Comments on: Routers Need an Emergency Mode

By: Jeremy Toeman

Jeremy Toeman — Mon, 09 Jun 2008 15:54:08 +0000

@Dan – just to give perspective: your town gets hit by a massive earthquake, and the cell networks are down. you are fine, and seek shelter for the evening, and as the fire department actually advises, if you find a structurally sound building thats otherwise uninhabited, you should go ahead and sleep there for the night. but you shouldn’t use their WiFi?

@Aaron – excellent points!

By: Aaron

Aaron — Mon, 09 Jun 2008 12:44:59 +0000

Yeah, never going to happen any time soon. (I can’t imagine how security would work, nor how triggering it would work).

Furthermore, in many emergencies, the power is out.

But, easier would be to install wireless access software that offers both public AND private access.

However, many internet contracts expressly prohibit sharing of wireless signals with the public. (And then, there’s that whole responsibility issue — what if someone does something malicious via your router via public access?)

By: Dan

Dan — Mon, 09 Jun 2008 05:34:45 +0000

Sorry to disagree, but I think this is a bad idea. If my internet connection is a paid utility, I’d like to have the final say over who uses it no matter what. If my neighbor knocks on my door and asks, sure I’d let them use it (same with the phone line). But I’d rather not give up that control to someone else to determine when it is an “emergency” situation.

By: Justin

Justin — Sun, 08 Jun 2008 21:33:13 +0000

This is a great idea, however, like you said, very unlikely.

I personally think a better solution would be a more widespread adoption of metropolitan area networks (MANs) that are open and available to anyone who can access them. These MANs are spreading and starting to pop-up, but not quick enough.