[lug] Question about Mesa Networks

[Paul E Condon]

On Wed, Apr 21, 2004 at 07:14:00PM -0600, Nate Duehr wrote:
> Paul E Condon wrote:
> 
> >I've just got connected to internet via Mesa Networks. Since it is
> >local, I'm supposing that others who have been with then longer than
> >I are members of this list. Mesa uses fixed wireless, but otherwise
> >seems to offer always on service much like Comcast. My question is:
> >
> >What special security considerations are there when using Mesa Networks?
> >I'm worried because their informational materials make it sound as if
> >there are no problems, but I wonder...
> >
> >My security concerns are rather modest. I run a small LAN, 2 Linux, 
> >2 iMacs, 1 print server. I have been using dial-up, so this is the
> >first time that I have to confront the nasty aspects of always-on
> >internet service.
> >
> >TIA
> > 
> >
> 
> Shouldn't really be any different than connecting to any other public 
> network.  Firewall off whatever's not in use, and virus protect the OS's 
> that need to be.  ;-)
> 
> I can ask a friend who's on Mesa what he sees on his outside interface, 
> but generally with Wireless ISP's the only major difference is on a lot 
> of them you see everyone's ARP traffic rebroadcast by the Access Point 
> out to all user-endpoints when the main routers are looking for someone 
> since Layer-2 is put over-the-air in many of the newer 
> commercially-designed wireless systems.
> 
> On some Wireless ISP's you don't get true public addresses (just like 
> some wired ISP's) and you can sometimes see mixed "real IP" traffic and 
> "RFC 1913" traffic if you're watching who's ARP'ing for what... so 
> essentially someone evil could hijack a real address they see the main 
> routers ARP'ing for.  But that's really no different than wired networks 
> other than they seem to do their Layer-2 filters a little better and 
> most wired networks are switched these days.
> 
> Mesa's on the Motorola Canopy system, aren't they?    
                                                    yes 
>                                                         Nice RF stuff,
> expensive as hell to deploy though -- wonder how many years they have to 
> operate and at what capacity to pay that monster bill back to Mother M...? 

They claim to have been operating for four years and to be profitable.

> 
> I hear the admin stuff on Canopy for the network operator is really nice 
> compared to some of the more inexpensive solutions.  Did you get to see 
> the installer do any of his/her magic during your turn-up? 

I got to see pretty much all. I didn't climb up on the roof, but from
on the ground it looked like there was an initial signal strength and
pointing/visibility test. Followed by bolting the antenna in
place. Then stringing the cable, followed by testing the Ethernet
signal at the end of the cable that's inside the house. This lead to
some delays which the installer attributed to a bad crimp in his
cable-connector work. With that fixed, the system worked. My
impression is that the real magic was done by Motorola in building a
system in which bad crimps are the only problem that really requires
human intervention. So far, I'm pretty happy.

-- 
Paul E Condon           
pecondon at mesanetworks.net