Ssssssshhh! I think you just came across one of Evan's projects
I also remember that one laptop per child (OLPC) wanted to use a mesh network to help people in remote communities. i.e. perhaps one 'off ramp' to the internet in a small village but use an open wifi mesh network in the village to provide the connectivity.
Not sure if this worked out in practice but can see the advantage, obviously in a dense urban environment this seems to work. I'll update with a link to the OLPC when i find it.
UpdateDesign goals (from wiki)
Ability to act as a mesh point when laptop's main CPU is off. (Small enough to run autonomously on Marvell's 88W8388 802.11 wireless module)
Minimize power consumption in autonomous mode.
Support for asymmetric links/paths.
Incremental releases -- mesh networking is needed immediately on XO. Upgrades will continue to improve functionality and adherence with standards.
Simultaneously act as a Mesh Point as well as an infrastructure node.
Follow 802.11s draft when possible.
http://wiki.laptop.org/go/Mesh_Network_DetailsBack to this, it's really quite amazing! I can see, even in the middle of nowhere, a small tower, like they've built for the internet everywhere, could also be used for such a system. In fact, if they could boost wifi enough, they could have communication between villages in no time! Is there an intrinsic reason that the signals can't be boosted to reach, say 5 miles? Actually, it doesn't have to be wifi, and maybe it doesn't have to be a single type of signal. A hybrid between long range and wifi could work.
I love learning about these things here! You all always bring up new tech and ideas, and yes, this is a valid possible solution to institutional attacks on the Masternode network.
