802.11),
complementary code keying (CCK, 802.11b), or OFDM modulation
(802.11a/g) with 14 RF channels (11 available in US, 13 in Europe, and
just 1 in Japan) and 22 MHz bandwidth. UWB uses the 3.1-10.6 GHz,
with an unapproved and jammed 802.15.3a standard, of which two
spreading techniques, DS- UWB and MB-OFDM, are available. B.
Coexistence Mechanism Since Bluetooth, ZigBee and Wi-Fi use the 2.4
GHz band, the coexistence issue must be dealt with. Basically, Bluetooth
and UWB provide adaptive frequency hopping to avoid channel
collision, while ZigBee and Wi-Fi use dynamic frequency selection and
transmission power control. IEEE 802.15.2 discussed the interference
problem of Bluetooth and Wi-Fi. Also, Sikora and Groza [8] provided
quantitative measurements of the coexistence issue for ZigBee,

Bluetooth, Wi-Fi, and microwave ovens. Shuaib et al. [9] focused on

quantifying potential interferences between Zigbee and IEEE 802.11g by
examining the impact on the throughput performance of IEEE 802.11g
and Zigbee devices when co- existing within a particular environment.
Moreover, Neelakanta and Dighe [10] presented a performance
evaluation of Bluetooth and ZigBee collocated on an industrial floor for
robust factory wireless communications.
The maximum number of devices belonging to the networks building
cell is 8 (7 slaves plus one master) for a Bluetooth and UWB piconet,
over 65000 for a ZigBee star network, and 2007 for a structured Wi-Fi
BSS. All the protocols have a provision for more complex network
structures built from the respective
Thfor a Bluetooth and UWB piconet, over 65000 for a ZigBee star
network, and 2007 for a structured Wi-Fi BSS. All the protocols have a
provision for more complex network structures built from the respective

IR

bluetooth

INSTEON WIFI

HOME

WIRELESS
Data Rate

20-40

RF
1 Mbits/s

3 M bit/s

Kbits/s 115

11

&

54

10 Mb/s

Mbits/sec

Kbits/s 4 &
16 Mbits/s
<10 meters

Range

(line

10 meters

50

50-100

50

meters

meters

meters

Ad-hoc,

peer-to-

Point to hub

Ad-hoc,

very

peer

of

sight)
Networking

Point

Topology

point

Operating

380 MHz

to

small

small

networks

networks

2.4 GHz

1 GHz

(Device

and

application

2.4

and

2.4 GHz

GHz

Frequency

Complexity

very

Low

High

Low

High

Low

impact)
Low

Medium

Low

High

Low

Typical

Remote

Wireless

Scene

Wireless

Scene

Applications

controls,

connectivity

and

LAN

and

PC,

between

remote-

connectivity,

remote-

phone,

devices

control

broadband

control

laptop links

such

lighting,

Internet

lighting,

as phones,

Security

access

Security

PDA,

alarm

alarm

laptops,

interfaces

interfaces

headsets

and

and

sensors

sensors

Home

Home

sensors

sensors

Power
Consumption
(Battery
option

and

life)

PDA,

CHAPTER 7

7.1 OUTERNET

Outernet Inc is a global broadcast data startup currently being

incubated by the Media Development Investment Fund (MDIF),
a United

States-based

impact

investment

fund

and non-profit

organization established in 1995 by Saa Vuini and Stuart Auerbach.

Outernet's goal is to provide free access to content from the web through
geostationary and Low Earth Orbit satellites, made available effectively
to all parts of the world.
The project uses datacasting and User Datagram Protocol through both
small satellites, such as CubeSats, and larger, more conventional
geostationary communications satellites. Wi-Fi enabled devices would

communicate with the satellite hotspots, which receive data broadcasts

from satellites.
On October 1, 2014, Outernet released a major update accompanied by a
video featuring burning books in an abandoned Detroit automotive
factory. The update included a redesign of the Outernet website and the
release of Whiteboard, their content suggestion platform that allows
anyone to suggest a URL for broadcast. Once a URL is submitted, other
visitors may vote on it with the URLs receiving the most votes entering
the Outernet broadcast carousel.[4] The Outernet broadcast is broken into
three categories: the Queue, Sponsored Content, and the Core
Archive. Content in the Queue is decided via votes on Whiteboard as
well as requests via the Outernet Facebook page. Outernet plans to
expand the avenues through which it is able to receive requests for
content. Anyone can view what is being broadcast on Outernet at any
time.

7.2Company profile

Outernet, Inc. was founded in 2004. The company's line of business

includes providing telephone voice and data communications services. It
is a Communication sector telecom industry and telecom carrier.

7.3Media Development Investment Fund

Media Development Investment Fund (MDIF) is a New Yorkregistered 501(c)(3) non-profit corporation and investment fund that
provides low-cost financing to independent news media in countries
with a history of media oppression. It works with newspapers, radio
stations, and TV companies in Africa, Asia, Latin America, the CIS, and
the Balkans. It was originally founded as the Media Development Loan

Fund (MDLF) before changing its name in 2013

Through low-cost capital (mainly loans), business training and other

advice and support, it aims to help news outlets committed to
responsible journalism become commercially sustainable, believing that
only financially independent news media can stay editorially
independent over the long term
History
MDIF was founded in 1995 by Saa Vuini and Stuart Auerbach, the
late Washington Post reporter and editor. Previously Vuini was editorin-chief and general manager ofB92 radio in Belgrade when, in the early
1990s, the station started to experience financial problems caused by

government interference. Witnessing freedom of speech slowly slip

away partly due to a lack of economic security, Vuini had the idea of
creating an organization that would provide independent media with
access to capital. The idea was pitched to George Soros, who provided
the initial grant for MDIF's start-up.
Activities
Financing
From 1996 to June 30, 2014, MDIF provided $129.8 million in
affordable financing, including:

$113.5 million in loans and equity investments;

$15.8 million in technical assistance and other grants;

Earned over $38.9 million in interest, dividends and capital gains;

Collected more than $60.5 million in recovered principal invested;

$0.5 million through Digital Kiosk, the secure payment service for
independent media.

MDIF has invested in 100 clients and 303 projects across 31 countries,
writing off only 4% of the total loaned and invested.
MDIF has returned more than $29 million to investors. It ended June 30,
2014 with a portfolio of $47.7 million in outstanding loans and
investments.

MDIF Impact:
Impact analysis found that more than 55 million people got their news
from clients of the Media Development Investment Fund in 2012.

On average, MDIF traditional media clients increased their audience

reach from 2011 to 2012 by 52% while digital media clients
increased reach by 82%

After the first year of working with MDIF, clients increased their
reach by an average of 111%

On average, MDIF clients increased their sales by 6.2% from 2010 to

2011

After one year of working with MDIF, clients experienced an average

growth in sales of 45%, and 240% after 5 years

MDIF clients employed a total of 3,681 people in 2012[5]

With its activities growing but the pool of development agency and
private foundation funding limited, in 2006 MDIF, Swiss bank Vontobel
Group and Zurich-based social investment specialists responsibility
launched "Voncert responsibility Media Development". Voncerts are
a bond-like investment that also include a loan to MDIF and are
available in most countries outside the USA and UK. Voncerts are listed
on the Zurich Stock Exchange.[6][7]
Funders of MDIF's Loan/Investment Pool include: Bank Vontobel,
Calvert Social Investment Foundation, DOEN Foundation, Dreilinden

gGmbH, Foundation for Democracy and Media, John D. and Catherine

T. MacArthur Foundation, Open Society Institute, Oxfam
Novib, Swedish International Development Cooperation
Agency (Sida), Swiss Agency for Development and Cooperation and
Alexej Fulmek.
Other support for MDIF's work has also come from: Council of
Europe, Eurasia Foundation, J.M. Kaplan Fund, Charles Stewart Mott
Foundation, Netherlands Ministry of Foreign Affairs, United Nations
Development Program (UNDP) and U.S. Department of State, Bureau of
Democracy, Human Rights and Labor.
CAMP and Sourcefabric
As in the developed world, media businesses in transitional countries
must embrace developments in technology and changing customer
demands if they are to survive. From interactive news services to
broadcasting online, MDIF provides clients with strategic advice on
some of the key challenges facing the media business worldwide and
helps them to seize local first-mover advantage.
MDIF recognized the importance of technology to media as long ago as
1998 when it founded the Center for Advanced Media-Prague (CAMP).
CAMP provided technology support to independent media in developing
countries and developed open-source software solutions under the
Campware brand. In May 2010, MDIF spun off CAMP as an

independent organization, Sourcefabric, which continues to provide

valuable support to news outlets in the majority world seeking to get the
most out of technology.All in all, Campsite cost between $100,000 and
$250,000 over more than 5 years. MDIF's active partners in Campware
were Redaktion und Alltag (Berlin) and the Department of Digital
Design of the Parsons School of Design in New York.
Digital News Ventures
Digital News Ventures is an early-stage fund for digital news and
information businesses. It is a wholly owned subsidiary of MDIF. It
provides early-stage equity finance from $30,000 to $300,000.[10]
Outernet - free Wifi to any country
Outernet
MDIF plans to start Outernet project in mid-2015 to allow free access to
certain censored sites like Wikipedia, YouTube, Google etc. for any
country. China restricts Internetusing "Great Internet Firewall of China",
but Outernet is going to bypass even this. Thus make all information
freely available to anyone - just what the Internet was supposed to
provide. Success of the project depends on its funding. Any investor is
invited to help start outernet. Outernet uses CubeSat technology

Satellites 200 km from Earth.

7.4Objective& scope
Objective of study
New York City-based company, the Media Development Investment
Fund, plans to launch hundreds of low-cost miniature satellites known as
cubesats into orbit around the Earth to create the Outernet, a wireless
connection to the Web available for free to every person in the world. If
everything goes according to plan, the Outernet could be here as soon as
June 2015.
Each cubesat receives data from a network of ground stations around the
world and transmits this information on a loop until new information is
received. This means using the Outernet will be more like watching a

program broadcast on TV, though Outernet users will build a priority list
for the information they want and make suggestions for new content.
New

York

City-based

company,

the Media

Development

Investment Fund, plans to launch hundreds of low-cost miniature

satellites known as cubesats into orbit around the Earth to create the
Outernet, a wireless connection to the Web available for free to every
person in the world. If everything goes according to plan, the Outernet
could be here as soon as June 2015.
Each cubesat receives data from a network of ground stations around the
world and transmits this information on a loop until new information is
received. This means using the Outernet will be more like watching a
program broadcast on TV, though Outernet users will build a priority list
for the information they want and make suggestions for new contenT

7.5RESEARCH OBJECTIVE
Although the history of the internet can be traced back to the 1950s, it

was during the

0s when the concept of an

interconnected world wide network the internet was introduced.

However, it was in the mid 1990s, with the widespread use of email,
Voice over Internet Protocol phone calls, and the maturing of the world
wide web, when the internet started to have a revolutionary impact on
the way we all live and work.
When people started to use the internet, it was something people dialed
into in order to access information. In many ways, therefore, it was no
different from accessing a book, catalogue, newspaper or some other
form of information. In fact, in the days of dial-up connections, it was
often slower and more challenging than using more traditional media.

However, as the internet has matured, together with the fast pace of
innovation in digital technology, the whole nature of these channels has
changed.
Our always on world
The onset of broadband means the web is always on. With the
introduction of the Apple iPhone in 2007, the first smartphone to really
capture the public imagination, mobile has increasingly become our
primary access point to the internet and web. In other words, it is not just
always on, but with us all the time.
The creation of social platforms, adopted by the masses, such as
LinkedIn and Facebook means the web has transitioned from a web of
things to a web of people. As this has occurred, more of our social
interactions, including making arrangements and sharing stories and
information, has migrated to these platforms.
Today, the world wide web has become the major access points for
many of our daily activities including shopping, accessing information,
watching programmes and films, reading books and interacting with
business colleagues, family and friends. We are seamlessly dipping in
and out of the web during the course of our busy day without giving it
much thought.

Integrating online and offline

It is this integration which companies need to start thinking about, in
order to ensure they serve their customers and prospects in the best way
possible. In so doing, of course, they will be able to maximise their own
commercial opportunities. Businesses in all sectors and sections of the
market need to ask themselves:

How do they deliver a seamless experience between the information,

products and services that they deliver online across laptops, tablet and
smart phones, and how does this integrate with the offline delivery of
products and services?
For example, as I walk through a store looking at real life products,
can I access more information on my phone, about the product, simply
by using the camera on my phone and hovering my device over the
product. Moreover, does augmented reality, the ability to enhance the
physical environment with digital technology, allow me to see what a
product would look like in my home by being able to hover my camera
over the product with the backdrop of a picture I
took of my living room?
Enter the Outernet
The point is, companies need to start thinking about how their online
information, which we can access 24/7, can help us engage in the

physical world; in other words, taking the online and making it part of
our offline experience. This is the idea of the Outernet. In other
words, it is a way of thinking.
Location-based social platforms already allow us to see online which
friends may be available for a drink in our current locality offline. These
same networks as well as many other platforms, will allow us to identify
local restaurants, cinemas and other local activities that can be decided
upon in the moment.

The arrival of SoLoMo and Google Glass

It is this idea that some have termed SoLoMo, the concept of social,
local and mobile all coming together providing consumers with a richer
experience and companies with commercial opportunities. However, it is
not simply the accessing of information at the relevant time, but how

that information integrates between the physical and digital world. In

many ways, Google Glass is Googles first attempt at integrating these
two worlds in a more seamless way.
Ultimately, it is about understanding the context in which people are
likely to search or want to find out about your products or services. This
is regardless of whether your business operates in a business-toconsumer or business-to-business environment. Opportunities can be
created for a business, and better experiences offered to customers, by
understanding how any company can integrate their offline with their
online, in a world where people use the two together seamlessly all the
time.
So the Outernet is a concept, a way of thinking. Increasingly, the best
companies will be asking themselves how they can merge the digital
with the physical in order to create a richer and more engaging
experience for their customers.
Grant LeBoff is an expert contributor to Marketing Donut and CEO of
the Sticky Marketing Club.
Posted
marketing

in Internet

marketing | Tagged Internet

strategy, internet

7.6ANALYSIS Of OUTERNET
Outernet wants to create a free global Wi-Fi network that can bypass
internet censorshipOuternet
A group of individuals in New York are trying to give the world free
global internet via a network of miniatureY satellites broadcasting Wi-Fi
down from space.
Outernet, formed by Aaron Rogers, Branko Vukelic, Edward Birrane
and Syed Karim, has been working since December 2013 to bring their
technology to life, with the aim of bridging the global information
divide.
The project would like to provide free access to international news, crop
prices for farmers, educational courseware such as Teachers Without
Borders, Wikipedia, OpenStreetMap, and even access to the free
downloadable Linux computer operating system Ubuntu.
So how does it work?
Outernet's Wi-Fi solution works by using hundreds of tiny 10cm cubeshaped satellites called "cubesats", which are cheap to produce and can
be towed into space on the back of International Space Station resupply
missions, then tossed into space and left to obit around the earth.

Along with being compliant with the wireless computer networking

standard IEEE 802.11, the constellation of cubesats would use
standardised radio protocols as well as Wi-Fi multicasting.
Wi-Fi multicasting is a technology currently used in stadiums and large
event venues to improve Wi-Fi coverage in crowded areas, by providing
at least 156 access points in each stadium and stronger antennas that can
stream videos without congesting the Wi-Fi network.
"Each satellite receives data streams from a network of ground stations
and transmits that data in a continuous loop until new content is
received. In order to serve the widest possible global audience, the entire
constellation utilises UDP-based multicasting over Wi-Fi," Outernet
says on its website.
Bypass internet censorship
If such a Wi-Fi network were to work, it would allow users to bypass
any internet censorship policies that their governments have in place,
which would be useful in countries like China and North Korea.
However in densely populated areas like cities, which already have 3G
and 4G networks, as well as public and private Wi-Fi hotspots, the
solution probably wouldn't work as the radio frequencies will be full, so
Outernet's Wi-Fi would ideally benefit areas with no access to Wi-Fi at
all.

The network could also be used as a global notification system during

emergencies and natural disasters, when mobile base stations and power
grids go offline.
According to Project Lead Syed Karim, who answered questions from
users on Reddit, the price of launching just 1kg into space would be
$125,000 (74,778), but the price becomes much cheaper if you
purchase the weight in bulk.
Outernet's ambitious project is being backed by the Media Development
Investment Fund (MDIF), with the hope that the Outernet satellites can
begin to be deployed in space in June 2015.
If you're interested in the project, you can discuss Outernet's concept on
its forums, and also make donations of $5.

7.7PROBLEM SOLVING OUTERNET

In the very near future, next year to be exact, a large-scale project "Outernet" will go live. Having a similar name with a worldwide system,
responsible for the access to web pages, the Outernet will be used for
similar purposes. The main difference from the well-known Internet is
that the Outernet is positioned as one of the first totally free wireless WiFi signal, which will be available to any inhabitant of our planet. And
the source of the signal, as you might have guessed, is located in the
outer space.
In fact, the Outernet is a set of signal sources, which would be a giantin-range-of-its-actions analog of a Wi-Fi Router, covering the entire
planet, which does not require a password to connect.
Being sufficiently ambitious in its nature and scale, the Outernet project
suggests that hundreds of miniature satellites will be launched to the low
Earth orbit in June 2015. Each satellite will provide access to the
network of computers, mobile devices and other gadgets around the
world for free.

Media Development Investment Fund (MDIF) is responsible for the

project, which can totally change the notion of access to the World Wide
Web, and strike at the financial affairs of the world's Internet service
providers. The "Outernet" project will be based on the technology
known as datacasting. This solution involves the transmission of data
over the "wide" radio waves, so it is possible to broadcast free for use
Wi-Fi signal around the world. Nobody is talking about full altruism in
this project, so MDIF hopes to raise tens or even hundreds of millions of
dollars in donations to bring the project to the final stage.
The company's management claims that today only slightly more than
half the world's population has access to the Internet. The main problem
of low quantity of the Net users is the reluctance of the governments of
many countries to develop this infrastructure on the budget, despite the
mass popularization of Wi-Fi technology and affordable devices for
access to virtual resources.
The satellites should be miniature devices, more commonly known
asCubeSats, a small artificial earth satellites for space exploration.
Each of the spacecraft will receive a signal from on-ground stations
located in all parts of the world. Using a procedure based on the User
Datagram Protocol (UDP), the Outernet will be able to open access to
the cyber world to everyone without exception.

Speaking about the project implementation schedule, MDIF intends to

implement the project as soon as possible. According to their plan, in
June 2014 the first prototype of future orbiting satellites will be
designed. And in September 2014 the NASA will be requested to
provide for the International Space Station as a test place for testing the
functional component of the project.
2015 is marked by Media Development Investment Fund as the time of
the main stage launch, the stage which will include the assembly of all
spacecrafts participating in the project. In mid-2015 the program will
come to its final stage, officially providing all mankind free wireless
Internet access. But it should be noted that a representative of the
developer in the interview mentioned that the access will be opened not
to all web resources, but only to some websites.

7.8FINDING STUDY

WIFI
While several studies report biological effects due to Wi-Fi-type
exposures, technical limitations prevent drawing conclusions from them
about possible health risks of the technology, the report concluded.
Dr Kenneth R. Foster, a professor of bioengineering at the University of
Pennsylvania and Dr John Moulder, professor of radiation oncology at
the Medical College of Wisconsin reviewed all the available scientific
research on Wi-Fi and health in response ato increased public concern
about the widespread use of the technology in the home and schools.
At present, virtually every laptop computer and smartphone comes
equipped with a Wi-Fi client, and one recent study estimated that 61% of
American households presently have Wi-Fi for Internet access, they
said in the paper published in the radiation safety journal Health
Physics.

Increasingly, household devices are incorporating Wi-Fi interfaces to

allow remote programming and data acquisition: bathroom scales,
gaming devices, audio equipment, household thermostats, and running
shoes.
However, they noted that under any possible exposure scenario the
levels of exposure from Wi-Fi is well below international safety limits
included the cumulative exposure that a person might receive when
using Wi-Fi in a room with multiple users such as in a classroom.
With a roomful of schoolchildren all simultaneously uploading large
files over a single WLAN, the total transmitted power, summed over all
nodes, might approach 100 mW roughly similar to that radiated by a
single mobile phone handset, they said.
But in the more realistic mixed use scenario with students browsing web
pages, reading and writing emails, downloading YouTube videos,
updating Facebook and playing online games only a fraction of the
maximum capacity of a network would be used even in a room filled
with users, they said.
The professors specifically considered studies which looked for
biological effects from Wi-Fi exposure and even included studies which
did not meet the normal criteria for quality peer reviewed research.

Several of these studies reported diverse biological effects of Wi-Fi

radiation.
However, as a group the studies are weak, variously lacking blinding,
adequate dosimetry, sham controls, adequately characterized exposure
systems, and/or control for possible heating artifacts. The reported
effects are also uncertain as to their health significance, they said.
Nevertheless, despite the apparent weaknesses of the studies, the
reported effects from Wi-Fi exposures have been invoked widely on the
Internet to justify claims of hazard from the technology, even as they
have been given little weight in risk assessments by health agencies and
expert groups, they concluded.
The lack of an apparent biophysical mechanism of interaction and
the generally negative results of other studies using RF exposures at
similar levels as Wi-Fi provide no basis to anticipate that Wi-Fi
exposure will cause any biological effects.
Finally, the professors said parents should be more concerned about the
immediate and urgent safety issues from children accessing the internet,
which has nothing to do with Wi-Fi exposures.
Excessive concern about speculative health hazards from RF exposures
to Wi-Fi, without concern for these more immediate potential hazards, is

comparable to worry about health effects of using mobile phones

without concern for hazards of texting while driving, they said.
Outernet finding study
When the Outernet project was first announced in February,
somecommenters on the web figured it was a scam. The plan does have
a certain pie-in-the-sky utopian ring to it: thwarting censorship and
ensuring information as a human right throughout the globe by beaming
crowdsourced content from nanosatellites in outer space, funded by VC
seed money and user donations.
Really?
But the plan, while ambitious, is quite serious, and the many moving
pieces are progressing along, Outernet founder Syed Karim told me over
the phone yesterday. He dismissed the naysayers: "I mean, why does it
matter if someone thinks it's not feasible. Why not just wait and see?
Why get into a debate on something that will eventually prove itself
out?"
To be clear, the idea here isn't another Facebook/Google-style effort
to carry internet access through the sky to the last mile on drones and
balloons. Not exactly. Karim describes it as mix between modern-day
shortwave radio and BitTorrent from space. It's a media company,
seeded by the Digital News Ventures investment firm, and the goal is to

provide access to content, information, apps, and toolsfreeto every

global citizen.
The shortwave radio comparison is apt. Shortwave frequencies
helped localize radio so you could tune in from anywhere, even in rural
areas in the middle of nowhere. Now take that concept and add multicast
web content, and replace radio towers with a satellite constellation in
low orbit, and you start to get a sense for how the Outernet would work.
It would start as a one-way broadcast; users could interact with websites
sent on Outernet's channels, but not access the whole web. Karim has a
vague plan to let the users dictate the content that's provided, not a team
of editors acting like gate-keepers. Users could request the information
they want to seesay a farmer in Bangladesh wants to learn more about
the weather conditions and crop prices for the rice he's growing
through the Outernet Facebook page, and the team will look for trends
and common topics to help decide what channels to broadcast.
Seem a little half-baked? That's because it is. At this point, the team is
thinking less about content curation and more about how to build the
space satellite-based broadcast distribution system in the first place.
"The goal for the alpha constellation, something that could theoretically
be deployed in two years, is for 24 satellites across 4 orbital planes,"
said Karim. That's a Roomba-style satellite constellation, with six

satellites per plane, enough "to offer more or less continuous global
coverage, with some hiccups in here and there," he said.

Image: Outernet
He's talking to SpaceX to negotiate a price for launching the microsats
into orbit, which will be the most expensive chunk of the Outernet pie in
the sky. In a Reddit forum in February, Karim said that SpaceX's bulk
rate for launching microsatellites is $57 million for 13,000 kg. While
this is just a fraction of what traditional communication satellites cost,
it's hardly chump change. He declined to get into pricing details over the
phone, only to estimate it would cost less than $10 million for the entire
Outernet project to become fully operational.

Karim has also reached out to the International Space Station to request
time onboard to test the system, and expects an answer by June.
In the meantime, the team is working on building their own
microsatellites to send into orbit, and receivers to spread throughout the
groundthey're currently crowdsourcing design ideas on
CrowdSPRING.
Sixty percent of the planet still lives outside the internet infrastructure,
and this is where the Outernet equipment comes in. The receivers will
sell for about $100 each, which Karim hopes will create a network of
thousands of beam spots. Outernet content would also be transmitted
from ground stations to wi-fi routers or smartphones.
Those transmissions would be open and beamed globally, which
Karim argues would help secure the connection against jamming or
other censoring attacks, though "security is a tough nut, he admitted. I
can't say this is a bulletproof solution. If someone is hell bent on taking
something down, be it a hacker or government agency, I can't assure that
they won't succeed."
You can think of Outernet transmissions like open-source code, he
explained. "There's no malware in Ubuntu because you have thousands
of developers constantly reviewing the codebase," he said. "Censorship
is something a little different. A bad actor could jam the signals, but this

would have a localized effect. I am not aware of anyone being able to

jam multiple spot beams all over the world."
Karim, who described himself as a "failed economist and a failed
librarian," has been studying the social and economic impact of internet
access for years, and believes hes finally arrived at a workable solution
that can be pulled off at a relatively low cost. He said the seed funding
from Digital News Ventures would be enough to test the first broadcast,
and if the company grows the way he's hopingto tens or hundreds of
millions of usersit would try to turn a profit the same way any other
media company doesnamely, by selling ads.
That's a long way off. According to the timeline on the Outernet website,
the plan is to develop prototypes by June, start the first data broadcasts
by July, begin transmission testing on the space station by September,
and be up and running by summertime next year. "This means that by
July, you can stick any Ku-band satellite dishthe kind you see all over
Asia and Africaand receive broadcast data from Outernet," said
Karim.
Outernet still has a lot of hurdles to clear to prove its possible: getting
bandwidth, building its proprietary microsats, striking a deal with
SpaceX to launch its payload, getting approval from the ISS, cherrypicking from millions of webpages to program content, and finding a
way

7.9OUTERNET AND O3B

Those who would most benefit from using the internet are unable to access
it. Read about two companies that are working hard to change that using
satellite technology.

internet users in 2012 as a percentage of a country's population

Over three billion people do not have access to the internet, according to
estimates. In a recent TechRepublic article, Lyndsey Gilpin states the
people of Africa are a large percentage of the three billion missing the
benefits afforded by the internet. The image above (courtesy of

Wikimedia Commons via Wikipedia) illustrates the massive areas of

Africa with less than 20% internet coverage.
Getting internet to everyone in Africa is a complex technical challenge.
With many areas of Africa still underdeveloped, internet providers have
little incentive to build the required infrastructure. Fortunately, there are
resourceful people and organizations coming up with alternative
solutions.
Outernet

For example, Outernet is a Media Development Investment

Fund (MDIF) project designed to provide "Unrestricted, globallyaccessible, broadcast data and quality Internet content for free."
As proposed, Outernet is a constellation of cube satellites inLow Earth
Orbit (LEO) similar to the Iridium satellite constellation. In order to
serve the widest audience possible, Outernet intends to use Wi-Fi
technology and standard international protocols such as DVB, Digital
Radio Mondiale, and UDP-based Wi-Fi multicasting.

Unlike Iridium's system and due to lack of capital, Outernet will initially
only broadcast data back to Earth-based Wi-Fi devices. As soon as funds
become available, MDIF intends to enable two-way internet capabilities.
The plan is to provide: international and local news, crop prices for
farmers, Ubuntu andOpenStreetMap, Wikipedia in its entirety, movies,
music, games, Khan Academy and Coursera,Teachers Without Borders,
and Open Source Ecology. Outernet will also help with emergency
communications, disaster-relief coordination, and global notification
systems.
What's interesting is the MDIF focus on using existing Wi-Fi
technology, realizing that forcing users to buy expensive satellitecommunications equipment would defeat the whole purpose of Outernet.
But that lofty goal is creating obstacles, as noted by Outernet founder
and project lead, Syed Karim:
"We want to stay within the 802.11-spec so that we can natively work
with the Wi-Fi ecosystem. It makes the spacecraft and constellation
design significantly more difficult, but we think the benefit is worth it."
Hopefully, the team at MDIF will figure it out.

O3b

Another satellite-based internet-access project in the works is O3b. The

"Other 3 Billion" (or O3b) is the creation of Greg Wyler, who
understands the difficulties of building out infrastructure in Africa from
his time running Terracom, a telecommunications company in Rwanda.
O3b had a recent management change, but the goal is the same: provide
low-cost internet access in areas currently lacking access by avoiding
costly, hard to implement, long-haul ground-based infrastructure. To
accomplish its goal, O3b is deploying a constellation of satellites
circling the equator at Medium Earth Orbit (MEO), a higher altitude
than what Outernet is planning.
Placing satellites at MEO (8,000 kilometers above the Earth) was an
important choice for O3b. Its hope is to reduce costs. Using MEO to
cover the entire equatorial region at that elevation requires fewer
satellites than at LEO (2,000 kilometers above the Earth). But the
increased altitude adds latency, which could affect time-delay sensitive
applications such as video or voice communications.

Unlike Outernet, a "last-mile provider," O3b is a "middle-mile

provider," meaning O3b is the bridge between the internet backbone and
the Earth-based last-mile providers who then offer connectivity (2G, 3G,
WiMAX, LTE, or Wi-Fi) to customers.
O3b has a four-satellite constellation in operation at this time. The goal
is to increase the number to eight-satellites orbiting the Earth in the near
future. At that time, the O3b satellite constellation should achieve the
following specifications:

Optimal coverage between 45 north/south latitude

Up to 1.5 Gb/sec connectivity speeds

Round-trip delay times of approximately 120m/s

Differences between Outernet and O3b

Technical differences: Outernet expects its satellites to

communicate directly with ground-based customer Wi-Fi devices -initially receive-only and two-way communications added later. O3b
is using proven ground to satellite technology. O3b will partner with
ground-based service providers and not supply internet access to
customers directly. O3b already is two-way access.

Cost: Outernet says its services will be free. O3b did not provide
cost information, as a customer would make arrangements with the
ground-based provider.

Venture capital: Outernet is looking for funds. Some of O3b's

investors include Allen & Company, Google, North Bridge Venture
Partners, Satya Capital, and Liberty Global.

Why these projects are important

Greg Wyler, founder of O3b, provides a good argument as to why
projects like Outernet and O3b are important:
"Only when emerging markets achieve affordable and ubiquitous access
to the rest of the world will we observe locally generated content,
widespread e-learning, telemedicine and many more enablers to social
and economic growth, which reflect the true value of the Internet."
Possibly, but to get the same coverage, there would have to be a lot more
nodes, ending up as expensive. Reliability may come into play as well.

7.10 COMPETITOR
All About Google Loon's Low-Cost Space-Based Competitor, Outernet
Could this be the answer to free-flowing, 100% up-time web access for
the other 4 billion?
In 2013 when Typhoon Haiyan brought down most of the Philippines'
cell and radio towers, bringing information to a standstill at a crucial
moment. The same thing happened again earlier this month in Ukraine,
but this time it was men with political motives, not nature, that severed
access to the countrys largestISP.
But a fledgling system of Low Earth Orbit satellites known as
theOuternet might mean an end to outages like thismaking constant
up-time a possibility, and with it, true human reliance on the Internet.
The question: Is that a good thing?
Four Billion People Have No Access To The Internet
It may come as a shock to anyone reading this article, online, right now,
but as pervasive as the Internet is in 2014, two-thirds of the world still
does notand never has hadaccess to it. Thats almost 4 billion
people who dont enjoy the same access to the open and free information
that you and I do.

That 60% doesnt even cover when man or nature steps in to take the
infrastructure out. We're just talking about people living in places too
remote, too costly, or too poverty stricken to make it worthwhile setting
up Internet infrastructure.
But more and more, access to information seems like a basic human
right, right up there with access to clean water. And thats exactly the
attitude of Syed Karim, creator of the Outernet: a free, universally
accessible information service that beams Internet informationbe it
entire websites like Wikipedia, emergency broadcast messages, or video
classes from the Khan academyto any Wi-Fi-enabled device across
the globe.
The Short Wave Radio For The Digital Age
We fundamentally believe that in order for our species to advancefor
humanity to get to the next step in developmentthat no one can be
denied a certain level of education and information. If there is a curiosity
it should be satiated, says Karim.
The Outernet is an ambitious project. Using open source hardwareand
software Karim and his team will launch hundreds of nano satellites into
Low Earth Orbit in 2016. These satellites will encircle the planet

delivering packets of information, much the way BitTorrent does now,

to anyone on the globe as long as they have a Wi-Fi-enabled device.
I've been thinking about this problem for almost seven years, Karim
says. I started actively working on it about four years ago. I originally
enrolled in graduate school with the desire to pursue a PhD in the
economic impact of information access. The University of Illinois at
Urbana-Champaign had just brought a satellite Internet link to the island
nation of Sao Tome and Principe. I was fascinated by the idea of
measuring the positive social and economic impact that increased access
to digital information had on a society.
But its only after Karim left graduate school and began working for
Chicago Public Radio that his idea fully took shape.
I was asked to head product development at Chicago Public Radio
(now Chicago Public Media), which is where I began exploring datacasting in more detail.
It is data-casting that lies at the heart of Outernet and its also why
Karims solution is so much less expensive and easier to deploy than
other global Internet networks like
Facebooks internet.org andGoogles Project Loon.

Outernet is a one-way platform. It will broadcast free data to any Wi-Fi

device on the planet but will not, at first, allow those receiving the
broadcasts to broadcast back.
Our initial focus is on solving a very specific problem: lack of access to
a basic level of information and education for all of humanity, Karim
says. Outernet is not the Internet. It is simply the fastest and least
expensive way to deliver rich content to the large fraction of humanity
who cannot afford the information that many take for granted. Once that
is addressed, then well work on the more complicatedand
significantly more expensivetask of providing low-cost twoway Internet access.
But that one-way information is nothing to scoff at. For the first time
ever an additional 4 billion people could be able to receive, download,
and store data locally on any Wi-Fi device. Users could then share this
data with other owners of Wi-Fi devices via ad hoc device-to-device
networksno Internet connection required.
Such a way of receiving one-direction data no doubts lends comparisons
of Outernet to short wave radio, but it is much more versatile than that.
While shortwave radio requires active listeners during a live broadcast
and offers no way to send that broadcast to other listeners, the Outernet
allows people to download large packets of data in the form of any kind

of digital contentbe it videos or entire websitesand share it with

anyone with a Wi-Fi device.
The humanitarian and political implications of this are huge. In a natural
disaster scenario, like the Philippine typhoon, Outernet could have easily
broadcast entire websites full of medical and rescue advice to victims
across the country. In Ukraine it could have enabled those in the
resistance movement to share up-to-date information from one Wi-Fi
device to the next, no matter if Russian sympathizers took down all of
the countrys ISPs.
The Internet Protocol For Outer Space
Of course before Outernet can broadcast web data to any Wi-Fi device
on the globe the team leading the ambitious project has several
objectives to overcome from both a hardware and software perspective.
The first is getting hundreds of nanosatellites into space. When I express
my amazement over the fact that a small startup is trying to launch
satellitessomething I presume only large, very rich multinationals or
governments have the capability to doAaron Rogers, head of
Outernets Mission Engineering, says this task is actually relatively
simple.

Were going to fully exercise a global resource network of secondary

and tertiary opportunistic rideshare opportunities that are being offered
through third-party integration service providers, he says.
In other words, theres satellites going up into space all the time and
because of it, even smaller companies can often hitch a ride on space
shuttles to get their gear up into space along with the Big Boys stuff.
Yes, even you reading this could get a satellite up in the air. Heres
a schedule for the next open rideshares.
But before the satellites go up, Outernet will be testing its data-casting
technology on the International Space Station. Thats because, unlike
the terrestrial Internet, which sends standardized packets of data
consistently and reliably from one point to another over the Internet
Protocol (IP) standard, data signals beamed from space are prone to
suffering from packet disruption because receivers on Earth are trying to
talk to small spacecraft traveling at thousands of miles per hour
overhead for five or so minutes at a time before suffering potential data
disruptions due to the constantly moving paths of satellites along their
orbits.
But Edward Birrane, head of Telecom Protocols at Outernet, says the
system will use a new communications technology called
Delay/Disruption Tolerant Networking (DTN) that is being researched

by the space agencies of the world as a way to standardize packetized

data for space links.
These protocols and techniques give an Internet-like dataexchange to
spacecraft, allowing Outernet ground systems to patiently accumulate
data over multiple passes, over multiple days, or over multiple weeks
without fear of timeouts, expired networking sessions, or powering onand-off the ground terminal, Birrane says. For the Outernet
datacasting solution, telecommunications protocols such as DTN give
the needed ability to stitch together large filessuch as Wikipedia
entriesas they are received bit-by-bit from those fast-travelling
spacecraft.
The resulting way web data will then be delivered to Outernet users can
perhaps best be likened to technology dating back to the 1990s,
according to Branko Vukelic, software developer at Outernet.
Sometime around the turn of the century I used to have an Internet
connection through a regular modem that could run at speeds of around
30-something kbps, Vukelic says. I used a web crawler, I think it was
HTTrack but I could be mistaken, to download entire sites during the
night, and create offline archives that could run on a local server without
Internet connection. That was necessary in order to keep the phone line

free during the day. It's hard to claim 'those were the days,' but at that
time, it worked pretty well for me. Outernet isn't so different from this.
Indeed it isnt. The crawling and compiling web data will be done by
Outernets software, with the end result being a downloadable archive
that would be served to all devices on a local network. The end user
would only filter out content they want to discard, and manage the rest
on their local archive.
The more one learns about Outernet its hard not to appreciate all the
ingenuity that went in to hacking a grand-scale humanitarian
technological idea into place. But theres one lingering question that
arises: If Outernet only broadcasts web data to users, who chooses which
data is made available?
Open Source, Community-Driven Content
The answer to who chooses content for four billion people when they
themselves have no means of browsing and selecting it independently,
Vukelic says, is a community driven group of editors, like Wikipedia
has, and a community of voters, like Reddit hasonly on a much larger
scale.
The first piece that we will build is the content selection and discovery
system (CSDS for short). The system has two purposes, Vukelic says.

One is content selection, which is facilitated throughweighted voting

systems, and another is content discovery. Since end users don't
necessarily have access to search engines, the system would have to
present a request, and have the community find and suggest adequate
content.
The CSDS voting system will allow anyone with an Internet connection
to submit content they think should be shared. The community of voters
can then vote up content, with the web content with the most votes
chosen to be broadcast over Outernet.
Vukelic admits that the system does have its challenges. After all, how
do you create fair and inclusive content selection process? One
possibility under consideration is a weighted voting system that gives
more weight to votes in a specific geographic area. For example, if
another hurricane hits the Philippines, votes from people who live in the
surrounding area may be given more weight for which content to
broadcast next.
We want to give more strength to the voices of actual Outernet end
users, but we also don't want to leave out people who want to help them.
While end users should have more say in what they want to
see/read/hear, people who are not necessarily end users might know
more about the content end users dont," Vukelic says.

Outernets CSDS will be a mix of web app, API, and mashups that will
funnel all input into its database and manage the presentation of requests
and votes. The company will start with the web app and API
components using Google AppEngine as its base, and Pythonas the
language of the choice. It also plans to provide a full API to allow thirdparty developers to come up with new ways to vote, and not just rely on
its own UI.
The entire system should be usable, within its technical constraints, by
as many people as possible, and especially the users that otherwise have
no alternative, Vukelic says. Missing an uplink capability, we need to
find alternative ways for end users on the ground to give us meaningful
feedback. We will look into everything and anything that lets us do this,
including accepting community-transcribed voice messages or scanned
handwritten mail, and anything else we can think of. Carrier pigeons?
No method of requesting content should be too crazy for Outernet.
Getting Ready To Launch
Once Outernet comes on air it will deliver web data to the two-thirds of
the planet that has never accessed the Internet. The data will not only
include a complete copy of some of the greatest collections of human
knowledge, like Wikipedia in its entirety, but international and local
news, crop prices for farmers, and educational course content from Khan

Academy, Open Source Ecology, and Teachers Without Borders. It will

also be used as a global notification system for emergency
communications to help coordinate disaster relief and provide the free
flow of information in war-torn or dictatorial countries.
Thats the plan, anyway. But while Outernets launch in 2016 is only a
few short years away, founder Syed Karim admits that there are plenty
of steps his team still needs to achieve to get Outernetwhat he calls
basically a monster-sized version of Flipboardinto space. But hes
confident his team is up for the challengeand the goal is worth
pursuing.
Imagine if everyone in the world had access to the latest resources for
learning, constantly updated, Karim says. And now imagine that this is
available for free. What does the future of humanity look like when a
basic level of information and education is available to everyone? I don't
know what it looks like, but I really want.

CASE STUDY ON OUTERNET

Due to technological progress and a price decline in display
technologies, it is believed that almost any surface in urban spaces could
become digital. In the long run, people might live inside the Internet,

surrounded by interactive and digital surfaces. The research project

Participating through the Outernet believes that this new infrastructure,
the Outernet, has considerable potential not only in the advertising
domain but also in terms of civic participation. Access could be granted
without the need for any technical device on the part of the user, thus
providing an opportunity to boost participation by lowering barriers and
enabling simple participation while passing by.
Based on the project MyPosition!, the research group questions in what
way the Outernet can be used for low-barrier participation of this kind.
The project MyPosition! is a cooperation between the design researcher
Nina Valkanova, Technische Universtitt Berlin, and the Alexander von
Humboldt Institute for Internet and Society. It is an interactive urban
facade,

which

represents

collective

visualisation

of

citizen

opinions. MyPosition! was integrated in the architectural and social

fabrics of several local communities in Berlin and aimed to enable
citizens to easily participate, enter a dialogue and discuss local civic
issues and challenges.