WI-FI. We are trying to improve
WI-FI tightly entered our lives. Most laptop users familiar to me have already been installed, or plan to soon install an access point at home. There are many reasons for this and the main one - it is WI-FI that gives mobile device users true mobility, but so far only within the limited coverage area. However, this technology is not without flaws, because we are developing firmware that ensures the absence of some flaws within the cottage village (launched in the month of June), and subsequently free access to download this firmware.
In this article you will not find the source code or description of the interaction of devices in the network, because the firmware is still in a closed test on a limited number of devices. Here you can read only the basic principles of work and problems to be solved. If after reading you have a desire to get acquainted with the firmware, or to assist the development of the project - you will find the contacts below.
So, in our opinion, the main problems of WI-FI are:
• Limited coverage area.
• Weakening of the signal with increasing distance of the receiver from the access point.
• Principle - “The lower the speed, the greater the distance”.
• The rule applicable to most access points is “If there are two or more devices on the network, with different standards and access speed, the access point automatically selects the operation mode equal to the minimum device mode”.
• A similar rule for connection speed - “The access point selects the exchange rate equal to the minimum speed of the devices”.
• No seamless roaming when using more than one access point.
• Channel congestion in crowded networks, such as high-rise buildings.
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I can anticipate comments - this does not apply to private users using WI-FI within their home, because one apartment is enough for an apartment. And such comments will be fully justified. However, we are considering a network for a cottage village, in which both the areas differ from the areas of city apartments, and the coverage area is more global and amounts to several tens of hectares.
There is MESH or Mesh networks technology - a distributed building topology, in which each access point performs, in addition to the main one, the functions of a repeater and a router for other network participants. In our opinion, this scheme is the most promising for covering large areas with a stable link and the absence of “Dead Zones”. (For more information about this topology, you can find a lot of information on the Internet, or, with the right amount of your comments, I am ready to write a separate article on this issue.) However, on closer acquaintance, it turned out that all devices in this network should work on one channel and one SSID, which is highly undesirable in our version. Therefore, the first urges to create “My own” MESH network arose in the light of these changes.
In addition, we have investigated several access points from MTS in the vandal manner, additionally providing access to other subscribers to the MTS-FON network, at your expense and without prior approval from you. As one of the Soviet film characters used to say, “Shurik! This is not our method! ”, But it was possible to borrow some ideas from there as well.
So, let's proceed directly to the description of the network under which our firmware is being developed:
As in the MESH network, each of the access points performs the functions of a repeater and a router for other points of network participants, however, a special SSID is used to send service traffic to other networks. Also, when slower devices appear on the network than the main SSID currently used, the point clones the parameters of the main SSID and creates a similar, but with the parameters of a slower device, switching the device by MAC address to the created SSID.
Next, all points belonging to the network exchange information with the server using the service SSID. This server contains information about MAC addresses of devices connected to the network. Based on this information, a client device registered in the client base of devices can connect to any access point belonging to the network.
At the moment, the number of SSIDs broadcast by one device is in most cases limited to 4, but this is mainly dictated by the weak hardware stuffing of modern budget devices. In this network, we have limited the maximum number of SSIDs to the same number. The list of devices for which software is developed is also limited. We mainly focused on D-Link devices (6 devices were tested in total, -4 were considered suitable, some with hardware modifications), Mikrotik (All), Zyxel (4 devices are in the test stage).
I would like to know your opinion about the firmware being developed and the prospect of such networks. You can also send your questions to mappix@valkiry.ru, I will try to answer all. We also invite WI-FI enthusiasts to interact.
In this article you will not find the source code or description of the interaction of devices in the network, because the firmware is still in a closed test on a limited number of devices. Here you can read only the basic principles of work and problems to be solved. If after reading you have a desire to get acquainted with the firmware, or to assist the development of the project - you will find the contacts below.
So, in our opinion, the main problems of WI-FI are:
• Limited coverage area.
• Weakening of the signal with increasing distance of the receiver from the access point.
• Principle - “The lower the speed, the greater the distance”.
• The rule applicable to most access points is “If there are two or more devices on the network, with different standards and access speed, the access point automatically selects the operation mode equal to the minimum device mode”.
• A similar rule for connection speed - “The access point selects the exchange rate equal to the minimum speed of the devices”.
• No seamless roaming when using more than one access point.
• Channel congestion in crowded networks, such as high-rise buildings.
')
I can anticipate comments - this does not apply to private users using WI-FI within their home, because one apartment is enough for an apartment. And such comments will be fully justified. However, we are considering a network for a cottage village, in which both the areas differ from the areas of city apartments, and the coverage area is more global and amounts to several tens of hectares.
There is MESH or Mesh networks technology - a distributed building topology, in which each access point performs, in addition to the main one, the functions of a repeater and a router for other network participants. In our opinion, this scheme is the most promising for covering large areas with a stable link and the absence of “Dead Zones”. (For more information about this topology, you can find a lot of information on the Internet, or, with the right amount of your comments, I am ready to write a separate article on this issue.) However, on closer acquaintance, it turned out that all devices in this network should work on one channel and one SSID, which is highly undesirable in our version. Therefore, the first urges to create “My own” MESH network arose in the light of these changes.
In addition, we have investigated several access points from MTS in the vandal manner, additionally providing access to other subscribers to the MTS-FON network, at your expense and without prior approval from you. As one of the Soviet film characters used to say, “Shurik! This is not our method! ”, But it was possible to borrow some ideas from there as well.
So, let's proceed directly to the description of the network under which our firmware is being developed:
As in the MESH network, each of the access points performs the functions of a repeater and a router for other points of network participants, however, a special SSID is used to send service traffic to other networks. Also, when slower devices appear on the network than the main SSID currently used, the point clones the parameters of the main SSID and creates a similar, but with the parameters of a slower device, switching the device by MAC address to the created SSID.
Next, all points belonging to the network exchange information with the server using the service SSID. This server contains information about MAC addresses of devices connected to the network. Based on this information, a client device registered in the client base of devices can connect to any access point belonging to the network.
At the moment, the number of SSIDs broadcast by one device is in most cases limited to 4, but this is mainly dictated by the weak hardware stuffing of modern budget devices. In this network, we have limited the maximum number of SSIDs to the same number. The list of devices for which software is developed is also limited. We mainly focused on D-Link devices (6 devices were tested in total, -4 were considered suitable, some with hardware modifications), Mikrotik (All), Zyxel (4 devices are in the test stage).
I would like to know your opinion about the firmware being developed and the prospect of such networks. You can also send your questions to mappix@valkiry.ru, I will try to answer all. We also invite WI-FI enthusiasts to interact.
Source: https://habr.com/ru/post/142044/
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