castanet

A live CD or USB system that can create or join an ad-hoc wireless mesh network.
Built on Ubuntu 10.04 LTS and using batman_adv kernel space mesh networking.
The mesh can use auto-configure mode to set an IP address based on the wireless MAC address. The system can act as an Internet gateway, providing DHCP and DNS service. If a gateway is already present on the mesh DHCP can be used to configure new nodes.
The Ekiga soft phone is included to prove phone and video communication.
Every effort is made to make the system "just work" for inexperienced users.
As wide a variety of hardware as possible is supported.
The intended use is for emergency and disaster relief situations as well as experimentation and educational use.