Introduction

Hello, and welcome to theinternetisfree.com.

I believe that access to the internet is wonderful, and that we should strive to provide it to everyone possible. To work towards this end, I have begun trying to create an easy-to-build router that will provide wireless internet access to many nearby people. I would like also, to design interconnects between routers so that many internet access connections could be pooled, and the physical coverage of the network could be extended.

Long-term, I'd love to be able to set up a non-profit corporation. I could use donations to provide free internet access points in areas where the saturation is not great (low-income housing, etc.). A big enough network of this type of access point could provide traffic shaping, to keep track of bandwidth caps while pooling ISP uplinks, etc.

This website has been launched to annnounce my plans, enable collaboration (please email theinternetisfree.com@gmail.com if you would like to help), and eventually provide build instructions so that others can benefit from my work.

  1. Design Hardware 1) Ease of installation 2) high-capacity 3) expandable
    1. Desired features
      • Power over Ethernet
      • 802.11n at 2.4GHz
      • Gigabit Ethernet
      • USB extensible (preferably 2 ports: one for additional storage, one for additional wifi)
    2. Choose hardware brands/models 1) Low power 2) Cheap 3) Easy to assemble
      • Router (probably ASUS WL-500GP V2)
      • PoE injectors/receivers (probably self-built, as official ones get pricey)
      • Long-range directional antennas (self-built waveguide cantenna?)
      • antenna-to-router cable
      • Weather resistant shelter
    3. Purchase Hardware
  2. Design Software 1) Open Source (redistributable) 2) Easy to use 3) Easy to set up
  3. Documentation