Freifunk Brilon is back – rebuilding and new responsibility

Community
1

Hey everyone,

I wanted to quickly let you know that I’ll be joining Freifunk Brilon going forward and taking on some responsibility there as well.

According to my research so far, the original Freifunk Brilon project came to an end about eight years ago.

The locations that existed back then were apparently first migrated to Freifunk Möhne, and later partly to Freifunk Winterberg.

Right now, we’re working on rebuilding Freifunk Brilon and gradually checking the remaining locations in the Sauerland. An important part of this is also updating older hardware or replacing it entirely.

Last week, for example, we already swapped out an older TP-Link TL-WR841 for a Zyxel M1. The next location is already coming up this week: a holiday apartment, where the existing setup will also be checked and likely renewed.

Our goal is to preserve existing Freifunk locations as much as possible, modernize outdated devices step by step, and of course, in the long run, build up new locations in Brilon and the surrounding area again.

Looking forward to exchanging ideas here in the forum, and of course to any tips and experiences from other Freifunk communities.

2

FTR: Freifunk Brilon is also listed in the freifunk.net overview and the nodes are accordingly recorded on the Freifunk map. Technically, the firmware currently covers the entire Hochsauerlandkreis …

3

Good morning @wusel,

Thanks again for your heads-up about the homepage.

We’re aware of the issue.

We’re currently in the process of moving the website to a platform that will give us more options and a bit more flexibility in the long run.

We’ve now found a suitable provider in Mittwald and will make sure soon that the homepage is fully accessible again and basically works the way it did before.

Other than that, the rebuilding continues: yesterday we got another call saying that another Freifunk device here in the Hochsauerlandkreis can be replaced.

So things are slowly but surely moving forward again.

4

So on which map can your (newly set up) routers be found? And where do people get the firmware from?
Just in case people find this thread via a search engine and want to jump in now to set up their own nodes.
(The „generic Freifunk community homepage“ as such might not be all that exciting/urgent. But that’s just my opinion.)

5

Yes, good point. :+1:

The map showing the currently existing and gradually newly maintained nodes can be accessed at https://map.freifunk-brilon.net.

The firmware can be found at https://firmware.freifunk-brilon.net.

I currently expect that our new website will be finished and published today around 12:00 PM. There, both links will also be directly available once again, so the map and firmware will also be quickly accessible via the regular Freifunk Brilon website.

6

Quick update from us: Our new website is currently going live step by step. :slightly_smiling_face:

Some sections are still being added and revised, but the most important content and links are being unlocked step by step.

https://www.freifunk-brilon.net

7

Turned out great. Clear and well-organized.

8

Thanks!

The project is hosted on a dedicated server at IONOS SE :slight_smile:

But I’m still currently working on integrating stuff like Matomo, of course hosted locally on the server as well, so I can at least get some insight into how many visitors I’m getting

9

FTR: Unfortunately, »Adrian from Freifunk Brilon« informed me today that he has withdrawn from the »Freifunk Brilon« project (!) and has also handed over the domain to a domain broker (!).

The »new responsibility« unfortunately lasted less than three weeks, so the »rebuilding« after a brief flash in the pan is in that form also moot :frowning:

It’s a shame, because the self-presentation here in the forum – and also in the initial emails to us – reads differently:

Hi, I’m Adrian and I’m from the Sauerland. :waving_hand:

I am now co-responsible for Freifunk Brilon and take care of, among other things, local organization, contact with existing and new Freifunk sites as well as the further rebuilding of the initiative in Brilon and the surrounding area.

My goal is to revitalize Freifunk Brilon, maintain existing sites and, if possible, build new sites at clubs, restaurants, accommodations and other facilities.

Technically, I’m particularly interested in networks, DNS, servers, IT security and web hosting. At Freifunk, I want to support not only the technical side, but especially also be available as a local contact person and exchange with other Freifunk communities.

I look forward to the exchange here in the forum and to collaborating with the Freifunk community.

Well, this part of the Freifunk community feels pretty screwed over by Adrian, but okay, I myself was also very credulous, despite all the various warning signs, in believing that maybe this time it could be different … That’s on me, sorry for that misjudgement.

It turns out that the FF-API’s requirement that at least 3 people should be behind a local community has its justification. (That it doesn’t help in the end either, you can see for example in the internal blockade in Winterberg, but that’s another story.) On the other hand, you have to be glad these days if anyone wants to bring Freifunk to the people again at all *sigh*.

Anyway, the 4830.org e. V. stands by the goal of renewing Freifunk at least in the former area of ​​the »Domöhne« – Arnsberg, Biggesee, Meschede-Bestwig, Moehnequelle, Sundern and Warstein – and if possible also expanding it, and Brilon lies historically in the area »Möhnequelle«. Since the domain freifunk-brilon.net was unfortunately not transferred but simply released, we will shortly communicate details about the »restart of the restart« under freifunk-brilon.de.

Very annoying, and with regard to his current activities in Meschede I must correspondingly warn about the scorched earth left behind in Brilon …

And after the stunt in Brilon, I unfortunately have to issue a warning toward Meschede: the 4830.org e. V. formally distances itself from the activities of the user @VonderWulf in the Meschede area.

Our firmware is ›prepared for $reasons‹, on the one hand to migrate existing nodes from the Freifunk Winterberg e. V. network into a fallback network of ours – and the corresponding migration is expected to actually take place within a few weeks – as well as to accommodate new nodes in that area in corresponding networks — however, the current activities in the Meschede area are not coordinated with us and do not have our approval.

10

Hi Kai,

I’d like to briefly clarify this publicly because your comment creates the impression that I built up Freifunk Brilon extensively and am now withdrawing from an established community.

That doesn’t match the actual situation. In Brilon, I’ve only contacted a limited circle of people over the past few weeks — about 15 emails in total. No sustainable local structure or extensive ongoing correspondence has emerged from that. I haven’t really gotten a foothold there.

The situation at Freifunk Meschede is significantly different. There I’ve contacted approximately 80 associations, institutions, municipalities, and regional multipliers. This has resulted in several concrete conversations, referrals, and expressions of interest. That’s why I’m focusing my volunteer time on Meschede, because that’s where something can realistically be built right now.

I’ve already explained these details to you in detail via email. Against this background, I feel it’s unfair to publicly create the impression that I built a large community in Brilon and am simply shirking responsibility now.

The technical structures and the domain of Freifunk Brilon should be considered separately from this. I don’t claim to act on behalf of 4830.org e. V. If there are different views on this, we can certainly clarify it objectively and directly.

Best regards
Adrian

11

Hi Kai,

I want to clarify once more that over the past few weeks I haven’t communicated extensively on behalf of Freifunk Brilon or built up a large local structure there. I realized relatively quickly that Brilon wasn’t providing much feedback, so I stopped pursuing any major email campaigns there.

Things are different with Freifunk Meschede. Over the last few weeks, I’ve invested a lot of time in communicating with municipalities, associations, businesses, and other stakeholders. There were significantly more responses, concrete conversations, and indications of genuine interest. That’s precisely why I’m currently focusing on Meschede.

Against this background, I find it disappointing and unfair to create the public impression that I built up Freifunk Brilon in a big way and then simply quit after three weeks. The website for Meschede wasn’t created to diminish Brilon, but because there are clearly much better prospects there for a realistic fresh start.

Regarding the domain, I had already written to you about it: I returned it through the registrar. What happens with it afterwards is no longer in my hands.

Over the past few weeks I’ve invested a lot of time and energy in communication and rebuilding. That’s why it hurts to now be portrayed publicly as if I acted irresponsibly or abandoned an existing community. I find that personally very disappointing.

Best regards
Adrian

12

I didn’t give that impression, I didn’t write anything of the sort, you’re twisting things however it suits you.

My post is clearly worded and it’s unmistakable what is being criticized: not even three weeks after going public as a new local contact person for Freifunk Brilon, you silently and radically threw in the towel for good — including deletion of the web presence and contact addresses.
It’s your decision, sure, volunteering, yadda, yadda — but it does Freifunk a disservice and is not trust-building, quite the opposite. Anyone who acts so erratically should refrain from being publicly involved in Freifunk at all and instead find a less time-consuming and longer-term field of activity, rather than wanting to awaken a community from its Sleeping Beauty slumber — that’s my take anyway.

13

Hi Kai,

I’ve come to realize that we have very different ideas on several fundamental points about how Freifunk should be organized and developed. Given these circumstances, I don’t see a solid foundation for continued collaboration.

Your public distancing from my activities in Meschede has also removed the organizational basis I had previously. I therefore want to make it clear that I will be ending the Freifunk topic for myself at this point. This applies to both further development in Meschede and my activities in connection with Brilon.

I’m making this decision also because I’ve realized that I cannot manage the time commitment alone in the long term. Over the past few weeks I’ve invested a lot of time in the setup, technical preparation, and communication with municipalities, associations, and other contacts. That we’ve reached this point is something I personally regret.

I also want to clarify once more that I neither built Freifunk Brilon extensively nor operated a large local structure. In Brilon there were only a limited number of contact requests and hardly any reliable feedback. I never really got a local foothold there.

The situation with Freifunk Meschede was significantly different. There I contacted numerous municipalities, associations, companies, youth and social facilities, tourism offices, economic development agencies, and other multipliers. This resulted in several concrete conversations, referrals, and feedback showing basic interest. That’s why I initially concentrated on Meschede.

Nor did I simply let the domain disappear; I returned it through the registrar and informed you about it. What happens with the domain afterward is no longer in my hands.

I also ask you not to use my name in the future on the Brilon website or in other public representations if it creates the impression that I built Freifunk Brilon extensively and then ran it into the ground. That doesn’t match what actually happened.

Also please stop making public personal assessments of my work or my person in this context. I find it unfair to be portrayed publicly as if I had taken over an existing community and then simply abandoned it.

Please also arrange for the deletion of my user account in both your forum and this Freifunk forum. If you’re not responsible for the second forum, please forward my request to the appropriate administration and let me know briefly who I should contact.

I will close out the remaining open points and the structures I used accordingly. I don’t wish to conduct further discussions about the different assessments publicly at this point.

Best regards
Adrian

14

If you had transferred it, it wouldn’t have been lost.

Not the only decision that’s more than questionable…

Too bad about Netz, the next person should maybe talk to people before making ego moves…

15

But that’s exactly what happened from the perspective of many, and the facts speak for themselves…

16

I’m more inclined to think that you guys are misinterpreting something here

There was no community for eight years beforehand, so you can’t really say at the core. I would have taken over a community simply because at the end of the day the old folks just didn’t care anymore and I actually met up with some of them or had phone contact with them and sorry, but when 120 devices alone in the city center were set up and today only twelve of them are still available. Then I’m asking myself why this project probably doesn’t exist anymore in certain parts

17

Frankly, I don’t understand why Adrian released the domain in this way.

So what did we get? A couple of days of generic AI-generated website and a few flyers?

So neither new routers nor any other kind of setup? But I’m probably missing something.

18

From my perspective, you’re not overlooking anything here at all

I’ve set up exactly three devices so far, which all run on 4830.org and accordingly the whole thing shouldn’t be a problem at all

I also don’t understand at the core why this is being made into such a big deal now

But oh well

19

Additionally, I have to say that I didn’t really communicate much externally with the freifunk Brilon domain, but people keep making it sound like I did a lot of advertising with this domain and with Freifunk Brilon, which is fundamentally not true. But anyway, I actually did much more advertising with Freifunk Meschede and I still have that domain, and at the end of the day, now suddenly someone speaks up. With the motto that we don’t want anything to do with you anymore and we distance ourselves from your projects (Freifunk Meschede), I fundamentally can’t understand that.

I can only say that with the feedback about Meschede I have significantly better chances than with Brilon, but that’s not being recognized here. Instead, you’re just pressing your finger into the wound again with the motto of why and we’re distancing ourselves.

I’m just fed up with it.

I’ve really taken a lot of time in recent weeks, had many phone calls, and as thanks I get something like this.

Sorry, but I don’t need that, no matter who it’s from.

20

Adrian, no matter how many times you attribute false claims to me, this misrepresentation won’t become true.

You drummed up great fanfare for Freifunk Brilon with a restart with you as the local contact person — and after just under three weeks you simply unilaterally tore down everything related to it, particularly the contact email address and website. This is neither a basis for collaboration nor good for Freifunk’s external perception.

I’ll be happy to pass on your request for account deletion. I hope you find a more suitable field of activity.