How to become the operator of a decentralized Internet provider “Medium” and not go crazy. Part 1

Good afternoon, Community!

My name is Mikhail Podivilov . I am the founder of the public organization "Medium".

With this publication, I am starting a series of articles on setting up network equipment to maintain authenticity when becoming the operator of the decentralized Internet provider Medium .

In this article, we will look at one of the possible configuration options - creating a single wireless access point without using the IEEE 802.11s standard.

What is a Medium? / How to join the Medium network?

Lyrical digression

If you want to become an operator of the “Medium” network, then, most likely, you have already thought about how legal this idea is and what consequences may arise.

Answer : this is completely legal and no consequences should arise. We work closely with RosKomSvoboda (which, by the way, has a very rich judicial practice in the field of information technology) and consulted with her about this.

By the way, RosKomSvoboda recently released material about Medium on its blog . In one of the paragraphs, the position of RosKomSvoboda in relation to the Medium network is clearly indicated:

I want to become a network operator. Will they find me?

This issue has already been discussed both by community members and us - and we did not find any problems with the free provision of mobile radio services by the decentralized Internet provider Medium in the Russian Federation.

We understand that this excerpt from the publication is not enough to calm his inner paranoid. Therefore, together with RosKomSvoboda, we made an appeal to the Ministry of Communications and are currently awaiting a response from them.

The most common use case

As a rule, now far from everyone can afford a direct connection to the Medium Mesh network with a partial mesh topology due to the too low density of wireless access points.

Therefore, users use the resources of the Medium network by connecting to it using the Yggdrasil transport.

It looks like this:

Create a single wireless access point

In this publication, we will look at creating a single wireless point. After configuration, the network topology will look like this:

Unfortunately, it is impossible to describe in detail the process of setting up each of the existing wireless routers individually - there are too many different brands and models of routers on the market now.

Therefore, I will abstract from the most general terms and concepts, explaining the process of setting up network equipment in a fairly abstract way. If anything - feel free to correct or supplement me, the article is open for editing.

Step 1. Basic configuration

Yggdrasil is distributed as a package for OpenWRT , however, not every operator can afford to install OpenWRT on their wireless router due to various circumstances - from banal unwillingness to the impossibility of flashing the device.

We will consider the option in which the client connected to the wireless network will use autoconf mode, due to which the client’s Yggdrasil router will automatically detect the operator’s Yggdrasil router by using the multicast and will be able to use the resources of the Medium network.

The algorithm of the client who wants to connect to the Medium network:

The client connects to a hidden wireless network with the Medium SSID
The client starts the Yggdrasil router with the -autoconf
The client uses the resources of the Medium network

In the wireless settings of your router, specify the SSID “Medium” and the encryption type “no password”. Also, do not forget to disable SSID broadcasting - the network must be hidden.

Step 2. Configuring Captive Portal

“Captive Portal” is a technology that allows wireless access points before entering the network to show a web page that contains a list of actions required to be performed to connect to the network.

For example, it can be authorization by using a one-time code from SMS - according to the current Russian legislation, all legal entities and individual entrepreneurs distributing Wi-Fi on a free basis must identify the client by using SMS.

There is no such need for Medium - here the Captive Portal technology is necessary in order to provide the end user with the ability to download the software necessary for working on the network.

If your wireless router supports Captive Portal technology, use a community-based pre-built template .

Step 3. Configuring the Yggdrasil Client

In order for a client connected to your wireless router to use the resources of the Medium network, you must configure and run a copy of Yggdrasil on your PC connected to the wireless network.

Use the following guide to properly configure your copy of Yggdrasil.

Step 4. Add your access point to the public list of all network access points

The point is small - now it remains to add your access point to the public list of all network access points . This is optional, but desirable if you want users of the network to find you easier.