After last year free wi-fi project failure between Earthlink and the city of San Francisco, a local startup company called Meraki took over the project at the beginning of the year. It has provided free wi-fi to ten of thousands of people in San Francisco. You can help out Meraki extends its network coverage by signing up as a volunteer on its website. Meraki will provide you with a repeater (a device that receives and transmits signal) you can install indoor or outdoor (ideally on the roof) that will serve as a wireless access point for the free wi-fi in your neighborhood.
From the map coverage on their website, coverage is mostly concentrated in the Haight-Ashbury, Bernal Height, and Mission district. I have signed up as a volunteer but I have not received the device as of today. The only thing I have received is an email acknowledgment informing me that I will be receiving an email shortly on how I can contribute to the project in my community. That is the last I heard from them.
Well, I hope this will NOT be another Earthlink fiasco. It shows promise so far. For the very least, this project has got off the ground. If you are a San Francisco resident, you can do your part to help this project by signing up as a volunteer on their website.
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When you do get your Meraki Mini, if you want to get better range out of it replace the standard antenna for a better one. You’ll be surprised at the difference it can make where you have clear line of sight. Freethenet!!
Billy.
http://www.merakeye.com