Youngsters hook up Olhão’s own Wi-Fi

Goodwill and antennas on apartment blocks

It all started as a game between friends.

In the summer of 2004, Pedro Sousa (whose Internet identity is Kry0h) wanted to link the computer in his bedroom to the IT shop of one of his friends.

For the technology of the time, it was a challenge – as the two sites were separated by one of the largest avenues in town.

“But it got me thinking,” he explains. “I signed up to the MWP (Movimento Wireless Português) forum, began reading, and did some tests to develop my understanding of it all. With quite an expensive device (called «Access Point»), a router and an antenna, Sousa enrolled Olhão on the MWP – a completely unofficial initiative whose objective it is to encourage the creation of wireless networks throughout the country. “In the beginning, it was a shot in the dark. I really didn’t know what was going to happen,” continues Pedro.

“I set up a page, explaining the project and saw that people were beginning to sign up for it, and ask questions. Open to anyone interested, the network rapidly grew. “People who like IT, multimedia and programming joined up. We created online games servers, internal television, even radio. Really, the whole reason for this was to share knowledge and know-how”.

Currently, Pedro Sousa lives on the edge of Olhão town centre – where he’s installed the network’s control centre (or “bridge”). He developed the software in partnership with Telmo Bento, a young “IT-whiz”, just 19 years old.

Their network signal reaches approximately 10 kilometres into the surrounding areas – enough to cover a large part of the town, with a network of 15 millimetre-wave triangular monopole antennas at strategic points.

“We have a lot of goodwill from the condominiums and people living in apartment blocks who, fortunately, understand our objectives and support them. They’ve let us set up our equipment on their properties”.

Each antenna takes around three or four hours to configure, but once that’s all been done, they can function on their own for a number of years without requiring any maintenance.

“There’s one antenna in a block where we have to go through half the woman’s home to get access to it,” laughs Pedro.

Free Internet in Ria Formosa

Wi-Fi (the abbreviation of “wireless fidelity”) is a technology that’s freely available these days, and incorporated by the majority of computer and gadget manufacturers.

Basically, it allows connection to the Internet without any wires. By definition, these networks operate on frequencies that give free-access to the public.

Thus, in line with the Portuguese law for electronic communications (n.º 5/2004, de 10 de Fevreiro), it’s possible to set up and use these structures without any need for licences.

The law simply defines the physical limits for the maximum power of transmission. These are 200 mW (20dBm) on the 2.4GHz band, and 1W (30dBm) on the 5GHz band.

In other words, this power is more than enough for the MWP-Olhão signal to reach Ria Formosa and the barrier islands.

“It’s actually a lot stronger than the Algarvedigital signal” – that’s the network that provides a number of free Internet “hotspots” throughout the region.

As a result of several requests that began coming in from foreigners - and even Portuguese people travelling through the region - the IT duo decided during the summer of 2006 to use their infrastructure to offer free access to the Internet.

Right now, it works a few hours a day, between the period of 30th May to 1st September.

“And now we’ve got between 100 and 200 people connected to us. We’ve developed servers and software to define automatically what users can do. We don’t allow access to pirating sites or to those with “adult content”, for example – nor do we allow for peer-to-peer programmes”, says Sousa, who shares his own broadband line in just this way.

“We have users from many nationalities. Those who come here by boat thank us enormously for the service. Many have had to buy themselves a 3G pen in every country they’ve passed through. Sometimes, they want to meet us and ask our advice on where they can buy onboard computers”.

Forever without a single cent of support from any official body, all the costs of this network have been met by the generosity of its most active members.

“ I think I’ve already spent between €5.000 - €10.000 on this project”, Pedro – the principal player and enthusiast – calculates. “

“Often we question the value of what we’re doing – but I made a decision: I don’t want our investment involved in any political nonsense!”

Amateur scientists in the Algarve hills

From the very beginning, experimentation has been the prime motivation for the founders of MWP-Olhão.

“Since we started to understand the whole working of electromagnetics, we began developing antennas of all sorts”.

Beyond hardware available to them in the shops, Sousa and Bento created their own material to increase the power of their wireless network. This includes “super efficient” original antennas – made by using aluminium rods, recycled satellite dishes, milk cartons, tins of Baking Powder, old chip packaging, even used frying pans!

“We can make an antenna that would cost between €200-€300, for just €30”, Sousa explains.

During the development of their network, in 2007, “we ran a test in which we connected the Cerro de São Miguel (near São Brás de Alportel) with Barão de São João (near Lagos)”.

“We created a national record! With just two antennas and no signal amplifiers, we connected computers at a distance of 76 kilometres!”

In the experiment “we exchanged photos, ran direct videos and even passed files through the FTP protocol”, Bento adds.

“We did it all for just a fraction of the price of any system available on the market”, he added. The achievement is registered on video and available on «Youtube».

The work developed by these members of MWP-Olhão has already brought them a number of invitations to give talks at secondary schools, even universities.

International Recognition

On a local level, Sousa and Bento say they have yet to see any interest in using their network by the local authority, or indeed any other local association. “It’s a pity because we could do a lot of things”, they say. “Make services and information available, for example – or transmit live broadcasts. The possibilities are almost infinite”.

But, elsewhere, the young men are seen as an example to follow. “People from Brazil have been in touch with us, for help in developing networks and creating communities”.

As long as they’re given certain variables, like “the typology of the land, the number of houses and the type of data”, combined with satellite photographs “we can make a virtual map of how far the signal could reach”, they explain. Although they use various programmes to develop networks, “experience counts for a lot”.

“Wireless networks are very cryptic. Sometimes, you can be a few metres from an antenna and still not get a signal. You have to understand why. There’s so much involved – refraction indexes, propagation, shadow zones, etc.”

Unfortunately, in Portugal “the majority of people would only be interested in a project like this if there was an element of personal gain. If there’s no profit, most people don’t want to know. They don’t look at the technological aspects, or at the sense of community that this can bring”, Sousa laments.

But he’s adamant, nonetheless: the movement is here to stay…