Our Methods to Appear at AccessNets
Posted by Caleb Phillips on 21 June 2008Research based on the performance and coverage testing methods developed for our testing of the MetroFi Proof-of-Concept network in Portland has been accepted for publication at AccessNets 2008 which will be held in Las Vegas, Nevada in October. The paper is titled “Robust Coverage and Performance Testing for Large-Area Wireless Networks” and is co-authored with professors Dirk Grunwald and Douglas Sicker at the University of Colorado at Boulder. We’ll post a copy of the final camera-ready manuscript here, as soon as it is ready (presumably sometime in July).
MetroFi’s Portland network slipping into unmitigated decay?
Posted by Russell Senior on 5 January 2008A couple weeks ago we commented on how, despite earlier assurances, dozens of new access points did not appear to be going live over the last few months. We had based this observation on 
a comparison of roughly weekly snapshots of the MetroFi map. Since October 26, 2007 the map has recorded the following changes:
- between October 31 and November 2, a “Coming soon” access point appeared on the map at 4400 NE Broadway
- between November 9 and 18, that “Coming soon” access point disappeared from 4400 NE Broadway and reappeared at 416 NE Brazee
- between December 1 and December 14, the “Coming soon” access point at 416 NE Brazee was replaced with an “In service” access point at 2432 NE Martin Luther King Jr Blvd. In the same period, a latitude/longitude correction was made, moving the spot on the map intended for SE Division Street and 57th Avenue about 1000 feet from SE Lincoln to SE Division.
When Chuck Haas said that the service area had expanded substantially since October, we were perplexed by the disparity and inquired to MetroFi about just which new access points had gone live since October. We are still waiting for an answer. Their map indicates anemic growth at best. But then we began wondering, just how accurate is that map? There is only one reliable way to find out. Go check. So, between December 19th and Decemeber 30th we spent about 35 hours doing just that. From the locations provided on their map, we endeavored to drive underneath each one of the 677 SkyPilot access points that MetroFi claims exist.
(Read on …)
Initial Announcement
Posted by Caleb Phillips on 27 March 2007Preliminary results of an independent evaluation will be presented at the Personal Telco Project Monthly Meeting on March 28 at 6:30pm
During the Summer of 2006, the City of Portland signed an agreement with MetroFi, Inc (Mountain View, California) to build a city-wide wireless network that promised to provide ad-supported, free-of-charge wifi Internet service to Portland. As part of the 82-page agreement, MetroFi agreed to initially deploy their network service in a Proof-of-Concept area. Expansion beyond the Proof-of-Concept network was to be contingent on an independent confirmation that the network performed up to the standards set out in the agreement. The City solicited bids to perform the independent evaluation and awarded a contract to Uptown Services (Boulder, Colorado).
The results of the official Uptown Services evaluation of the MetroFi Proof-of-Concept wireless network are expected in the next few days.
In addition to the official test, two local researchers and community wireless activists, Caleb Phillips and Russell Senior, have performed their own evaluation, and are ready to present some preliminary results Wednesday evening during the monthly General Meeting of the Personal Telco Project, a local community wireless networking educational non-profit organization.
Among the preliminary results presented will be detailed maps showing the boundaries of the Proof-of-Concept network as they compare with MetroFi coverage claims, the locations of the access points, street-level signal levels found in an extensive survey, a statistical assessment of how well the network measures up to the expectation of a connection in 90% of outdoor areas based on a random sample of locations, as well as a general discussion of what they have learned about the MetroFi network during their evaluation.
The preliminary results will be followed by a more complete report when it is finished in the coming days. The report will be available for download at www.unwirepdx-watch.org.
The monthly meeting of the Personal Telco Project will be held at Urban Grind Coffee at 2214 NE Oregon St, on Wednesday, March 28th, starting at 6:30 pm.