573
top 50 comments
sorted by: hot top controversial new old
[-] axh@lemmy.world 93 points 2 weeks ago* (last edited 2 weeks ago)

I am old enough and geek enough to be bothered by the use of the word "WiFi" instead of the Internet or just network.

It's only WiFi if you connect the wireless router at the end.

Edit: just noticed mention of the "antenna at the roof" on the page, but I still don't think it's WiFi, "WiFi" is a name of the technology that allows wireless access by multiple devices. I think it's rather radio communication between the router and the access point. They basically use radio waves instead of the cable, it was often used in rural areas in my country, where putting cables would be too expensive.

[-] Chivera@lemmy.world 36 points 2 weeks ago

Same here and when people refer to the PC tower as the CPU

[-] Hawke@lemmy.world 9 points 2 weeks ago

That I cut a bit of slack for, because prior to the minicomputer let alone the microcomputer, the CPU would likely have been a large component like the whole system is for a desktop PC.

[-] user224@lemmy.sdf.org 26 points 2 weeks ago

It would seem a lot of people think Wi-Fi is internet. I've heard someone call it "Wi-Fi with exclamation mark" when without internet access.

[-] truxnell@aussie.zone 13 points 2 weeks ago

My eldest when her internet want working confidently told me her computer couldn't connect to the globe

[-] technomad@slrpnk.net 1 points 2 weeks ago
[-] frezik@midwest.social 24 points 2 weeks ago

WiFi is a specific protocol, IEEE 802.11 (with a lower case letter at the end for the version). There have long been hobbyist and commercial methods for using it with point-to-point links. There are some other wireless methods for this, like LoRa/Meshtastc, but they tend to be slower and less developed. Everyone prefers using WiFi.

So, yes, they are using WiFi in a point-to-point way. The antenna is directional to give it (potentially) several miles of range.

[-] throwawayacc0430@sh.itjust.works 12 points 2 weeks ago

Language is so weird these days...

Everything is "app" nowaways

A .exe install on windows is "app"

A reddit account is "app"

Buying a phone plan and inserting a sim card into a phone is "activation" of a phone

Lol

Its a windows program or software

Reddit is not an "app", its a platform.

You're not "activating" your phone, your phone is already usable, all you did was purchase a voice/data plan and inserted a sim card. "Activation" is a apple internet lock thing, totally separate.

[-] deur@feddit.nl 3 points 2 weeks ago

You don't know what the word "application" is lol

[-] Drusas@fedia.io 10 points 2 weeks ago

I'm old enough and nerd enough to be slightly peeved that "community built" isn't hyphenated ("community-built").

[-] TheTechnician27@lemmy.world 8 points 2 weeks ago

For a municipal wireless network, I'm not too bothered with how OP describes it if it's accessed through Wi-Fi.

[-] fmstrat@lemmy.nowsci.com 4 points 2 weeks ago

But.. It is P2P WiFi...

load more comments (1 replies)
[-] meme_historian@lemmy.dbzer0.com 62 points 2 weeks ago* (last edited 2 weeks ago)

I hope they are aware of https://freifunk.net/ and don't start from scratch completely. They've been doing that kinda stuff for over a decade and have developed a modified OpenWRT version and maintain lists of compatible routers

[-] unexposedhazard@discuss.tchncs.de 13 points 2 weeks ago

NYC Mesh has been around for more than a decade. I assume they talked to other similar projects when building it.

[-] meme_historian@lemmy.dbzer0.com 3 points 2 weeks ago

Ah nice! :D Yeeeah just thought it'd be a shame to not utilize existing work that has been done on OpenWRT. But then again, it's highly unlikely that actors from similar groups haven't met at hacker conferences, GitHub repos, etc.

I see freifunk networks more rarely nowadays. They also are notoriously slow. Usually the mobile phone network is faster, even in Germany.

[-] meme_historian@lemmy.dbzer0.com 5 points 2 weeks ago

Yeeah it kind of fizzled out, that's true. In larger cities it used to be useful sometimes because of abysmal cell coverage and shady public WiFi. That has improved a lot since then, so yeah nowadays it can't hold a candle to 4G/5G mobile data.

[-] ryanvgates@infosec.pub 19 points 2 weeks ago

Does anyone know what other cities are building similar networks? Or how to get started doing it in your city?

[-] upbeatWave@lemmy.dbzer0.com 2 points 2 weeks ago

I think European has a head start on this. Not sure which US cities are doing it

[-] Alatarius@lemmynsfw.com 8 points 2 weeks ago

I've heard rumors (or not rumors) of several cities across the US than outright ban community ISPs. I don't know the truth of it, but I'm sure someone here can enlighten us on it and/or have trustworthy sources of info.

[-] albert180@piefed.social 11 points 2 weeks ago

I think it was states banning the cities doing it. Like Tennessee, being ~bribed~ lobbied by AT&T and others doing so

https://www.pcmag.com/news/tennessee-sues-fcc-for-axing-municipal-broadband-ban

[-] AmbiguousProps@lemmy.today 1 points 2 weeks ago* (last edited 2 weeks ago)

KPUD in Kitsap County, WA does something similar: https://www.kpud.org/fiber-internet/free-public-wi-fi/

They also have very affordable public fiber.

[-] TheHalifaxJones@lemm.ee 1 points 2 weeks ago

I reached out to the NYC mesh folks and they are going to walk me through it. It seems like a lot of work. But the more people who can get to help. The stronger it becomes.

[-] obinice@lemmy.world 12 points 2 weeks ago* (last edited 2 weeks ago)

Okay, going off the title to start with you're building a WiFi network, that's very cool (I'm guessing it's a mesh network), but will you connect it to the Internet too?

That'd be more of a headline if so, then just building a WiFi network.

[-] TheHalifaxJones@lemm.ee 1 points 2 weeks ago

My friend has been using NYCmesh for a couple years now. He has nothing. It positive things to say about it.

load more comments (4 replies)
[-] surph_ninja@lemmy.world 10 points 2 weeks ago

I’m shocked this is going through. I gotta imagine at least Tennessee will block it. They’re super pro-big isp.

[-] MouseKeyboard@ttrpg.network 10 points 2 weeks ago

Cue lawsuits from ISPs in 3, 2, 1...

load more comments (1 replies)
[-] BigTrout75@lemmy.world 7 points 2 weeks ago

Reminds me of the time I shared my Internet with my friend who was in another apartment. We just created a Wi-Fi bridge with dd-wrt. That was 15 years ago.

[-] moosetwin@lemmy.dbzer0.com 4 points 2 weeks ago

I wish I had that near me, but unfortunately I don't live in New York (United States), I live in New York (United States).

ARGH PLACENAMES

[-] jagged_circle@feddit.nl 2 points 2 weeks ago
[-] moosetwin@lemmy.dbzer0.com 1 points 2 weeks ago

I hadn't gotten the idea from the domain name but admittedly the comment wasn't very good regardless

[-] moosetwin@lemmy.dbzer0.com 1 points 2 weeks ago* (last edited 2 weeks ago)

in reality though I did get excited seeing this only to be disappointed that it's only in new york city and I live in upstate new york

[-] thezeesystem@lemmy.blahaj.zone 4 points 2 weeks ago

Way way long ago I remember when I lived in Portland that they tried this, it was a pilot program. Idk if it's true or propaganda but it didn't work out because it was slow down because of how much porn people where downloading, so they didn't expand it and just stoped doing it.

[-] throwawayacc0430@sh.itjust.works 3 points 2 weeks ago

I heard about some city (NYC??) that has public wifi access points with the terminal thing that acts like a touch screen computer for people to browse the internet. And people were allegedly watching porn on it, like in public on a busy street. So they disabled the touchscreen computer thing and only left the wifi access point on.

[-] jagged_circle@feddit.nl 2 points 2 weeks ago

Packet shaping.

load more comments (1 replies)
[-] altphoto@lemmy.today 3 points 2 weeks ago

Anyone remember ricochet wireless? That was awesome. It can happen again! Why not?

[-] nucleative@lemmy.world 3 points 2 weeks ago

I was just thinking about ricochet while perusing the thread. Ricochet was new when I was starting in IT and I can still remember connecting a ricochet modem to a company laptop and then pulling up our novell netware file share over our vpn. It was jaw dropping to see it at the time. Amazing how far we've come since then.

[-] zout@fedia.io 2 points 2 weeks ago

Reminds me of Wireless Seattle, that must be what, 25 years ago?

[-] zout@fedia.io 1 points 2 weeks ago
[-] unphazed@lemmy.world 1 points 2 weeks ago* (last edited 2 weeks ago)

This is what I thought of. I remember they beamed a signal across a lake successfully. I also got into making a cantenna because of them. Used it a lot working security in places that didn't have wifi.

load more comments
view more: next ›
this post was submitted on 22 May 2025
573 points (98.3% liked)

You Should Know

38786 readers
4 users here now

YSK - for all the things that can make your life easier!

The rules for posting and commenting, besides the rules defined here for lemmy.world, are as follows:

Rules (interactive)


Rule 1- All posts must begin with YSK.

All posts must begin with YSK. If you're a Mastodon user, then include YSK after @youshouldknow. This is a community to share tips and tricks that will help you improve your life.



Rule 2- Your post body text must include the reason "Why" YSK:

**In your post's text body, you must include the reason "Why" YSK: It’s helpful for readability, and informs readers about the importance of the content. **



Rule 3- Do not seek mental, medical and professional help here.

Do not seek mental, medical and professional help here. Breaking this rule will not get you or your post removed, but it will put you at risk, and possibly in danger.



Rule 4- No self promotion or upvote-farming of any kind.

That's it.



Rule 5- No baiting or sealioning or promoting an agenda.

Posts and comments which, instead of being of an innocuous nature, are specifically intended (based on reports and in the opinion of our crack moderation team) to bait users into ideological wars on charged political topics will be removed and the authors warned - or banned - depending on severity.



Rule 6- Regarding non-YSK posts.

Provided it is about the community itself, you may post non-YSK posts using the [META] tag on your post title.



Rule 7- You can't harass or disturb other members.

If you harass or discriminate against any individual member, you will be removed.

If you are a member, sympathizer or a resemblant of a movement that is known to largely hate, mock, discriminate against, and/or want to take lives of a group of people and you were provably vocal about your hate, then you will be banned on sight.

For further explanation, clarification and feedback about this rule, you may follow this link.



Rule 8- All comments should try to stay relevant to their parent content.



Rule 9- Reposts from other platforms are not allowed.

Let everyone have their own content.



Rule 10- The majority of bots aren't allowed to participate here.

Unless included in our Whitelist for Bots, your bot will not be allowed to participate in this community. To have your bot whitelisted, please contact the moderators for a short review.



Rule 11- Posts must actually be true: Disiniformation, trolling, and being misleading will not be tolerated. Repeated or egregious attempts will earn you a ban. This also applies to filing reports: If you continually file false reports YOU WILL BE BANNED! We can see who reports what, and shenanigans will not be tolerated.

If you file a report, include what specific rule is being violated and how.



Partnered Communities:

You can view our partnered communities list by following this link. To partner with our community and be included, you are free to message the moderators or comment on a pinned post.

Community Moderation

For inquiry on becoming a moderator of this community, you may comment on the pinned post of the time, or simply shoot a message to the current moderators.

Credits

Our icon(masterpiece) was made by @clen15!

founded 2 years ago
MODERATORS