BecomeA Node

The question you should really be asking is, "Do I need to be a node?" Nodes are only for giving other people access to the network. This means that we have only a small number of nodes in the network, as each new one can reduce performance. Each node is placed in a suitable location, which means a place with good visibility and/or connectivity to another network (usually the Internet). If you really do need to become a node, you have two options:

• Build a node yourself;
• Buy a prebuilt node from Bristol Wireless.

Building a node isn't as difficult as it sounds. It usually involves purchasing a Linksys WRT-54G wireless router and flashing the firmware to connect to the Bristol Wireless network. A firmware flashing guide has been produced, but please read the warning and instructions carefully before trying it out. You can also build a node from a PC, but it will be bulkier and probably cost more too!

Once the hardware is built, you need a suitable antenna connected to the roof of your property to serve potential clients in the area. Until now we have used 8dB omni-directional antennas from http://www.solwise.co.uk, but there are other suppliers should you prefer.

We try to keep a backbone network that supplies all the nodes with full bandwidth. It would be a good idea to get a dedicated link to this network. This is probably best discussed on the mailing list, or emailed to info@bristolwireless.net.