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Tag: torrelavit

A history of connectivity in Torrelavit: from 1.200bps using packet radio to 1Gbps on fiber optics

Reading time: 6 – 9 minutes

This is a chronology of my history using the Internet, and no-Internet, connections. I never thought this is going to be possible; currently, my Internet connection is faster than my local network. The best speed test that I’ve got so far is the one that you have in the attached screenshot using an old Dell Studio XPS with Linux Mint. The paradox is that more modern computers get the worst performance than this one and all of them synchronize the network card to 1Gbps with the Mikrotik CloudSwitch which acts like a gateway applying NAT rules before the fiber optic bridge.

By the way, that news at home makes me spend some time remembering all the Internet connections I had at home since 1992. During Barcelona Olimpic games I was on Netherland with a holidays’ family trip in that trip we met a guy who told me how to connect two computers using a ham radio station, this technique is called packet radio. I was 15 and my life changed at that instant. The idea was using a radio station of 145MHz, or 433MHz (there were more frequencies, but they are unusual) connect the speaker and mic of the radio station using an audio jack to a TNC (Terminal Node Control), or a Baycom, which are at the end of the day like a modem that converts analog audio signals to digital serial port signals. Using the serial port connected to the computer a terminal application was run for user interfacing with the network. Protocol used for the WAN network was AX.25 a variant of X.25, used in the past on most ATM networks, the packet radio network had not only client stations, also BBS (Bulletin Board Systems), Weather Stations, email, FTP, nodes (repeaters), and gateways to other WANs like Fidonet, and Internet. How to get those resources without a searcher like Google, it’s another story.

Exchange data was a nightmare because communication was at a bandwidth of 1.200bps on a shared media, the air, using a simplex (half-duplex)  communication. In plain words, this means to send a 10 KB pictures could take an afternoon and usually, terminals weren’t multi-task so you had the computer busy doing that all the time. The first time that I run a browser was for Gopher service which inspired Web service at some point, I had two use two computers one of them running as TCP/IP to AX.25 gateway and the other with Windows 3.1 running Mosaic and using IP over parallel port (PLIP) for exchanging data with those two computers. Mosaic was the first graphical browser of the story as far as I know. Finally, I remember that I developed a small implementation of TCP/IP stack over AX.25 on an EPROM for a TNC, it was very basic but good enough for mapping ham radio IDs and TCP/IP addresses. BTW, my ham radio ID was EB3EWH.

This part of the story lasted about 5 years, I remember the late 90s when good enough plain old telephone line (POTS) was installed at home and a super modern 9600bps telephonic modem which evolved very fast to different speeds up to 56K was the only option for connecting to the Internet. We used Infovía and Infovía plus a Telefonica service for getting data network instead of regular calls to the ISPs, really painful part of the story. Slow speeds also and expensive services for what we get. Maybe the most fun thing about this part of the history was when someone at home pick up the phone and data connection was interrupted. Other roughly 5 years with this connectivity pattern.

In the early 2000s, I installed an ISDN line at home with two 64kbps at home, on those was permanently connected to the Internet and the other one was available for voice calls. ISDN was an exciting and very stable technology I’m out of the market currently but I think it’s still possible to buy links using so old technology.  This part of the history was shorter than the previous ones and the funniest story was a thunderstorm and lighting day when the TR1 exploited in front of me I scared a lot.

At the end of 2002 a 256Kbps ADSL was installed on top of a new POTS line installed again at home. It was like a dream, finally, I was navigating with broad bandwidth. ADSL speed up to 2Mbps it was impossible to improve the speed to higher speeds than that because I’m too far from any ADSL distribution point. I remember in 2012 I was paying for 6Mbps internet connection which was the smallest possible to hire and my maximum speed was 1.9Mbps measured with the proper equipment for quality lines test. 

At the end of 2013 I installed a Wi-Fi link with a guy who re-sell fiber optics connection in Sant Sadurní d’Anoia using a link to the Ordal which is a mountain that I can view from home, about 10 km link using 5GHz frequency. Speed was 6Mbps/300kbps. This link was active until two days ago, but since August 2014 the main Internet connection was using another Wi-Fi link with a company called XTA (Xarxa de Telecomunicacions Alternatives), a.k.a. WifiPenedes which is part of the Guifi.net project. This is the same company which installed fiber optics at home the day before yesterday at home. The Wi-Fi link that I had with WifiPenedes was 20Mbps/1Mbps and currently, with the fiber optics I have 1Gbps/300Mbps and there is no backup link with any other technology. BTW, I have a 4G subscription which can be used for emergencies.

At the end of 2013 I installed a Wi-Fi link with a guy who re-sell fiber optics connection in Sant Sadurní d’Anoia using a link to the Ordal which is a mountain that I can view from home, about 10 km link using 5GHz frequency. Speed was 6Mbps/300kbps. This link was active until two days ago, but since August 2014 the main Internet connection was using another Wi-Fi link with a company called XTA (Xarxa de Telecomunicacions Alternatives), a.k.a. WifiPenedes which is part of the Guifi.net project. This is the same company which installed fiber optics at home the day before yesterday at home. The Wi-Fi link that I had with WifiPenedes was 20Mbps/1Mbps and currently, with the fiber optics I have 1Gbps/300Mbps and there is no backup link with any other technology. BTW, I have a 4G subscription which can be used for emergencies.

Of course will be nice to go deeper with each of those points, finding anecdotes I lived with those 26 years of history connecting to wide area networks (WAN) maybe one day I’ll find the priority for sharing so amazing moments and people that I met thanks to those networks. I have to admit that networking changed my life, it enables access to broad knowledge. Thank everyone and every company which makes this possible, it has been a pleasure to enjoy this fantastic processes. I finish accepting the challenge to improve my LAN for getting the best from my new Internet connection.

PDF and DOCX version.

Comencen les postes de sol de primavera

Reading time: 1 – 2 minutes

Aquí teniu tres fotografies de les postes de sol que acabo després de sortir de la dutxa fa unes minuts, ara ja es ben fosc. Tot el bo dura poc.

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A més ahir anant cap a la feina vaig fer una foto a la sortida del sol:

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Com sempre a l’album de fotos, dins dels cels fotografiats dins de casa teniu les fotografies anteriors amb la mida original.

La web de Torrelavit: www.torrelavit.net

Reading time: 1 – 2 minutes

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Impressionant, fa uns dies vaig descobrir la ‘súper web’ del meu poble i no només això sinó que tinc un iman d’aquells que es pengen a la nevera perquè no se m’oblidi la web. Realment impressionant, com avança el poble.

Per cert, si ho voleu saber tot, però tot sobre el poble no ús perdeu la web. Me l’he estat mirant una bona estona i jo diria que no li falta res, fins hi tot m’ha aparegut una esglesia que no he vist mai i això que hi vaig neixer aquí. Però bé, ara ja tinc una missió buscar aquesta esglèsia que mai he vist. Això de Sant Martí Sadevesa em sona, però la veritat no sé ni on és.

De fet, com ja vaig comentar fa un temps he de redescobrir el meu entorn. Recordeu aquest post: re-descobrint els voltants de casa. Així que hauré de continuar amb el tema, perquè això no pot ser. Ara si tenim en compte que sóm unes mil persones i si mires tot el que posa a la web sembla fins hi tot que siguem un gran poble. A veure si realment ho serem i ja no ho recordava. Però com deia abans, sempre esta bé re-descobrir-se.

Quina boira aquest matí…

Reading time: < 1 minute

El jordi m’ha tret l’article dels dits, igual que ell i la resta de torrelavidencs avui ens hem llevat amb una boira fora de serie.

Mirant el paissatge:

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Mirant les cases dels veïns:

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Tot havia desaparegut o estava en procés de fer-ho. Realment impresionant, la visibilitat era d’uns 50m com a molt. Si voleu veure més fotos i amb més qualitat mire l’album de fotos.

Primer enllaç wifi a base de Nesquik a Torrelavit

Reading time: 1 – 2 minutes

Tal com s’explicava a comesfa, el nostre mestre de les manualitats en Toni amb la incalculable ajuda del Jordi tal com explica el Toni al seu propi blog s’han currat una anteneta a base de Nesquik. Així que ja hem substituït un dels colls de d’ampolla que teniem a la xarxa per un enllaç tipus g que de moment rendeix a 36Mbps.

UPDATE 14/09/2005: ja teniu més fotos del procés de l’antena Nesquik penjades per si us pot ser útil i/o curiós veure-les.

re-descobrint els voltants de casa

Reading time: < 1 minute

Diumenge varem anar amb el Xavi a donar un tomb amb el quad i varem re-descobrir zones del voltant de casa que ja teniem oblidades, almenys jo.

Xulo,eh!?

Ampliem ePineda…

Reading time: 1 – 2 minutes

Gràcies al curro del Toni, el Jordi i el Xavi. Aquest últim el nostre nou usuari a la xarxa sense fils de Torrelavit. Ampliem infraestructura a la part de la xarxa de la Pineda. Concretament ara ho fem a la Pineda vella, o sigui, que ja tenim les dues pinedes cobertes amb aquesta nova incorporació. Al blog del Toni, podeu veure una post d’aquesta notícia.

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El nou mapa de la xarxa de Torrelavit queda així:

Quina por: foc al costat de casa…

Reading time: 2 – 2 minutes

Amb la muntanya fumenjant i el cor encara refent-se de l’ensurt que acabem de patir escric aquest article per informar-vos que fa unes hores a començat un foc a les muntanyes de darrera de casa.

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De moment no en tenim ni idea de les causes, no sabem si és un petard, una barbaco d’algún inconcient o el vici incontrolat d’algun adicte a la nicotina o a altre substàncies 😉 la qüestió és que notar com el 112 esta col·lapsat en una situació d’aquestes et posa ben nerviós i malgrat encara el vegis a uns 2 o 3 quilòmetres de casa l’escalfor i la olor notes que s’apoderen de l’ambient.

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Per sort, al final venen els bombers amb els cotxes, 2 elicopters i un hidroavió i amb poca estona controlen la situació. Mica en mica van passant els nervis per donar lloc a un malestar i una rabia pel que ha passat que barrejat amb la impotència et fa perdre la gana. De fet, els que de ben segur l’han perdut del tot la gana és la gent de Can Ros que tenien el fot a escasos metres de casa i veure columnes de foc de 10m metres tan aprop ha de posar els pels de punta… per sort, com a les pel·lícules tot ha quedat en un ensurt. Espero que no s’hagi cremat gaire tros que de moment no ho hem pogut anar a mirar.

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Unim eBosc i ePineda (quasi 1km)

Reading time: 2 – 3 minutes

Segur que ja esteu al corrent de que eBosc esta més viu que mai, això ho hem confirmat aquest cap de setmana unint-lo amb ePineda. Em fet un enllaç estable de quasi 1km (998m) entre la casa del Jordi (carrer del Bosc) i la del Toni (carrer Canigo, a la pineda). Aquí podeu veure el Toni col·locant aquest ‘empalme’ al màstil de l’antena de TV per tenir de forma definitiva l’antena directiva (14dB) que enllaça amb l’omnidireccional (7dB) de casa del Jordi:

Realment en Toni s’ho ha currant fent fins hi tot un PoE casolà:

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Com no, una foto aerea del poble on es veu per sobre d’on està passant l’enllaç. Realment una passada,no?

També aprofito el post per comentar-vos que ja he instal·lat una nova placa base al meu servidor i de la xarxa eBosc+ePineda. Amb això espero solucionar definitivament els problemes que porto arrossegant amb aquest tema. Ara hi ha un PIV Centrino a 2,4GHz amb quasi 1Gb de RAM i +500Gb d’HD. Gràcies Byteman pel material, quan es té pressupost reduit val la pena tenir amics que t’ajudin a solucionar problemes d’aquests. A més també l’hi he instal·lat la targeta FXO per l’Asterisk tot i que encara no l’he configurat però això és qüestió de dies ;). Com podeu veure aquest cap de setmana n’hem fet molta de feina i a més encara ens ha sobrat temps per ser sociables…