Comment by throwaway48540 10 hours ago
That should be fine. If it's part of every modem/gateway router, there should be so much bandwidth it doesn't matter. Standard QoS techniques can apply - don't allow someone to take it all when there are more people who want bandwidth.
Not only just shelling out more for that compatible modem/router, that volunteer would also have to be willing to set up at least the antennas in a place optimal for others to actually use it instead of potentially optimal placement for their own services. A client on the street is not going to get good connectivity to someone's cell repeater tucked deep in their media cabinet next to their game console and under their TV in the center of their home. You'll need to get your volunteers to bother placing these antennas on their roofs, on the top of flagpoles, etc. to get good propagation. They better have properly grounded it as well and put fourth good lightning protection for this new wire high point at the top of their home.
Why is it not a mesh? There are fundamental differences between normal and mesh networks in the ways they route packets, and I think this is still a mesh network.
> If it's part of every modem/gateway router
If it's a part of every modem/gateway router, why would you bother routing it through a bunch of mesh hops just to eventually get out instead of just routing it through the far more reliable wired networking available at every modem/gateway router?
Those regular WiFi networks only have tons of available bandwidth because they're not trying to repeat a bunch of wireless traffic. Even the current mesh WiFi networks only really work when you're using frequencies that aren't trying to compete with neighbors. Start getting actual density and it'll all fall apart.
Also your idea of "standard QoS can still apply" isn't exactly true. That QoS is only going to work if people play along with it. In the end its a shared medium. Get some clients to not play along with your configurations, you'll start getting collisions regardless of what you configure your QoS settings.
If it isn't doing mesh routing, then it isn't a mesh.
The question is can devices connect to other devices that route to router with internet. Is it possible to have router for house without internet connection that routes to the neighbors that do?
>If it's part of every modem/gateway router, there should be so much bandwidth it doesn't matter.
Why would it be part of every modem/gateway? Since there's no monetary incentive to participate, in all likelihood all nodes would be run by volunteers who are shelling out extra for a compatible modem/router.
Actually come to think of it, you can run a volunteer network providing internet connectivity with off the shelf equipment right now. It's called setting your wifi network to "open". Why don't people do that? How would your mesh network fix those issues?