Ellie Rennie - Wi-Fi

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2 Series Title

3 Title Page Wi-Fi Julian Thomas, Rowan Wilken, and Ellie Rennie polity

4 Copyright Page Copyright Page Copyright © Julian Thomas, Rowan Wilken, and Ellie Rennie 2021 The right of Julian Thomas, Rowan Wilken, and Ellie Rennie to be identified as Authors of this Work has been asserted in accordance with the UK Copyright, Designs and Patents Act 1988. First published in 2021 by Polity Press Polity Press 65 Bridge Street Cambridge CB2 1UR, UK Polity Press 101 Station Landing Suite 300 Medford, MA 02155, USA All rights reserved. Except for the quotation of short passages for the purpose of criticism and review, no part of this publication may be reproduced, stored in a retrieval system or transmitted, in any form or by any means, electronic, mechanical, photocopying, recording or otherwise, without the prior permission of the publisher. ISBN-13: 978-1-5095-2989-6 ISBN-13: 978-1-5095-2990-2 (pb) A catalogue record for this book is available from the British Library. by Fakenham Prepress Solutions, Fakenham, Norfolk NR21 8NL The publisher has used its best endeavours to ensure that the URLs for external websites referred to in this book are correct and active at the time of going to press. However, the publisher has no responsibility for the websites and can make no guarantee that a site will remain live or that the content is or will remain appropriate. Every effort has been made to trace all copyright holders, but if any have been overlooked the publisher will be pleased to include any necessary credits in any subsequent reprint or edition. For further information on Polity, visit our website: politybooks.com

5 Figures Figures 1.1 A mobile Wi-Fi hotspot, provided by the Australian internet network operator NBN during the 2019/20 bushfire season, at an evacuation centre, Bateman’s Bay, New South Wales. Source: NBN Co. Ltd. 1.2 Internet everywhere: public Wi-Fi, Talinn, Estonia. Authors’ image. 1.3 Square at the Centre Pompidou, Paris, France. Source: F1 online digitale Bildagentur GmbH / Alamy Stock Photo. 2.1 Nikola Tesla holding a gas-filled phosphor-coated wireless light bulb circa mid-1896. Source: Tesla Universe. 2.2 ALOHA terminal control unit, 1971. From Schwartz and Abramson (2009, p. 22). 2.3 Apple AirPort base station. © Mark Richards. Source: The Computer History Museum. 4.1 ‘Signal Code of Trampdom’ in the Kendrick Gazette (Kendrick, Idaho), 4 June 1909. 4.2 Warchalking symbols. Source: Wikimedia Commons 4.3 ‘Another view of Cantenna II’. Source: Flickr/lungstruck licensed under Creative Commons CC BY-SA 2.0 https://creativecommons.org/licenses/by-sa/2.0 . 5.1 Immaterials: Light Painting WiFi (2011). Source: Einar Sneve Martinussen, Jørn Knutsen, and Timo Arnall, The Oslo School of Architecture and Design. 5.2 ‘A WiFi network from an 1890s apartment building spilling into the street’ (Martinussen, 2011). 5.3 Café doors in the Old Town, Tallinn, Estonia, with a sticker promoting Wi-Fi availability. Authors’ image.

6 Acknowledgements Acknowledgements Many people have contributed to our work on this book, and to the research projects and writings that have led to it. We would like to thank all our colleagues in RMIT’s Technology, Communication and Policy Lab, and in the Digital Ethnography Research Centre. Warm thanks especially to Hannah Withers, who worked with us on this project in both its formative and concluding stages. We would also like to thank RMIT for the University’s generous support for our work throughout. Thanks also to Daniel Sacchero (Easyweb Digital) and Jenny McFarland (CAYLUS) for interviews with Ellie Rennie on Wi-Fi in remote Aboriginal communities ( Chapter 4 ). At Polity, we wish to thank Mary Savigar and Ellen MacDonald-Kramer for their enthusiastic support of this project, their patience, and their assistance in seeing this book through to publication. Closer to home, Julian would like to thank Jeannine Jacobson and Sam Thomas for their patience, especially when the Wi-Fi was down; Rowan would like to give a big thanks to Karen, Laz, Max, and Sunday, for their love, support, and encouragement; and Ellie would like to thank Jason Potts for giving her lots of experience with Wi-Fi troubleshooting over the years (earning her the badge for SuperTechSupport at home). Finally, thanks to all the first pets for being excellent passwords over the years. Julian Thomas Rowan Wilken Ellie Rennie

7 1 Why Wi-Fi Matters Why Wi-Fi? Wi-Fi through past and present Wi-Fi is a brand Wi-Fi combines new and old technologies Wi-Fi’s histories are diverse and contested Overview of chapters

8 2 Infrastructure What is an infrastructure? Wi-Fi is self-provided Spectrum as infrastructure Wi-Fi hardware and its precursors Wi-Fi standards Wi-Fi infrastructure and development Conclusion

9 3 Home The domestication of Wi-Fi Imagination Appropriation Objectification Incorporation Conversion The connected home Conclusion – Wi-Fi and the domestication and transformation of the home

10 4 Community Community Community infrastructure cooperatives The rise of community networks Warchalking Community Wi-Fi as open infrastructure Community innovation Community informatics Mesh networks The limits of community-based Wi-Fi networks Community governance and Wi-Fi Conclusion

11 5 City Communication technologies and the city in history Device portability and the diffusion of city Wi-Fi Cafés and the social life of Wi-Fi The politics and economics of city Wi-Fi The promise of public Wi-Fi for access and equity Wi-Fi and smart cities Conclusion

12 6 Problems, Prospects, Possibilities Wi-Fi in the short run Wi-Fi in the long run Wi-Fi’s social futures?

13 Bibliography

14 Index

15 End User License Agreement

1 Chapter 1 Figure 1.1A mobile Wi-Fi hotspot, provided by the Australian internet network operator NBN... Figure 1.2Internet everywhere: public Wi-Fi, Talinn, Estonia. Source : authors... Figure 1.3Square at the Centre Pompidou, Paris, France. Source : F1 online digitale ...

2 Chapter 2 Figure 2.1Nikola Tesla holding a gas-filled phosphor-coated wireless light bulb circa ... Figure 2.2ALOHA terminal control unit, 1971. Source : Schwartz and Abramson (2009, p... Figure 2.3Apple AirPort base station. © Mark Richards. Source : The Computer ...

3 Chapter 4 Figure 4.1‘Signal Code of Trampdom’, in the Kendrick Gazette (Kendric... Figure 4.2Warchalking symbols. Top to bottom: open node, closed node, WEP node, mesh node. ... Figure 4.3‘Another view of Cantenna II’. Source : Flickr/lungstruck li...

4 Chapter 5 Figure 5.1Immaterials: Light Painting WiFi (2011). Source : Einar Sneve Martinussen,... Figure 5.2‘A WiFi network from an 1890s apartment building spilling into the street... Figure 5.3Café doors in the Old Town, Tallinn, Estonia, with a sticker promoting Wi...

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