Challenge

SoCal FreeNet is a San Diego based non-profit community dedicated to building, deploying and growing public wireless networks. Their goal is to increase widespread broadband adoption and create an empowered, connected society in which technology is a community resource.

SoCal FreeNet is focusing on bringing free broadband Internet access to affordable housing.

As a largely volunteer organization, SoCal FreeNet doesn’t have the time or resources to spend on network deployments or maintenance. They use donated bandwidth to feed their networks and work within a limited budget.

For three of their networks, SoCal FreeNet decided to incorporate Meraki products to help address their challenges.

Solution

Mercado, Golden Hill and San Martin go wireless with Meraki

The Mercado network is composed of 25 Meraki Minis including 1 gateway. The network hosts about 50 users and handles an average of 15 gigabytes of traffic each week. Located in the Barrio Logan redevelopment area, the network services a low-income community near the downtown area of San Diego.

The Golden Hill network is located in a gentrified district on the edge of downtown San Diego. Composed of 19 Minis including 4 gateways, the network hosts more than 400 users monthly. Handling more than 12 gigabytes of traffic daily, Golden Hill is among SoCal FreeNet’s most successful network deployments. Originally deployed with traditional non-mesh equipment, SoCal FreeNet was able to re-use existing infrastructure to quickly upgrade to Meraki Minis.

The San Martin network is the latest SoCal FreeNet deployment using Meraki products. The network was deployed by SoCal FreeNet at an affordable housing complex in just 2 days. It uses a combination of outdoor and indoor Meraki Minis. The 27 nodes and 2 gateways provide service to 114 resident dwellings in 17 buildings.

Easy Deployment and Maintenance

Because a Meraki Mesh automatically configures in a few minutes, SoCal FreeNet was able to spend very little time deploying hardware. Network maintenance needs were also reduced because Dashboard , our web-hosted service, makes configuration very simple. There is no need for an IT person as volunteers at SoCal FreeNet are doing it all on their own. Cutting deployment and maintenance efforts allowed volunteers to spend more time on new projects, including a solar-powered node at Golden Hill.

Wide Area Coverage

With Meraki, SoCal FreeNet has been able to spread access from six wired Internet backhauls in Golden Hill, Mercado, and San Martin to provide high speed Internet connections to more than 450 users. The ability to spread coverage from one wired Internet connection over a large area is very valuable for a company that handles more than 500 gigabytes of data each month utilizing donated bandwith.

Minimal Cost

Meraki eliminated the need for running wires at both Mercado, Golden Hill, and San Martin, and did so for 10x less than any other wireless mesh solution in the market.

Results

SoCal FreeNet brought wireless Internet access to Mercado, Golden Hill, and San Martin with a little help from the friendly folks at Meraki.

“Meraki technology allows us to deliver broadband Internet, programs and opportunities, quickly, easily and cost effectively to affordable housing residents. Older wireless technology was considerably more expensive, required extensive time-consuming configuration and was far less flexible to deploy. The online management tools simplify setup and provide a convenient and timely operational status.”

— Michael Mee, Project Manager and R & D Specialist, SoCal FreeNet