Here are some tips for fixing a standard Roofnet node.
1. Is the wireless card plugged firmly into the back of the computer? If you’ve removed the card and have trouble getting it back in, make sure that the card’s purple and white label is facing down (i.e. towards the bottom of the computer).
Here’s what the back of the Roofnet node should look like:
2. Is the box powered up? There is a green LED on the front of the box that lights up when the box has power. You can reset your node by unplugging the power from the back side of the box and plugging it back in. It takes a minute or two to start up.
3. Is the antenna connected? Check that the small gold “pigtail” connector is plugged into the wireless card, on the edge of the card that is closer to the center of the back of the computer. The other end of the pigtail, a big silver connector, should be connected to the thick black cable which leads to the antenna on the roof. Check that the antenna is still securely fastened to the chimney. Make sure all the connectors are tightly screwed into each other.
4. Connect your laptop or desktop computer to the Roofnet node via Ethernet. You will probably have to plug your computer into an Ethernet hub, and also plug the Roofnet node into the same hub. You might be able to directly connect them by an Ethernet cable, though this often doesn’t work (with older computers it requires a special crossover cable). If the Roofnet node is connected to Ethernet, the green and orange lights next to the Roofnet node’s Ethernet jack will be lit.
5. Your computer needs to ask the Roofnet box for an IP address using DHCP. Microsoft Windows may automatically do this, or you can try typing “ipconfig /renew” at a command-line prompt. You may also need to disable any other network connections, by right clicking on them in the Network Connections control panel and selecting Disable. You may need to right-click on Local Area Connection and select Enable. Once the Roofnet box assigns you an address, the Local Area Connection icon should say “connected”.
6. Once you have connected your computer to the Roofnet box over a wired connection, start a web browser and visit http://192.168.0.1. On older nodes, you will need to click on the first link. You should see a node status page. If you see a line saying “Status: connected”, or a “Valid routes” line with a number larger than one, then you are on the air.
7. If you can load the status web page but don’t see any routes in the status table, something is wrong. The antenna or cable may be faulty, or perhaps your node is running software that is too old. In the latter case you can ask us for a new software CD.
8. You might not be within radio range of any other Roofnet nodes. You can check whether there are any live nodes near you by following the Map link at http://pdos.csail.mit.edu/roofnet (on a computer that has a working Internet connection).
9. If you can’t even load the status page, but the Roofnet node appears to be powered up, then perhaps the Ethernet configuration is broken. Make sure your Roofnet node isn’t plugged into the same hub as your cable modem/router.
10. If you need more help trouble-shooting your node, you can plug a VGA monitor and keyboard into the back of the Roofnet computer and let us know what you see.
