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What's up with LibreRouter?

Email: nicopace@altermundi.net , spiccinini@altermundi.net
Twitter: @nicopace , @spiccinini

slides: https://hackmd.io/@nicopace/whatsup-with-librerouter-2021

What is the LibreRouter again?

link: https://librerouter.org/what/

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The LibreRouter serves the half of the worlds population that has no access to the internet, usually in remote, rural or underserved areas from corporations and government, where communities are only able to serve themselves.

Project Objectives

Decentralized networks, managed by the people (anyone and everyone within the network), geek-free (and geek training).

link: https://librerouter.org/what/

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LibreRouter facts

Countries were there are LRs already

https://librerouter.org/es/novedades-distribucion-de-equipos/

Argentina, Alemania, Brasil, Colombia, Congo, Cuba, España, Ecuador, India, Indonesia, Italia, Kenia, Malawi, Mexico, Myanmar, Nigeria, Ruanda, Tailandia, Uganda, Zimbabwe.

LibreRouters around the world

300+

Revolving manufacturing fund

Deals with having routers available for when communities need them.

Development fund

The project doesn't currently have a sustainable way of being developed.
We go step by step, proving ourselves, the communities and the funders that the LibreRouter is a key element for bridging the digital gap.

The objective of the fund is to make sure further development can be funded.
It is clear for us that the communities should not be the ones that have to do the bulk effort of costing the development of the tools they need to deal with the situation.

For now, we have been dealing with this through grants, and it is usually an ongoing effort.

Feature: Automated testing

Functional / Integration tests:

CI for integration tests through a web application for OpenWrt

https://gitlab.com/librerouter/fwsystests

  • Qemu: to run the embedded system
  • Pexpect: testing to the serial port
  • Selenium + Firefox: web tests
  • Pytest: running and writing tests in Python
  • Docker image: run headless in a server
  • Gitlab CI

Pipeline: https://gitlab.com/librerouter/librerouteros/

Can be used for other webUis (LuCi, OrangeRPC, LuCi2, …)

Roadmap:

  • run a full mesh using 80211_hwsim.
  • share with other projects and communities

Unit testing and code coverage

TDD approach to LibreMesh

Manual tests

  • feedback from communities, release candidates
    Examples of this would be:

Deployment: New networks challenging the pandemic

link: https://altermundi.net/2020/11/02/nuevas-redes-comunitarias-de-internet-en-argentina-durante-la-pandemia/

CARC

Doing

Protocol: doing deployments in times of COVID

link: https://altermundi.net/protocolo/

Feature: User Experience work

UX for community neighbours.
New key role in the development team.

Tool: https://www.figma.com/

Documentation and Communication

Feature: Stand-alone Remote Support Mechanism

This functionality is useful for when there is an issue that a laypeople can't diagnose and requires assistance from a more experienced member of the community.

Let us show this to you through an example:

link: https://foro.librerouter.org/t/new-tool-remote-access/220

Universal service funds in Argentina

State money put in community networks.

Documentary

link: https://youtu.be/DcOAePVwafs

Historical Mesh Network Performance Dashboard

Historical Mesh Network Performance Dashboard (https://gitlab.com/librerouter/miniserver)

  • Based on VictoriaMetrics + Grafana
  • RPi + debian + mender

Pirania Captive portal

Distributed voucher system with captive portal.

https://github.com/libremesh/lime-packages/tree/master/packages/pirania

Roadmap

LibreRouter v2

  • Current WiFi tech (802.11n) is showing its age
  • EOL of current chips
  • Starting development on 2021
  • SoC and wireless chips selection (MediaTek, Qualcomm, ?)
    • Join us to the research/selection effort

And more

  • Multiple Weighted Gateways Support on Babel
  • Distributed configuration updates
  • pirania: voucher system (frontend in 2021 GSoC)
  • Continue efforts towards having a TVWS frequency shifter
  • LibreRouter network testbed for Continuous Integration
  • Android native app for network selection capability (GSoC)
  • Libre Hardware Gigabit PoE injector and mini-UPS system
  • Full mesh reactive auto-configuration (like dynamic channel usage)
  • Mesh TDMA
  • Indoor router
  • Testing ac/ax radios in the LibreRouter

We need

  • contributors for the already existing open source projects
  • collaboration for clearing the roadmap
  • funding :)
  • help in getting funding :) :)

Questions?

https://librerouter.org
https://altermundi.net

nicopace@altermundi.net
spiccinini@altermundi.net

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