CUWIN Manual

Preface: Building Your CUWiNware Wireless Network

This manual will walk you through all the decisions that need to be made when purchasing and building hardware for a CUWiNware network.

First, a few definitions. CUWiNware (pronounced "Q-N-Ware") is the wireless server software created by the Champaign-Urbana Community Wireless Network project. A CUWiNware network is simply a mesh of access points, or nodes, running the CUWiNware software. A node consists of a computer, a wireless network card (NIC), an enclosure, an antenna, and all the neccessary cable and mounting equipment. Because these nodes can be built using any brand of computer and hardware store parts, you are not bound to any one hardware manufacturer, giving you the flexibility to build the ideal network for your situation.

Many of the decisions that you will make will be based on the local circumstances of your community. Topology, budget, available labor, available materials, network type, and network size will all need to be factored into your network design.