Local WUG gaming – online gaming without internet

Many gamers are not aware that Johannesburg has a thriving local wireless network community. We caught up with Dawie H. Joubert to find out more about the current state of WUG gaming in Gauteng. You can find out more about the Pretoria wireless network here.

MyGaming: First off, to provide context for those unfamiliar with PTAWUG, briefly explain its purpose and how it works.

Dawie Joubert: The purpouse of PTAWUG is to provide a free, community communication medium using wireless technologies in Pretoria. No fees or limits.
 
PTAWUG is a massive, free, wireless wide area network covering most of Pretoria and surrounding areas.

PTAWUG is a non-profit community organisation – there is no boss or owner of the network, there are no fees.

Anyone can join PTAWUG – but not use PTAWUG for anything commercial.

PTAWUG is not connected to the internet, nor does it provide internet access. PTAWUG is
PTAWUG provides a TCP/IP layer for users to use for anything they want.

PTAWUG has about 85 highsites – these are nodes that broadcast PTAWUG signal on 5.8ghz. All highsites are interconnected. Users then connect to these highsites using standard PTAWUG kit – a grid antenna and routerboard that you install on your roof, request an IP, and you are go!

From there on PTAWUG is like a mini-internet – there are voip servers, ftp servers, game servers. Anyone can host any service on PTAWUG as long as it is not commercial. PTAWUG is a open network – you do what you want to.

PTAWUG highsites are funded by users – new highsites and upgrading of existing ones
 
MyGaming: How many people are currently using PTAWUG?
 
Roughly 1600 unique connections to PTAWUG highsites – that’s 1600 properties that are connected.

Most properties (houses/offices) have more than one person using the wug, so the amount of people would be about 2500+.

PTAWUG started 4 and a half years ago with 5 users.
 
MyGaming: Of these, how many do you think game over the PTAWUG?

Dawie Joubert: Between 30 and 50%
 
MyGaming: What games are currently being played on PTAWUG?

Dawie Joubert:

1. CSS
2. COD4

PS3/ Xbox and Wii games are also played by isolated pockets of prearranged friends groups

Minecraft
 
MyGaming: What sort of latency do gamers experience on PTAWUG?

Dawie Joubert: Between 5 and 280ms, average of about 100ms. This depends on many factors:

•    To which highsite you connect, and how many hops it is to the server
•    Your signal strength and signal quality to the highsite
•    The amount of people/congestion on your highsite
•    The quality of the links between the highsite between you and the site the server is hosted.

We do run Quality of Service scripts on all highsites – which give priority to gaming traffic and other essential services, like http and voip.
 
MyGaming: I almost assume that like at a LAN, most of the games being played on PTAWUG are cracked or pirated. Is this true? Is there a place for gamers who want to play their legitimately purchased games on the PTAWUG?

Dawie Joubert: It is impossible to say if most games played on PTAWUG are cracked. It’s up to each user if he is going to buy the game or going to pirate it.

If the legitimate games can use a LAN server – yes. But if they need something like STEAM to work – no – because PTAWUG is not connected to the internet.
 
MyGaming: Would you say hacking is more or less common on the PTAWUG than online?

Dawie Joubert: Less common than online.

Most game servers running on PTAWUG have anti-cheat scripts/modules.
 
MyGaming: What are your goals and hopes for the PTAWUG over the next 12 months?

Dawie Joubert: To get access to more high spots – like mountains or buildings so we can put up more highsites and improve redundancy, speed and latency between areas.

To have each and every wugger contribute towards the growth of PTAWUG – helping out on highsites, helping current users, prompting the wug and attracting more users.

Discuss local WUG gaming in the forums