Project Kleinrock
Following are the details of a project to create a completely autonomous "second layer" of the Internet, completely free of the influence of or need for Internet Service Providers, and untouchable by the government. This plan is named after Leonard Kleinrock, inventor of the Internet Packet. It has been enacted after news of a bill entering the United States Senate which would allow a President to disable all Internet connectivity within the United States. (We later heard that this bill doesn't do quite that, but that the President has had the power to shut down any telecommunications network (as defined by the FCC) for over 70 years.)
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Abstract
Project Kleinrock is an attempt to create an autonomous and decentralized "second layer" of the Internet, which can operate without the use of Internet Service Providers. This network can be set up using nothing more than common household wifi routers. It works by creating a web of routers, connected to each other by switching them into repeater mode, a mode that most routers are capable of. In repeater mode, routers can act as relays, amplifying and rebroadcasting the signal of the router they are connected to, and preserving that router's connections. Each router is connected to a computer which acts as a server, hosting documents which can be accessed from anywhere along the network.
With enough cooperation, and a large number of open "Kleinrock Nodes", an entire neighborhood, or even an entire city, can become networked by stringing all of the routers together, and the Kleinrock layer will be accessible to anyone with a wifi-enabled device. From here, it is trivial to connect multiple Kleinrock networks to each other. Since the network is entirely wifi-based, no ISP connections are necessary, and the network cannot be destroyed without the deactivation of every Kleinrock router.
Reasons
- The President of the United States has had, for more than 70 years, the power to shut down all Internet connections (or in fact any communications network) within the United States during times of "National Crisis".
- The new bill entering the senate will give the President the power to shut down these connections for at least 4 months WITHOUT congress approval.
- The Internet is currently completely controlled by the government and a small number of self-interested corporations.
- The Internet is one of the most important communications networks in existence.
- The shutdown of the Internet, even within a single country, would be absolutely devastating.
- Project Kleinrock is relatively easy to set up, and will create a new Internet controlled by no-one.
- With Kleinrock, the Internet can become a free service, with free access and free hosting. The only cost to access the Kleinrock Network will be that of purchasing a router, laptop, or any wifi-capable device.
- Kleinrock is a super cool name.
Procedure
Following are the procedures for setting up a successful Kleinrock network.
Setting up the Network
A Kleinrock Network can be set up easily with the cooperation of a few people over an area. Only 2 or 3 routers are required to enable an entire neighborhood block, and an entire neighborhood or even a town or city can be enabled just as easily. Most common household routers are capable of becoming Kleinrock Nodes.
Router Setup
- Using your router's instruction manual, find out if your router is capable of repeater mode.
- Rename your router using the naming scheme discussed in the "Router Identification" section.
- Switch your router into open mode (no password or encryption).
- Switch your router into repeater mode, and connect it to any nearby Kleinrock Router.
- Your router is now a Kleinrock Router!
Notes
- If the router you are setting up as a Kleinrock Router is the same router you use for your Internet Subscription, others will be able to access the Internet through your Kleinrock Router, and this will slow down your Internet use. If you do not want to provide this kind of Internet access, there are 2 solutions:
1) Buy a second router, and use it as a Kleinrock Router without modifying your existing router.
2) Install a firewall to limit Internet connections to the users within your local network.
Kleinrock Servers
While routers are essential, and extremely helpful in increasing the range of a Kleinrock Network, the network also requires servers to host documents, websites and services, and to broadcast information required for the operation of the network. If you want to help even more, you should download and install the Kleinrock Server Package for your operating system. (Not yet available).
Server Package Components
- Lighttpd web server (For the Kleinrock Site Indexer)
- Kleinrock Site Indexer (version 1 almost finished)
- Dot-P2P DNS Node client/server (For .klein decentralized domain names)
- SQLite (For the Kleinrock Site Indexer)
- Python (For the Kleinrock Site Indexer)
- Instruction Manual
Cluster Nodes
By acquiring several routers and connecting them together by cables inside your own home, you can create a "Kleinrock Cluster", a super router that can repeat several nearby routers at once. By connecting them to each other and setting each to repeat a different router, you can drastically increase the redundancy and stability of the Kleinrock Network with little effort.
Router Identification
The current convention is that all Kleinrock Routers should be named "Kleinrock-Node" and be open and without password. Giving all routers the same name allows most wifi-enabled devices to automatically reconnect when they move out of the range of one router and into the range of another.
Evangelism
The more Kleinrock Routers active, and the wider their range, the bigger and better the network will become. Once project Kleinrock is put underway, please inform everyone you know, and even people you don't know, about the benefits and ease of setting up a Kleinrock Router. It is especially important to get routers activated within range of each other, and in areas least dense with Kleinrock Routers. An "Evangelist Guide" and a pamphlet for prospective router owners will be prepared in the future.
Diagrams
In repeater mode, routers can connect to each other and rebroadcast the signal, preserving the network structure. Each router can only repeat one other router, but a router can be repeated by several routers. Following is a diagram of an example Kleinrock Network.
C = Client
R = Router
S = Server
The arrows indicate the router being repeated.
A router can have multiple servers.
Routers can be connected to each other by wires to create a Kleinrock Cluster. This effectively creates a super-router which can repeat multiple routers.
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