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Communities working to free Android WiFi and Free Cell Phone Roadmap

Added by Kurtis Hanna almost 11 years ago

Sorry if this is posted elsewhere, but are there FOSS developers working on making the WiFi component of Android devices free? It seems like this would be a benefit for many people, not just Replicant OS users. Are other WiFi devices on other phones "free as in freedom", but just not the ones supported by ReplicantOS? It'd be beautiful if there were a roadmap written up by someone somewhere to explain what all needs to be done to finally have a Freedom respecting cell phone. Perhaps FSF should lead this up? If OsmocomBB supports android modems and the WiFi situation gets figured out, will there still be other large freedome related issues with cellphones? Routing all data over Tor using OrBot while also using encrypted text message apps and encryped phone calls via RedPhone all seem to be pointing towards a freedom respecting phone being closer to being completed than ever before. The next few years will be exciting. Especially as more info comes out about NSA spying (i.e. Dropdown Jeep being about to take over any iPhone), it seems like the demand and willingness to pay for security will increase as well.


Replies (4)

RE: Communities working to free Android WiFi and Free Cell Phone Roadmap - Added by Thomas Frohwein almost 11 years ago

I've just installed Replicant myself on the N7100 and also had to find a workaround for wifi. It has been posted elsewhere in this forum that this here seems to be the farthest someone has gotten for Broadcom:

http://bcmon.blogspot.fr/

I wanna give this monitor a try myself. I'm not a developer, but maybe I can contribute a little to figuring stuff out about the WiFi.

RE: Communities working to free Android WiFi and Free Cell Phone Roadmap - Added by Kurtis Hanna almost 11 years ago

Other than the Wifi part, this device could be built pretty easily using Replicant, couldn't it? https://dev.guardianproject.info/projects/libro

I like such a device would sell like hotcakes.

RE: Communities working to free Android WiFi and Free Cell Phone Roadmap - Added by Paul Kocialkowski almost 11 years ago

We're not working on replacing the Wi-Fi firmwares, for the reasons I already mentioned in this forum. Note that the drivers for Wi-Fi are all free, which is already a good thing, compared to the situation with e.g. GPS.

The libro seems interesting, though I'm not sure it'll run fully free software, but rather:

It utilizes a streamlined, locked-down version of Android, that includes no closed-source applications

It also seems that they currently target the Nexus 7 (bad platform for freedom) and the Kindle Fire (the first generation is a good target for freedom and could easily work with Replicant): https://dev.guardianproject.info/projects/libro/wiki/Libro_Store_and_Support_Options

Perhaps we should get in touch with them, so that we can advise them the best platform to use for freedom and perhaps start a Replicant port if they do their own hardware.

RE: Communities working to free Android WiFi and Free Cell Phone Roadmap - Added by a b almost 11 years ago

I think they don't look for a free solution but for a solution that would minimize the possibility to be spied on.

  • NO camera or built-in Microphone
  • Wifi (no 3G)

https://dev.guardianproject.info/projects/libro/wiki/Libro_Specification_v1

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