Internet Blackouts

[entity]

Hello Forum,

Recent events have got me thinking ... in the event where a state/country issue an internet blackout ,or a scenario where telephone/mobile communication are disabled, what can an ordinary individual do to communicate across continents, or get back "online" ... now i am assuming that if mobile communication is disabled the 3G/4G wouldn't work as well so you can't use your mobile phone as a modem, but I am no expert on how these networks work. Any ideas how to get around this situation ? Also by "ordinary individual" i mean someone who has an average income and not someone who has limitless pockets.

Regards,

Entity

[Infiltrator]

That's a damn good question, and in fact I read an article on Computerworld.com, on what to do in such event. It was suggested to use a dial-up internet service, in case mobile phone carriers went down.

But that left me wondering, what if the whole system world wide went down, like satellites and other vital technology. We would be completely without communication and no way of communicating across the globe.

That's in deed a damn good question, and that has cross my mind several times.

[xantos_gambit]

I still have the radio my boss gave me years ago when I worked for the city, you'd be suprised how many people use them for random chatter. Then of course there is all the people who have them for work purposes such as police.

There is always somthing you can use.

Its not completly out of the realm of possibilies to send information great distance by sending it from person to person via radio

Edited February 22, 2011 by xantos_gambit

[entity]

@Infiltrator - but if the telephone system is disabled wouldn't dial-up stop working too ?

and

@xantos_gambit - well ok radios would work but not over extremely long distances, say across oceans ... i'm guessing

On another branch lets say one has these radio devices at hand, maybe this idea would also make for an interesting hack, could data actually be transfered through such devices linking computer systems together, maybe joining some private networks together increasing the resource pool ?

Regards,

Entity

[cgront]

@entity - I think that you could send data along radios like that. It would be interesting, you would have to watch what channels you would use. you would also have the issue of multiple people sending data at the same time. you would have to take it from basic communication to a new level. imagine it as if 500 people try to talk into the same room. even if you say what name to send it to data can still get criss-crossed. you would need to have to have a way to decipher what is meant for you and what is not, and the data all has to be on different levels. It would definitely be interesting because I don't think there is enough channels for everyone to have one. You would also have to have regulators what you would like connect via one channel and the regulator would say use this channel to talk. but still even with that you would have issues of multiple people talking to connect. There is a way to do it on a small scale. and

In any case people can still have networks, and with that just interconnect your networks to make a wide area network.

-Cgront

[entity]

In any case people can still have networks, and with that just interconnect your networks to make a wide area network.

-Cgront

Well yes isolated networks would still be up. The thing is how can these networks be connected on a global scale lets say, for example, how can network A in America connect to network B in the UK, bypassing ISPs or any form of Internet services offered to us through Telephone/Mobile companies. Always keeping in mind one has to use the equipment one can find at a decent price range and not equipment costing thousands.

Entity

[digip]

You can do packet relay over Ham Radio, but you need the equipment and software setup with people at another station doing the same thing.

edit: Another thing I just thought of was with the supply of wireless devices these days and work being done on long distance wireless technology, you could also have adhoc networks and wifi repeaters giving people access to the internet so long as they can reach the edge of the blackout via their wireless equipment. N is fast and has decent distance, but not enough on its own to be of help, but add some high def antennas and repeaters, and maybe even adding the unfinished 802.16 equipment into the scenario for up to 30 mile relays and you could have a far reaching mesh network of just adhoc computers who seek to reach a node/server base that has access to the internet outside the blackout zone.

Edited February 22, 2011 by digip

[Infiltrator]

@entity - I think that you could send data along radios like that. It would be interesting, you would have to watch what channels you would use. you would also have the issue of multiple people sending data at the same time. you would have to take it from basic communication to a new level. imagine it as if 500 people try to talk into the same room. even if you say what name to send it to data can still get criss-crossed. you would need to have to have a way to decipher what is meant for you and what is not, and the data all has to be on different levels. It would definitely be interesting because I don't think there is enough channels for everyone to have one. You would also have to have regulators what you would like connect via one channel and the regulator would say use this channel to talk. but still even with that you would have issues of multiple people talking to connect. There is a way to do it on a small scale. and

In any case people can still have networks, and with that just interconnect your networks to make a wide area network.

-Cgront

In aviation aircrafts use what its call HF (high frequency) when flying over the ocean Atlantic. Now HF is very prone to static and sometimes there can be a lot of interference making very difficult for the traffic controller or the aircraft crew to read each others messages. In addition if you have several planes trying to talk with the ATC (air traffic controller) at the same time, the whole communication would break down, and no body would understand a word. So therefore aircraft crews use what is called SELCAL.

Selcal is like a messaging system, that uses HF to broadcast messages between the ATC and the aircraft crew. Since it uses HF to broadcast the message, the two parties can only exchange messages one at the time.

Now we could use such system for communicating across the ocean.

http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/SELCAL

Edited February 23, 2011 by Infiltrator

[entity]

Interesting concept digip will look up on packet relay over Ham Radio and I suppose people could "discover" groups wanting to establish a network connection via the same Ham Radios as I've read that some systems have quite a long range. Now IF there would be an internet blackout ... would this be considered legal if government officials where to find out that such connections where being attempted.

Entity

[entity]

@Infiltrator - what about the equipment needed where could someone get hold of it ? :)

[Infiltrator]

@Infiltrator - what about the equipment needed where could someone get hold of it ? :)

We could purchase it from places where they sell aircraft parts. Or use Digip concept which should cost a lot less to implement and buy.

[digip]

Interesting concept digip will look up on packet relay over Ham Radio and I suppose people could "discover" groups wanting to establish a network connection via the same Ham Radios as I've read that some systems have quite a long range. Now IF there would be an internet blackout ... would this be considered legal if government officials where to find out that such connections where being attempted.

Entity

I think Darren covered something on this briefly in an episode where he interviewed someone about using ham radio for networking, but if you want, google for "Packet Radio".

[entity]

I think this is the episode you're refering to digip :) -

Entity