[mdlug] Westland Library wifi available in parking lot

Drew drew4096 at gmail.com
Wed Oct 7 13:04:50 EDT 2020


Reposting with subject field filled in.

>From the last WestlandLib newsletter:

[QUOTE]
Outdoor WiFi Now Available!
The library now offers WiFi access outside of the library building
between the hours of 7:00 AM - 11:00 PM. Feel free to sit at one of
the library's outdoor tables or in your vehicle to access the internet
on your device.
[/QUOTE]

WestlandLib has officially said people may use their wifi from the parking lot.

I have checked out signal strength and useability. I get at least a
half strength signal all the way to the back of the way-back parking
lot near (what looks like) the nature trail, which must be at least
100 yards from the building, and a 3/4 strength signal at the nearest
non-handicapped parking spots. They must be running a mesh network
with the routers mounted at the tops of the parking lot light poles.

Some sites are Blocked, but ProtonVPN has fixed that problem. So VPNs
are useful for something after all.

I propose having one of the next few meeting, for whoever is willing,
in the WestlandLib parking lot, cars parked within sight of each other
with ample space between. This can add some security to exchange of
public PGP keys and other sensitive Comm if desired (Bluetooth has ~30
foot range IIRC); and it may be useful to have an extra channel and
some extra bandwidth to the Net.

It can (and probab;y should) still be through jitsi, so that people
don't *have* to travel to Lib in order to attend, but the option can
be available if desired.
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