Project Stats (Aug 10th) ave speed 1786 kbps

CLAN... read more The Science Bit... read more FAQ... read more

The Science bit...

The goal of the project is to provide fast internet connections that are at least equal to, and hopefully better than those provided by traditional broadband provided over a phone line. Typical speeds for the traditional service are 512Kbs download and 128Kbs upload. This is roughly 10 times faster than a standard dial-up modem. Although, typically, the service received can be much slower because the link is shared with up to 50 other people, this is known as the contention ratio (50:1), lower contention ratios are better.

At the time of writing a connection to Broadband provided by AOL costs £27.99 per month with an installation fee of £95. Prices for the village network have been set at £25 per month subscription plus an installation cost of between £70 and £150 depending on the equipment required.

Recent developments in satellite technology make two-way communication to the Internet possible. Currently links are available at speed of up to 2Mbs download, 512Kbs upload, faster than standard broadband. Later in 2004 it is expected that link of 8Mbs upload and download will become available. Contention ratios are much better than with wired links, 5:1 is possible.

This allows the village to get a shared link to the Internet. A single small satellite dish, similar to a Sky television dish can transmit and receive all of the village Internet data.

We now need to look at how the data can be sent around the village to individual houses and businesses. The solution is based on wireless technology known as 802.11g. Essentially this uses radio to send the data around the village at speeds of up to 54Mbs. Receiver sites must have direct line-of-sight to the transmitter. Buildings, hills and even trees can block the signal. Luckily repeater sites have been installed which means that now almost 80% of the village lies within the wireless area.

So, what will you need in your home or business to connect? Each computer will need a network adapter. Then you may need an aerial. The type of aerial depends on how far away you are from a repeater station. Some locations will not need an aerial at all, some will need a small internal aerial that can sit beside the computer. It is expected that most will need a small panel antenna that looks like a small burglar alarm box, about 4 inches square that can be mounted on the outside of the house.

A Sustainable Communities Project