"LocustWorld recently announced a hardware/software
implementation of an open access point platform capable of meeting
the needs of community networks. The system is available for
purchase as a ready-to-go system (the 'MeshBox'), or the software
can be freely downloaded from LocustWorld's website.
"Originally released as a bootable CDROM called 'MeshAP,'
MeshBox is now implemented as an under-32MB system image which can
fit within a small CompactFlash card. But despite its small size,
MeshBox extends the basic access point and mesh routing
functionality of the original MeshAP. MeshBox now provides the
capabilities of a set-top box Internet Appliance, wireless mesh
router, connection to remote windows terminal servers (or other
PCs), web browsing, mp3 audio and mpeg video streaming, connection
to multiple peer-to-peer networks, instant messaging network chat,
and file exchange.
"LinuxDevices.com asked Jon Anderson, the creator of MeshAP and
MeshBox, to provide some background on these interesting
projects--and here's what we learned..."
