[zeromq-dev] How do we activate and connect to WiFi hotspots in edgenets?

[Lindley French]

Wifi isn't the only answer here. Bluetooth can provide similar functionality. I don't know the details but the Alljoyn people claim to be able to automatically set up Bluetooth links with phones in range.

> On Jan 8, 2014, at 6:27 PM, Pieter Hintjens <ph at imatix.com> wrote:
> 
> (a) I think we need to start an edgenet mailing list, as this is both
> such an interesting discussion, and yet so different from what people
> are expecting here
> 
> (b) wifidirect is a "not quite mesh" 1-to-1 link and in fact very
> close to what I was thinking of with edgenet in the beginning. There's
> not a lot of choice, if you don't have 802.11s mesh working in the
> firmware, which few devices have.
> 
> (c) you don't need root access to enable AP mode on most phones afaik.
> Not Android, anyhow (the API isn't documented but you can dig it out.)
> 
> (d) we tried, and failed (in a previous closed project) to create and
> discover cells automatically. Best approach seems to be manual
> assistance.
> 
> -Pieter
> 
>> On Wed, Jan 8, 2014 at 4:58 PM, Arnaud Loonstra <arnaud at sphaero.org> wrote:
>>> On 01/08/2014 03:46 PM, Bruno D. Rodrigues wrote:
>>> I don’t know too many details about FON, but we have an ISP in Portugal
>>> that provides FON over all their clients (if they accept) and as soon as
>>> I connect to one FON hotstpot, the device automatically connects to any
>>> other. No idea if it’s just because it’s the same name, or if there is
>>> any other value that is forced to be the same, but somehow it is possible.
>>> 
>>> On Jan 8, 2014, at 12:03, crocket <crockabiscuit at gmail.com
>>> <mailto:crockabiscuit at gmail.com>> wrote:
>>> 
>>>> People may be able to devise an algorithm for automatically turning on
>>>> hotspots in several smartphones among many.
>>>> 
>>>> But, even with hotspots turned on, how do phones connect to each other
>>>> if smartphones simply refuse to connect to randomly named hotspots?
>>>> 
>>>> Should we forcefully rename hotspots to a predetermined name(e.g.,
>>>> "edgenet") and agree to connect to hotspots named "edgenet"?
>> 
>> You could follow a roaming setup. Setup an hotspot with any name and
>> make sure it is setup for roaming. Usually the authentication is done
>> using radius. Which would be very easy to implement as radius is very
>> simple protocol. Even just MAC authentication would suffice but you
>> could go on into EAP/TTLS or PEAP setups.
>> 
>> To setup an hotspot on a phone you'll probably need root access.
>> 
>> WifiDirect would be better but I don't any devices that support it. It
>> will probably be stopped by vendors ;) Just like PTT.
>> 
>> Rg,
>> 
>> Arnaud
>> 
>> --
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