Why can’t cell phones mesh? Moreso, why can’t my $2000+ Macbook Pro mesh on wifi networks, yet a $200 child’s laptop can? By mesh, I mean why can’t mobile devices (laptops and cellphones) act to relay messages through to each other so keep service going in areas that a central points can’t reach.
Googling around doesn’t give many answers. The main one that I could imagine would be power consumption, but the OLPC has gotten around that so it can’t be that hard. Security could be another, but it would be no worse than logging on at your average coffee shop or being plugged into a wired network that have other people on the switch/subnet.
A perfect place for this would be the subway systems of major cities. There’s always some people near the entrances, and even a slight delay in relaying of things like SMS would be acceptable. SMS service should work nearly anywhere. What about if you’re out on the highway somewhere that’s not covered? If there were other cars on the road within a 1/2 mile or so they could surely repeat the signals to help extend service. Or apartment buildings that end up being like fallout shelters for their sheilding capability?
Of course, it would need a standard and companies would probably try to not work with each other. This is 2008. Again, why a $200 laptop can mesh, but a $2000 laptop can’t is still beyond me.
