Would be neat to see a mesh-network of these running on old phones of which most people have 1 or 2 of at their house with a REALLY simple installer.
A few of these sprout up organically in locales and it would be like the BBS days of yore - ultimately it could lead to a larger geographical footprint of a "side-net".
Check out "The Serval Project" - it checks a few of your boxes, although it focuses more on securing and expand 1-to-1 communication than the community/BBS aspect.
That is an unfortunate name. This has implications much greater than a few privileged first-worlders sharing some movies but you wouldn't guess it from the name.
FreedomBox perhaps? WunderWurfel? Anything seems better than Pirate-something.
I agree that 'pirate' anything is a disservice for a brand name, but let's not apply the MPAA's definition of piracy so broadly. Piracy isn't sharing copyrighted media, it just happens to be a spookier name than "copyright infringement" that the media industries like to use haphazardly to in order to paint such activities as morally reprehensible.
PirateBox is a self-contained mobile communication and file sharing device. Simply turn it on to transform any space into a free and open communications and file sharing network. Inspired by pirate radio and the free culture movements, PirateBox utilizes Free, Libre and Open Source software (FLOSS) to create mobile wireless communications and file sharing networks where users can anonymously chat and share images, video, audio, documents, and other digital content.
How does it work?
Simply turn PirateBox on to transform any space into an offline communication and wireless file sharing network. When users join the PirateBox wireless network and open a web browser, they are automatically redirected to the PirateBox welcome page. Users can then immediately begin to chat anonymously, post images or comments on the bulletin board, watch or listen to streaming media, or upload and download files.
PirateBox runs on multiple devices, including wireless routers, Android-based phones, single-board computers like the Raspberry Pi, and even laptops.
Is it safe?
PirateBox is designed to be private and secure. No logins are required and no user data is logged. Users remain anonymous – the system is purposely not connected to the Internet in order to subvert tracking and preserve user privacy.
Can I make my own PirateBox?
Absolutely! The PirateBox is is free (as in freedom) because it is registered under the GNU GPLv3. This license grants the right to freely copy, distribute, and transform creative works according to the principles of copyleft.
PirateBox can be built for as little as US$35. For detailed instructions, visit the PirateBox OpenWrt DIY page.
Where can I read more about the PirateBox?
Visit the PirateBox Press page for a listing of and links to more than 175 stories about the PirateBox.
Where can I find more photos of the PirateBox?
Check out the PirateBox Gallery.
Where can I find more videos of the PirateBox?
Check out these PirateBox Videos.
Why did you build the PirateBox?
The PirateBox solves a technical/social problem by providing people in the same physical space with an easy way to anonymously communicate and exchange files. This obviously has larger cultural and political implications and thus the PirateBox also serves as an artistic provocation. See this ars technica article and this New Scientist article for more info.
Why is it called the PirateBox?
The PirateBox is inspired by the free culture and pirate radio movements. The name is a playful remixing of the title of the world’s most resilient BitTorrent site, The Pirate Bay.
Does the PirateBox promote stealing?
No. The PirateBox is designed to facilitate communication and sharing between friends and local community members.
Who helps build the PirateBox?
The PirateBox was created by David Darts and the lead developer is Matthias Strubel. Aaron Williamson from the Software Freedom Law Center provided advice on the project and Christiane Ruetten originally ported PirateBox to OpenWrt. The project is actively supported by developers and testers all over the world.
Do you know of any other projects similar to PirateBox?
Yes, check out Aram Bartholl's fantastic Dead Drops. There are also several forks of the project, including Jason Griffey’s LibraryBox, the Bibliobox, the LibroBox and the CoWBox (CoWorking Box).
Where can I discuss the PirateBox?
Visit the PirateBox Forum to discuss the PirateBox, share your builds, and receive support.
> PirateBox is a self-contained mobile communication and file sharing device
> PirateBox runs on multiple devices, including wireless routers, Android-based phones, single-board computers like the Raspberry Pi, and even laptops.
That's a little confusing. So it is a device or an app? Or is it just saying that you can connect to it from all of those devices?
I'd love to see a world where an enormous network of these makes big telecom obsolete. Don't think the issues with big internet will ever push enough people into creating this but at least there's a safety net. Pun intended?
Would be fun to see that, but I fear it's really hard. Routing in a mesh network is a tricky subject.
Even ISPs (those who care) have issues ensuring that there would be enough bandwidth for peers to watch their videos and low enough latency to play their games. Especially it's tricky to balance ingress trafic when there are multiple paths to you (your ISP has many peers), but one pipe's clogged and one's nearly unused (and situation changes all the time, so next day - or sometimes even hour - it could be the opposite).
this would only work in cities. any towns and smaller villages would henceforth be without service.
and each city would be disconnected from the next big city, as there is no realistic way to span that amount of space in between for hobbyists.
but it would be great, despite these limitations. governments would no longer be able to kill all communication... until they adapted anyway. nothing easier than spamming these networks with useless entries to hide the actually worthwhile ones
> PirateBox is a self-contained mobile communication and file sharing device. Simply turn it on to transform any space into a free and open communications and file sharing network. Inspired by pirate radio and the free culture movements, PirateBox utilizes Free, Libre and Open Source software (FLOSS) to create mobile wireless communications and file sharing networks where users can anonymously chat and share images, video, audio, documents, and other digital content.
> How does it work?
> Simply turn PirateBox on to transform any space into an offline communication and wireless file sharing network. When users join the PirateBox wireless network and open a web browser, they are automatically redirected to the PirateBox welcome page. Users can then immediately begin to chat anonymously, post images or comments on the bulletin board, watch or listen to streaming media, or upload and download files.
These would be great on planes/trains/buses where wifi isn't readily available. These days the passengers probably carry enough content on their mobile devices to keep everyone entertained during a long haul flight they just need a way to share it.
Love the project! I am actually thinking about buying an mr3020 just for this.
My main feedback is that the page does nothing to tell new users what the heck is PirateBox. The landing page should contain an explanation of what it is and why do you want it.
I built a piratebox using a cheapo tplink router about 2 1/2 years ago. I'm somewhat surprised nothing has been built using commodity Android phones since then. They'd be better suited to the task as far as having a battery built in, better antennas, etc.
I don't know about Piratebox specifically, but I've found it a hassle to try and use phones. When the screen shuts off Android drops the CPU performance, and (in particular on older phones) running he wifi nonstop in AP mode dramatically heats up the phone, causing reboots. This might be ameliorated by a custom kernel, but I never got that far.
The picture of the one attached to a girl's bike appears to connect to a power source next to the front wheel which I assume to be some sort of generator from wheel motion.
Sweet idea, but the sceptic in me already sees the negative downside, which will inevitably follow: perverts exchaining child porn, people sharing copyrighted stuff, drug dealers organizing heroin trafficking.
Before you downvote me: from a legal POV, this is the same as leaving your WiFi open or protected with WEP. In front of a court you will be either held liable for just aiding distribution of child porn/warez (if you're lucky), or worse, for possession. In Germany this definitely means time behind bars, in the US it means federal court for child porn/aiding a drug business. Good luck getting out of this.
You would not even remotely consider leaving your WiFi open, right? Then, why do you consider putting up a PirateBox or whatever it is named for public use?
Does anyone know if this addresses the myriad of security flaws with the old version? I have an older box, but found it wasn't really used. I should bring it back up at some point and update it.
Does anyone have any idea how long you could run, say, the TP-LINK WR703N for on battery? It'd be neat to set one of these up at a small summer festival in a couple of months.
Buy one of those car cigarette-lighter USB charger thingies, and connect it between a car battery and the router. The WR702N (I presume similar to 703N) says "Powered through a micro USB port by an external power adapter or USB connection to a computer": http://www.tp-link.com/en/products/details/?model=TL-WR702N
A car battery is fast and easy to charge. I would guess a car battery would last 20 to 80 hours, depending on the the battery, the router, and the usage.
Alternatively most cigarette-lighter USB chargers can take under-voltage so you can easily hook up a LiIon laptop battery (nominally 10.8 Volts). Laptop batteries are great because they come with a laptop that can charge them very quickly.
A car battery gives you the option to use many other routers (maybe you have a suitable one lying around!). Routers often use a 12 Volt DC input, and although a direct connection between the battery and the device is theoretically the wrong voltage, in practice I myself would just connect it straight through without any qualms (unless it was an expensive or rare router!). The WR703N probably uses less power so would run longer, but maybe compromises on range?!
I can't see any links on any of their pages to the source code. Multiple links to the GPL and about Free software but no route that I could find to the source itself.
There are instructions here[1] for building your own. Which includes:
1. First download a copy of install_piratebox.zip and a customized
copy of OpenWrt for the MR3020, WR702N or MR3040 to your computer
from: http://stable.openwrt.piratebox.de/auto (be sure to download
the “*squashfs-factory.bin” file that corresponds with your specific
device).
Also says:
Using OpenWrt and off-the-shelf hardware, you can build a PirateBox
1.0 for as little as US$35. Check out the OpenWrt DIY page for more
info and visit the OpenWrt Discussion Board for support.
[+] [-] cyanbane|11 years ago|reply
A few of these sprout up organically in locales and it would be like the BBS days of yore - ultimately it could lead to a larger geographical footprint of a "side-net".
[+] [-] jobu|11 years ago|reply
[+] [-] bri3d|11 years ago|reply
[+] [-] xhrpost|11 years ago|reply
[+] [-] noonespecial|11 years ago|reply
FreedomBox perhaps? WunderWurfel? Anything seems better than Pirate-something.
[+] [-] icebraining|11 years ago|reply
[+] [-] serf|11 years ago|reply
[+] [-] unknown|11 years ago|reply
[deleted]
[+] [-] aw3c2|11 years ago|reply
[+] [-] yarrel|11 years ago|reply
[+] [-] Phogo|11 years ago|reply
PirateBox is a self-contained mobile communication and file sharing device. Simply turn it on to transform any space into a free and open communications and file sharing network. Inspired by pirate radio and the free culture movements, PirateBox utilizes Free, Libre and Open Source software (FLOSS) to create mobile wireless communications and file sharing networks where users can anonymously chat and share images, video, audio, documents, and other digital content.
How does it work?
Simply turn PirateBox on to transform any space into an offline communication and wireless file sharing network. When users join the PirateBox wireless network and open a web browser, they are automatically redirected to the PirateBox welcome page. Users can then immediately begin to chat anonymously, post images or comments on the bulletin board, watch or listen to streaming media, or upload and download files.
PirateBox runs on multiple devices, including wireless routers, Android-based phones, single-board computers like the Raspberry Pi, and even laptops.
Is it safe?
PirateBox is designed to be private and secure. No logins are required and no user data is logged. Users remain anonymous – the system is purposely not connected to the Internet in order to subvert tracking and preserve user privacy.
Can I make my own PirateBox?
Absolutely! The PirateBox is is free (as in freedom) because it is registered under the GNU GPLv3. This license grants the right to freely copy, distribute, and transform creative works according to the principles of copyleft.
PirateBox can be built for as little as US$35. For detailed instructions, visit the PirateBox OpenWrt DIY page.
Where can I read more about the PirateBox?
Visit the PirateBox Press page for a listing of and links to more than 175 stories about the PirateBox.
Where can I find more photos of the PirateBox?
Check out the PirateBox Gallery.
Where can I find more videos of the PirateBox?
Check out these PirateBox Videos.
Why did you build the PirateBox?
The PirateBox solves a technical/social problem by providing people in the same physical space with an easy way to anonymously communicate and exchange files. This obviously has larger cultural and political implications and thus the PirateBox also serves as an artistic provocation. See this ars technica article and this New Scientist article for more info.
Why is it called the PirateBox?
The PirateBox is inspired by the free culture and pirate radio movements. The name is a playful remixing of the title of the world’s most resilient BitTorrent site, The Pirate Bay.
Does the PirateBox promote stealing?
No. The PirateBox is designed to facilitate communication and sharing between friends and local community members.
Who helps build the PirateBox?
The PirateBox was created by David Darts and the lead developer is Matthias Strubel. Aaron Williamson from the Software Freedom Law Center provided advice on the project and Christiane Ruetten originally ported PirateBox to OpenWrt. The project is actively supported by developers and testers all over the world.
Do you know of any other projects similar to PirateBox?
Yes, check out Aram Bartholl's fantastic Dead Drops. There are also several forks of the project, including Jason Griffey’s LibraryBox, the Bibliobox, the LibroBox and the CoWBox (CoWorking Box).
Where can I discuss the PirateBox?
Visit the PirateBox Forum to discuss the PirateBox, share your builds, and receive support.
[+] [-] davidjgraph|11 years ago|reply
[+] [-] higherpurpose|11 years ago|reply
> PirateBox runs on multiple devices, including wireless routers, Android-based phones, single-board computers like the Raspberry Pi, and even laptops.
That's a little confusing. So it is a device or an app? Or is it just saying that you can connect to it from all of those devices?
[+] [-] gcb0|11 years ago|reply
it is just a open wifi LAN with a single AP node?
what am i missing here? this seems utter pointless if i understood that correctly.
[+] [-] mentos|11 years ago|reply
[+] [-] drdaeman|11 years ago|reply
Even ISPs (those who care) have issues ensuring that there would be enough bandwidth for peers to watch their videos and low enough latency to play their games. Especially it's tricky to balance ingress trafic when there are multiple paths to you (your ISP has many peers), but one pipe's clogged and one's nearly unused (and situation changes all the time, so next day - or sometimes even hour - it could be the opposite).
[+] [-] y4mi|11 years ago|reply
and each city would be disconnected from the next big city, as there is no realistic way to span that amount of space in between for hobbyists.
but it would be great, despite these limitations. governments would no longer be able to kill all communication... until they adapted anyway. nothing easier than spamming these networks with useless entries to hide the actually worthwhile ones
[+] [-] unknown|11 years ago|reply
[deleted]
[+] [-] tomp|11 years ago|reply
> What is the PirateBox?
> PirateBox is a self-contained mobile communication and file sharing device. Simply turn it on to transform any space into a free and open communications and file sharing network. Inspired by pirate radio and the free culture movements, PirateBox utilizes Free, Libre and Open Source software (FLOSS) to create mobile wireless communications and file sharing networks where users can anonymously chat and share images, video, audio, documents, and other digital content.
> How does it work?
> Simply turn PirateBox on to transform any space into an offline communication and wireless file sharing network. When users join the PirateBox wireless network and open a web browser, they are automatically redirected to the PirateBox welcome page. Users can then immediately begin to chat anonymously, post images or comments on the bulletin board, watch or listen to streaming media, or upload and download files.
[+] [-] Element_|11 years ago|reply
[+] [-] soapdog|11 years ago|reply
My main feedback is that the page does nothing to tell new users what the heck is PirateBox. The landing page should contain an explanation of what it is and why do you want it.
[+] [-] shiftpgdn|11 years ago|reply
I built a piratebox using a cheapo tplink router about 2 1/2 years ago. I'm somewhat surprised nothing has been built using commodity Android phones since then. They'd be better suited to the task as far as having a battery built in, better antennas, etc.
[+] [-] Torgo|11 years ago|reply
[+] [-] unknown|11 years ago|reply
[deleted]
[+] [-] rkda|11 years ago|reply
[+] [-] TruthSHIFT|11 years ago|reply
http://piratebox.cc/faq
Can it actually run this way? Do they actually have a portable way of powering this device?
[+] [-] xhrpost|11 years ago|reply
[+] [-] MaStr|11 years ago|reply
[+] [-] mschuster91|11 years ago|reply
Before you downvote me: from a legal POV, this is the same as leaving your WiFi open or protected with WEP. In front of a court you will be either held liable for just aiding distribution of child porn/warez (if you're lucky), or worse, for possession. In Germany this definitely means time behind bars, in the US it means federal court for child porn/aiding a drug business. Good luck getting out of this.
You would not even remotely consider leaving your WiFi open, right? Then, why do you consider putting up a PirateBox or whatever it is named for public use?
[+] [-] _b8r0|11 years ago|reply
[+] [-] vertex-four|11 years ago|reply
[+] [-] robocat|11 years ago|reply
A car battery is fast and easy to charge. I would guess a car battery would last 20 to 80 hours, depending on the the battery, the router, and the usage.
Alternatively most cigarette-lighter USB chargers can take under-voltage so you can easily hook up a LiIon laptop battery (nominally 10.8 Volts). Laptop batteries are great because they come with a laptop that can charge them very quickly.
A car battery gives you the option to use many other routers (maybe you have a suitable one lying around!). Routers often use a 12 Volt DC input, and although a direct connection between the battery and the device is theoretically the wrong voltage, in practice I myself would just connect it straight through without any qualms (unless it was an expensive or rare router!). The WR703N probably uses less power so would run longer, but maybe compromises on range?!
[+] [-] MaStr|11 years ago|reply
I linked and described my observed runtime here: http://piratebox.aod-rpg.de/dokuwiki/doku.php/about/matthias
[+] [-] josephlord|11 years ago|reply
[+] [-] pyre|11 years ago|reply
[2] http://stable.openwrt.piratebox.de/auto/install_piratebox.zi...
[+] [-] MaStr|11 years ago|reply
We summarized all the sources here: https://github.com/orgs/PirateBox-Dev
When the page is working in normal parameters again, we'll put a link the sourcecode to the page.
We are sorry about the inconvenience.
regards Matthias
[+] [-] lemonSnap|11 years ago|reply
[+] [-] chippy|11 years ago|reply
[+] [-] kybernetikos|11 years ago|reply
[+] [-] ecoqba|11 years ago|reply
[+] [-] hypron|11 years ago|reply
[+] [-] jonathanmd|11 years ago|reply
They should take a look at mod_pagespeed (https://developers.google.com/speed/pagespeed/module) and start using a CDN.
[+] [-] uptownhr|11 years ago|reply