[wsfii-discuss] Praise for the Wireless Networking Book in the Cisco Internet Protocol Journal

[Patrice Riemens]

http://www.cisco.com/web/about/ac123/ac147/archived_issues/ipj_9-2/book_review.html


The Internet Protocol Journal - Volume 9 (2006) Number 2
Book Review
Wireless Networking

Wireless Networking in the Developing World: A practical guide to planning 
and building low-cost telecommunications infrastructure, by Rob Flickenger 
et al., ISBN 1-4116-7837-0, 234 pages, Limehouse Book Sprint Team, January 
2006. http://wndw.net

To quote from the book.s Website:

    .This book was created by a team of individuals who each, in their own 
field, are actively participating in the ever-expanding Internet by 
pushing its reach farther than ever before. Over a period of a few months, 
we have produced a complete book that documents our efforts to build 
wireless networks in the developing world..

Even though I don.t live and work in what is commonly regarded as part of 
the developing world, I found this to be a unique and informative book, as 
its practical descriptions of wireless networking have application in many 
environments.

Given the widespread availability of the raw materials of computers, 
open-source software, Wi-Fi equipment, various pieces of recycled 
kitchenware, scrap metal, and plastic, and a wealth of online information 
resources, it is possible to construct inexpensive high-speed wireless 
network systems almost anywhere these days. However, perhaps the most 
visible missing component of the overall picture, but also the most 
valuable, is a practical path through this wealth of information on how to 
construct wireless networks, and a path that is based on the recent 
experiences of others who have constructed cost-effective and practical 
wireless networks in communities in the developing world. This book sets 
out to meet that goal.
Organization

The book starts with a description of radio physics covering the basics of 
the topic. It builds upon this a description of the typical radio design 
trade-offs between information capacity and radio penetration, and 
describes the commonly encountered factors of absorption, reflection, 
diffraction, and interference. I found the practical approach to Fresnel 
zone calculation and the description of the relationship between distance 
and antenna height so well done that I was tempted to embark on the design 
of a neighborhood Wi-Fi straightaway!

The chapter on network design is somewhat of a hybrid section, covering a 
mix of physical layout of a wireless network and TCP/IP considerations. 
There were the usual summaries of IP address structure and an introduction 
to routing.

Study of the deployment of the Optimized Link State Routing (OLSR) 
protocol is, however, more detailed. This is a link state routing protocol 
that is open-source, supportable by Linux-based access points, and 
accommodates link quality metrics into the routing protocol metric. I 
found the consideration of the link budget in this section a useful 
practical description of the considerations that are unique to the 
wireless world, and the worked examples are excellent, together with some 
useful references to online tools. This chapter is relatively dense, and 
many topics are covered in a relatively short space. I suspect that an 
interested reader would want to drill down further before feeling 
confident enough to manage a service network, but some carefully chosen 
references to further reading are there, so that the reader can follow up 
this introductory material with more specialized references.

The section on antennas and transmission lines was also well-structured. I 
had heard of using cylindrical cans as Wi-Fi antennas, but knew little of 
the detail of how to actually do it. This book not only explains their 
design, but provides a step-by-step illustrated guide to their 
construction. It also provides a good description of what is involved in 
outdoor installation of wireless equipment. The consideration of 
commercial solutions as compared to the do-it-yourself approach was 
carefully presented, as was the section devoted to security 
considerations.

Aside from the technical considerations, the book also has some very 
interesting case studies of wireless networking projects, and was careful 
to include both success and failure stories. The issues in the developing 
world about combining technical capability with practical business 
solutions for communities that can be financially self-sustaining are 
indeed challenging, as the case studies show. They provide not only useful 
information about related experiences in setting up such network services, 
but also show how such projects can be assessed in a constructive manner.
Thoughtfully Written

Having spent some time working in this area myself as part of the ISOC 
Developing Countries Workshop training team, I have developed an 
appreciation of what constitutes truly useful and valuable training 
material, and this book is perhaps the best example I.ve seen yet. It is 
practical, helpful, technically accurate, and relatively complete in terms 
of coverage of material. Where the book does not dive into fine detail it 
provides useful references for further reading. The book is thoughtfully 
written in a simple non-nonsense style and does not hide behind technical 
jargon. Above all, it is material that can instill confidence that these 
networks can readily be built and operated by people like you and me.

I certainly would not call myself an expert after reading this book, but 
the next time a radio technician arrives in the office and starts talking 
about radiation patterns, front-to-back ratios, and the relative merits of 
omnis and yagis, at least I.ll have an idea of what he is talking about. 
Even better, I might even be able to show him my own modest efforts in 
do-it-yourself Wi-Fi networking by then!

Review by
Geoff Huston, APNIC
gih at apnic.net