What are Community Networks?
Examples of Community Networks
Large Community Wireless Networks
Small Community Wireless Networks
Defunct/Inactive Community Wireless Networks
- Guifi.net: The largest community network, as of writing it has 32,761 nodes throughout much of Catalonia, Spain. A heterogenous network, they basically run their own backbone using BGP and OSPF, and many participating communities connect to it with a variety of technologies, including some of the stuff listed above.
- Freifunk: A group of networks, mostly in cities throughout Germany, centered in Berlin. One of the most influential in the larger communities due to its long history and overlap with the various development and hacker communities in Berlin.
- Funkfeuer: A group of networks in Austria, mostly in Vienna and Graz. The Vienna network is one of the largest single-uplink homogenous WiFi meshes, with around 600 nodes.
- AWMN: The Athens Wireless Metropolitan Network, AWMN is probably the second largest network with about 3000 nodes. It is an extremely heterogenous network that uses a variety of technologies and is operated in a very decentralized fashion. Originally operated as a large-scale intranet without any internet access.
- wlan slovenija: A large network in Slovenija, wlan slovenija runs a large network operating on top of the Nodewatcher system. They're also involved in the Meshpoint project around creating rugged router equipment for refugee camps and disaster zones, and the Koruza project around creating open hardware freespace optics (lasers) for networking.
- Ninux: A long-running community wireless network in various parts of Italy.
Small Community Wireless Networks
- Altermundi: Based in Argentina, Altermundi provides tools for communities to build networks. Heads up Libremesh and other associated projects like Altermap.
- Sudomesh: A project by the Sudo Room hackerspace, Sudo Mesh is building the People's Own Network in Oakland, CA.
- Reseau Libre: The successor of Ile Sans Fil in Montreal, Reseau Libre builds and maintains a community wireless network in downtown Montreal.
- Metamesh: A project to build and operate a wireless mesh network and build community wireless toolkits in Pittsburgh, PA.
- Detroit Community Technology Project: Amongst other programs, operates or assists with multiple community wireless networks in Detroit, MI.
- Redhook WiFi: Operates a community wireless network and training program in the Redhook neighborhood of Brooklyn, NY.
- NYC Mesh: A relatively new project to build a wireless mesh network in various neighborhoods in NYC.
- RISE NYC: A project to create disaster-resilient community wireless infrastructure and practices in NYC.
- WasabiNet: A community-oriented wireless ISP in St. Louis, MO.
Defunct/Inactive Community Wireless Networks
- MIT Roofnet: Historically one of the first community wireless mesh networks, Roofnet is now largely defunct (though occasionally someone picks it up again). Many of the people from Roofnet started up commercial mesh company Meraki, now bought by Cisco (see above).
- CUWiN/Cuwireless: The Champaign-Urbana Wireless Network, another of the first open-source community wireless networks centered in Champaign-Urbana, IL, which is now defunct.
Info provided by Mozilla
NTIA Toolkit for local and tribal Governments
Internet Society
Stories of Community Networking
Building Community Networks
“By Indigenous Communities, for Indigenous Communities”.
“By Indigenous Communities, for Indigenous Communities”.
Community Network Highlights
First Mile Connectivity Consortium
supports remote and rural First Nations developing and innovating with information and communication technologies (ICT) through research, policy, and outreach. Their website highlights stories of people like Bruce Buffalo, who developed a system that offers four free Internet access points to the Maskwacis First nation in Alberta, Canada.
You can watch his story here.
Internet Society Chapter of Mexico
helped bring wireless connectivity to indigenous and rural people in Las Parotas, Cacahuatepec and Aguas Calientes. After their community was hit by hurricanes in 2013, locals came together to create a community network not only to get help in emergencies, but to support education and economic development. You can watch their story here.
supports remote and rural First Nations developing and innovating with information and communication technologies (ICT) through research, policy, and outreach. Their website highlights stories of people like Bruce Buffalo, who developed a system that offers four free Internet access points to the Maskwacis First nation in Alberta, Canada.
You can watch his story here.
Internet Society Chapter of Mexico
helped bring wireless connectivity to indigenous and rural people in Las Parotas, Cacahuatepec and Aguas Calientes. After their community was hit by hurricanes in 2013, locals came together to create a community network not only to get help in emergencies, but to support education and economic development. You can watch their story here.