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WiFi, "weefee", 联盟 However you pronounce it, this label is a four-letter word for a phenomenon: the ubiquitous adoption of a radio modulation protocol which allows persons to share access to their computer networks, wirelessly. WiFi is in the air around you, right now, but it is invisible. The Wireless Landscape is a visualization of this invisible landscape. I walk the streets of a town or neighborhood and listen for wireless networks. With the aid of GPS data I can map where I find the networks. I print large maps which show the names of the networks that I find. I show these maps to the public and the exhibition is a forum for asking: what is WiFi? The event is educational and I help demystify some of the magic that is WiFi. Many questions are answered, but there is one question I am particularly interested in answering: Can I share my WiFi, but with some rules? This question emerges from a frustration: individuals wish to share their wireless but run into problems when trying. These problems relate to security and resource allocation. These problems are complex, but some solutions are on the horizon. There is a collective desire for a ubiquitous, shared wireless medium to exist. A wireless commons. And persons are interested in sharing what they can to help build this commons, The Wireless Commons To the right are some images of the wireless landscape presentation in Banff, Alberta. I have also completed this project in the Tenderloin neighborhood of San Francisco, for images of that presentation please go to: |
List of networks names, Banff, Alberta, Canada
Map of wireless networks, Tenderloin District, San Francisco
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Map of wireless networks, Banff, Alberta, Canada
Map showing the signal reach of the Hilton network, Tenderloin District, San Francisco
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