GNG News Guy
01-04-2008, 04:26 PM
http://i.dslr.net/urls/96/8696.gif (http://www.dslreports.com/shownews/Meraki-Pushes-For-Free-WiFi-in-San-Fran-90681)
Last mile discount wireless hardware provider Meraki may be able to do what Earthlink could not: provide Wi-Fi throughout San Francisco. The company says they'll be offering free Wi-Fi throughout the city (http://news.yahoo.com/s/ap/20080104/ap_on_hi_te/wi_fi_san_francisco) by urging residents to place Meraki repeaters on their rooftops and in their homes. The company started offering free Wi-Fi six months ago by giving out 500 repeaters. Flush with new VC cash, they now say they're ready to expand their plans:After raising an additional $20 million from venture capitalists, Meraki decided it had enough money to set up free Wi-Fi in San Francisco's remaining 47 square miles. Meraki probably will have to give away 10,000 to 15,000 repeaters, estimated Sanjit Biswas, the Mountain View-based company's chief executive.
Obviously this free Wi-Fi will be using the bandwidth of residential ISPs, which may or may not annoy local providers. Meraki's mesh networking gear quickly became an industry darling last year, appealing to everyone from low-income housing (http://www.thegng.org/shownews/82767) planners to ISPs looking to add Wi-Fi functionality (http://www.thegng.org/shownews/87212). The company did run into a PR grinder last October when they left beta, and drastically ramped up (http://www.thegng.org/shownews/88249) the cost of hardware.
Last mile discount wireless hardware provider Meraki may be able to do what Earthlink could not: provide Wi-Fi throughout San Francisco. The company says they'll be offering free Wi-Fi throughout the city (http://news.yahoo.com/s/ap/20080104/ap_on_hi_te/wi_fi_san_francisco) by urging residents to place Meraki repeaters on their rooftops and in their homes. The company started offering free Wi-Fi six months ago by giving out 500 repeaters. Flush with new VC cash, they now say they're ready to expand their plans:After raising an additional $20 million from venture capitalists, Meraki decided it had enough money to set up free Wi-Fi in San Francisco's remaining 47 square miles. Meraki probably will have to give away 10,000 to 15,000 repeaters, estimated Sanjit Biswas, the Mountain View-based company's chief executive.
Obviously this free Wi-Fi will be using the bandwidth of residential ISPs, which may or may not annoy local providers. Meraki's mesh networking gear quickly became an industry darling last year, appealing to everyone from low-income housing (http://www.thegng.org/shownews/82767) planners to ISPs looking to add Wi-Fi functionality (http://www.thegng.org/shownews/87212). The company did run into a PR grinder last October when they left beta, and drastically ramped up (http://www.thegng.org/shownews/88249) the cost of hardware.