Sensor Area Networks (SANs)

[nedb]

(06-10-2013 01:05)DonB Wrote:  

(06-09-2013 23:21)nedb Wrote:  May be feasible if the MiFi has true router features, but I don't think it does.

I have a longstanding dislike of the MiFi that centers around things like that. In other words, lack of versatility.

Yep. MiFi is sold to people who like to throw it on the dashboard like an order of cheeseburgers. Moves easily between whatever they're driving. A no fuss solution that appeals to people who like phone-sized portable appliances. Less tech-oriented people seem to find it manageable--they get it at the store, the salesman configures it for them on the spot, and thereafter it is more or less On/Off, and that's all. I drew the line at antennas--MiFi is OK only if I can use it with assurances of the best signal. I ended up with a Wilson cell phone amplifier, trucker's antenna, and MiFi. I defy you to demonstrate thr difference in bandwidth.

A wireless router ought to be able to use MiFi over a wireless connection, pretty much like a Cradlepoint router with Aircard. I've never tried routing traffic with it. I guess the time for doing that is drawing near. There may be gotchas that wouldn't arise with a true router. We shall see.

At any rate, I envy the simplicity of the XIG pulling the data from the sensors/radiosn over the gateway, with a pre-configured command! but I think for my purposes, I might approach the problem from the other end, pushing it from the sensors/Arduinos to a collection point on my intranet. Given the XBee/Arduino's capabilities, it could be as simple as writing data to a remote disk. Remember rcp? Remote copy >> into an existing file is all it should take to aggregate sensor data into a flat file that I can mail or process or locally. If it then needs to go somewhere on the internet, then that's what the existing telecom connection is for, or what the dyndns address will do for remote data collection.

Finally, a use for all this information design stuff that I used to daydream about when I worked for the less adventurous They (wireless phone companies) were among the most boring technologists in the history of the world. They were scared to death by "new" acronyms like XML. I learned everything I need to know about XML from a couple of weekends at the local coimmunity college. The telcos were like "this is a paradigm shift, it requires careful consoideration." Yeah right.

(06-10-2013 00:26)davidmbrady Wrote:  WaGu is a not-for-profit, non-business, non-advertiser endeavor. If there were to be a business model to spring from this it would have to divest itself from WaGu. So, if I'm following your inquiry I'd say no, WaGu is not preparing itself for a paid service to the WaGu community. Whatever is here on WaGu is free. Having said all that, my account with goDaddy has all the services required to do the things we've been speaking of and I'd love few things more than to offer these services to the community here on WaGu.

Sorry about that, I didn't mean to be prickly. I had a sudden sense of the connectedness of all things, and went with it when I should have filtered.

Our little skunkworks project already has enough scope to keep me busy in my spare time. And it is the most stimulating thing I have to do, by far. Looking forward to electronic parts parcels arriving this week.