If You Live in San Francisco and Want to Be a Good Neighbor…

January 5, 2008 by Andy Kaufman · View Comments 

go to this site and help Meraki build a free wireless network to eventually cover all of San Francisco.

Free the Net

After noticing the ‘Free the Net’ network while at BarCamp Block last August, I did a bit of research and saw that Meraki was offering free repeaters to San Francisco residents that were willing to place them in the properties in hopes of building a citywide wifi mesh network.

From their FAQ

Free the Net is a community-built network. Meraki provides the technology, but we rely on people to help build and grow. There are a number of ways you can help:

  • If you can see the Free the Net signal, sign up for a free repeater to boost your signal.
  • Volunteer to host an outdoor repeater on your roof or balcony. The outdoor units help spread the signal throughout your neighborhood and are critical to the growth of the network.
  • Spread the word! Tell your friends and neighbors to sign up at http://sf.meraki.com.
  • Check out the network map and keep yourself up-to-date on our progress.

I’ve been rocking one for the past few months and can attest that they are super easy to setup (plug in= done) and that it feels good to do my part to bring the free wireless interweb tubes to my neighborhood.

Check it out!