If you run or own or live in an affordable housing project and would like to get high-speed internet access to your residents, please contact us with the details about your location. A typical installation unfolds like this:
The timreframe from contact to installation can be as short as a few days, or as long as it takes to find funding.
Although we are based in San Diego USA, we actively seek partnerships with similar groups elsewhere around the world.
We will also do installations for mixed or commercial housing (the latter at commercial rates). Note that we are no longer focusing on 'free wireless everywhere' as in the past but instead are executing on our mission to bridge the digital divide.
To share internet access, you first need to have internet access, and be allowed to share it! Most common broadband internet providers, such as Cox Cable(home level) or SBC DSL, do not allow sharing with their standard accounts.
For a small premium (typically $10-20/mth) you can use a provider that explicitly allows sharing. Some national providers include: Speakeasy, DSLExtreme and Megatpath Networks. It may also be possible to upgrade an existing account to a business account that permits sharing. For example, Cox cable currently (Sep 04) has a Home Office package for $89 which allows sharing. Time Warner has a similar deal starting at $109.
It may also be possible to connect your location to an existing SoCalFreeNet location. This will cost between $300-500 more for extra equipment, but you will avoid all ongoing monthly fees.
Our volunteers feel strongly that their efforts should be enjoyed by all, so we won't design, install or configure systems that restrict access to a subset of users. Thus, for example, none of our nodes use WEP or similar security that requires prior knowledge of a key or password to obtain access.
We take security very seriously. Both security of the building we happen to be working in, and the computer security of those who will be using the system. We work hard to educate node users on the best practices to keep their computer safe from others and to keep their information private from others.
A more subtle example of how 'provide access to all' works is our relationship with landlords. We are happy to help a landlord add wireless access for their tenants, often saving them thousands of dollars in the process, but in return we expect a good faith effort to provide wireless access to surrounding buildings. Thus, we will typically require a rooftop antenna and possibly a relay link, even though inside equipment may service the majority of tenants.