BerlinRoofNet

The MIT Roof Net project has demonstrated that it is possible to provide an 802.11b-based wireless network backbone infrastructure in a city like Boston (MA). The Berlin Roof Net project tries to determine if a similar network can be setup in Berlin/Germany.

The Boston network consists of approximately 40 nodes that are mounted on the roofs of buildings (hence the name ’roof net’) and is operated by students and other volunteers. RoofNet nodes discover each other automatically and create a mesh network, which, with the help of proper routing protocols, allow for transmission of IP packets between any two nodes of the network, with data rates of about 1Mbps.

Berlin has unique properties that make the establishment of such a roof network challenging:

Berlin has generally higher buildings with more metal structures than Boston.
Distances between project participants tend to be larger in Berlin than in Boston.
It is yet unknown whether the mounting of RoofNet nodes/antennas on buildings is practicable in Berlin.
Radio interference may be more intense in Berlin due to more systems that are simultaneously operated at 2.4 GHz.
The acceptance of radio-based communication by the general public may be less pronounced in Berlin than in Boston.