wireless network
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Green WiFi project promises to bring solar-powered WiFi to developing countries
One of the big criticisms that's been leveled at the much-vaunted OLPC project is that it's missing one key element: internet access. Well, a pair of Sun Microsystems employees are looking to remedy that situation with the Green WiFi project, which promises to bring cheap, solar-powered WiFi to developing countries. The project's modeled on MIT's Roofnet wireless mesh network project (and isn't the only one, either), but takes things one step further by making each node solar powered, meaning that the network could be extended virtually anywhere. They've also taken care of the other big hurdle: price, using off-the-shelf gear and open source software to keep the nodes down to no more than $200 each. Although still in the prototype stage, the team says they're going to start deploying their first grid network in India later this summer, PVC or not.[Via Treehugger]
How-To: Build your own network firewall
Network appliances don't always offer all the firewalling features a user needs -- you know, the advanced port blocking and security procedures we'd like to keep our little home network fiefdoms secure. In today's How-To we'll show you how to build a firewall out of an old PC with a live Linux CD and some spare ethernet cards. It's the perfect use for that machine with the dead hard drive (or no hard drive at all).
