DAKNET TECHNOLOGY

DAKNET TECHNOLOGY
INTRODUCTION
Daknet, whose name devices from Hindi word for post combines a physical means of
transportation with wireless data transfer to extend internet connectivity to rural areas.
Developed MIT Media Lab Researchers, it connects villages lacking a digital communication
infrastructure through existing communication and transport infrastructure. So, basically
DAKNET is an ad hoc network which uses wireless technology to provide asynchronous digital
connectivity. This is an internet service based on the technology from First Mile Solutions, which
was spun off from an idea, known as DockeyNet. Technologies like store and forward or
asynchronous modes of communication can be significantly lower in cost and do not necessarily
sacrifice the functionality required to deliver valuable user services.

NEED OF DAKNET
Why Daknet? Can they afford internet expenses??
NO!!!

Real time communications need large capital investment and hence high level of user adoption to
receiver costs. The average villager cannot even afford personal communications device such as
a telephone or computer. Also, Telecommunication Companies are usually reluctant to extend
their network to rural areas due to high infrastructure costs, low population density, and limited
ROLL NO:69
Page | 1

DAKNET TECHNOLOGY
ability to pay for the services. FMS counters this problem by providing telecommunications
equipment that can cheaply connect rural and remote populations to the internet through an
innovative technology: DAKNET. Now reaches 40,000 villagers through various projects. A
phone is dutifully installed as part of the current government mandate to connect villages to
neighboring towns. The phone is used occasionally. Most still travel sometimes days to obtain
forms and other data. Analog telephone is far more expensive.

DAKNET ARCHITECTURE
The main parts of Daknet architecture are:1. Mobile Access Point (MAP)
2. Hub
3. Kiosk
DAKNET transmits data over short point to point links between kiosks and portable storage
devices, called mobile access points (MAPs).
1. MOBILE ACCESS POINT
Daknet offers data to be transmitted over short point-to-point links. It combines physical and
wireless data transport to enable high-bandwidth intranet and internet connectivity among
kiosks (public computers) and between kiosks and hubs.
So, MAP equipment is installed on a vehicle which moves in a village from kiosk to kiosk or
from a hub to kiosk.

ROLL NO:69
Page | 2

DAKNET TECHNOLOGY

2. HUB
A common connection point for devices in a network. Hubs are commonly used to connect
segments of a LAN or WLAN. A hub contains multiple ports. When a packet arrives at one
port, it is copied to the other ports so that all segments of the LAN/WLAN can see all
packets.

3. KIOSK
Kiosks are electronic devices installed places for example ATM, Schedule displaying Screen
on airport, etc. In Daknet, Kiosk refers to computer centers where systems are installed for
the villagers which are used under the guidance of a computer literate person.
ROLL NO:69
Page | 3

DAKNET TECHNOLOGY

HOW DAKNET WORKS?

Daknet operation thus has two steps:

As the MAP equipped vehicle comes within range of a village Wi-Fi enabled kiosk, it
automatically senses the wireless connection and then uploads and downloads tens of
megabytes of data.
When a MAP equipped vehicle comes within range of an internet access point (hub),
it automatically synchronizes the data from all the rural kiosks, using the internet. The
steps repeat for every vehicle carrying a MAP unit, thereby creating a low cost
wireless network.

ADVANTAGES OF DAKNET
1) Store and forward network:
Villagers are able to send message and record videos through the kiosks, when the
mobile vehicle comes around, it exchanges the data in the outbox and inbox.

ROLL NO:69
Page | 4

DAKNET TECHNOLOGY

2) Seamless Scalability:
Daknet provides a seamless method of upgrading to always-on broadband
connectivity. As the village increases its economic means, Daknet enables its
inhabitants to use the same hardware, software, and user interface to enjoy real time
information access. With low cost terminals and local user interface design, Daknet
makes it practical for individual users to get connected.
3) Cost Effective:
The cost of the MAP equipment used on the Bus is $580, which includes:

A custom embedded PC running Linux with 802. 11b wireless card and 512
Mbytes of compact flash memory;
A 100 mW amplifier, cabling, mounting equipment, and an omnidirectional
antenna; and
An uninterruptible power supply powered by the bus battery.

DISADVANTAGES OF DAKNET TECHNOLOGY

1) Since the nodes (MAP, Hub, and Kiosk) communicate over the wireless links, they have
to contend with the effect of radio communication such as noise, fading and interference.
2) It provides only non-real time data transfer functionality.

APPLICATIONS OF DAKNET TECHNOLOGY

1) Internet/Intranet messaging
This can include e-mail, video-audio messaging, mobile e commerce.
2) Information distribution/broadcasting
This can include community bulletin board, transfer of educational material, public health
announcements, news, music, and video broadcasts.

ROLL NO:69
Page | 5

DAKNET TECHNOLOGY
3) Information collection
This can include collection of environmental sensor information, voting, census, poling,
health records and land records.
4) Rural Supply Chain Management
By incorporating global positioning systems (GSM), the Daknet network can also work as a
means of tracking the movement of vehicles and shipment of goods in a geographical area.

DAKNET IN ACTION (examples)

Villages in Cambodia, Costa Rica, Rwanda, Paraguay and India are getting connected to
the global network using Daknet.
FMS now reaches 40,000 villagers through its Daknet Project.
Its actively participating in the development of villages in India and Cambodia.
Bhoomi initiative in India.

Bhoomi, an initiative to computerize land records, is recognized as the first national egovernance initiative in India, pioneered by the state government of Karnataka.
Bhoomi has been successfully implemented at district headquarters across the state to
completely replace the physical land records system.
Daknet makes Bhoomis land records database available to villages up to 40 km away
from Bhoomis district headquarters, in Doddaballapur.
The latest installation to Daknet has been adding the remote region of Ratanakiri,
Cambodia.

ROLL NO:69
Page | 6

DAKNET TECHNOLOGY

Its a collection of 13 villages that are only accessible by motorcycle and oxcart.
Every day, five Honda motorcycles equipped with a MAP device, leave the Hub (having
a satellite dish) and links the provincial hospital and a school to the internet for
telemedicine and computer training.

CONCLUSION
Daknet is an electronic postal network, completed with an electronic postman.
Daknets low deployment cost and enthusiastic reception by rural users has motivated
dozens of inquiries for further deployments. This provides millions of people their firdt
possibility for digital connectivity. Increasing connectivity is most reliable way to
encourage economic growth.
The larger goal is to shift the policy focus of the Governments universal service
obligation funds from wireless village telephones to wireless ad-hoc networking thus
ensuring development and betterment of rural people.

NEXT STEP
Daknet is going to be deployed and tested in larger implementations with applications
that exploit broadband capabilities.
The current R&D focus is on further lowering the costs of the required hardware and
developing a highly interoperable and cross platform software module so that deployment
processes can be streamlined.

REFERENCES
ROLL NO:69
Page | 7

DAKNET TECHNOLOGY

http://www.slideshare.net/aditya127/daknet-full-ppt
http://www.firstmilesolutions.com/documents/DakNet_IEEE_Computer.pdf
http://www.slideshare.net/gurls_on_mars/daknet-technology?next_slideshow=1
http://www.collegelib.com/t-daknet.html

ROLL NO:69
Page | 8