WirelessAfrica - User contributions [en]

Wireless Africa Home Page

2007-08-27T14:32:13Z

Kmatthee: /* 17 August 2007 - Meraka Institute signs MoU with LinkNet of Zambia */

__NOTOC__
{| cellpadding="0px" cellspacing="0px" border="0px" width="100%"
|-
|align="left" width="100%" style="background-color:#5A1C10; border:0px solid #808080"| [[Image:tobar.jpg]]
|}
----
{| cellpadding="10px" cellspacing="0px" border="0px" width="100%"
|-
|align="left" width="100%" style="background-color:#B3E8FF; border:1px solid #808080"|'''The Wireless Africa group is researching ways and means to develop sustainable information and communications technology in developing countries. This will be achieved through community-owned decentralized mesh networks built on open source technology'''
|}

== 17 August 2007 - Meraka Institute signs MoU with LinkNet of Zambia ==

[[Image: Signing_of_MoU_between_Meraka_and_LinkNet.jpg |thumb|(Front) Phil Hendricks (CSIR) and Gertjan van Stam (LinkNet) after the signing of the MoU (Back) Karel Matthee and Kobus Roux (Meraka Institute)]]

The signing of a memorandum of understanding (MoU) between [http://link.net.zm LinkNet Multi-Purpose Co-operative Society Limited of Zambia] and the [http://www.meraka.org.za Meraka Institute] on 17 August 2007 is another significant step towards the creation of low-cost, wireless connectivity in Africa. LinkNet has as its objective to establish internet communication facilities in rural communities in Zambia to further holistic empowerment and capacity building of institutions and rural people. The Meraka Institute is a South African national research centre managed by the [http://www.csir.co.za CSIR].

Read full article: [[Meraka Institute signs MoU with LinkNet of Zambia]]

 

== 1 May 2007 - Wireless Africa roadmap process underway ==

[[Image: Rm-ws-small.jpg|thumb]]

A number of workshops were hold with staff at Meraka to understand our vision and what our research, development and product offerings will be.
* The first workshop, held on the '''18th of May 2007''', helped us to understand where we've come from and what our vision is for the future. Our current vision statement is:

{| cellpadding="10px" cellspacing="0px" border="0px""
|-
|align="left" style="background-color:#FFFEB8"|''''' Make a significant contribution to connecting 450 million people sustainably in rural Africa through wireless mesh and other technology with a community grown philosophy
'''''
|}

* The second workshop, held on the '''8th of June 2007''', helped us understand what our three main product offerings will be
**Africa mesh node (Multi radio node with customized hardware and specialized firmware)
** DIY mesh kit (Low cost single radio node available off the shelf with specialized firmware)
** WISP in a box (Bandwidth and user management tool which makes it simple for somebody to set up a wireless business)
* The third workshop, held on the '''14th of June''', was a follow up on the second workshop which tried to define the milestones needed to improve the functionality of each of these product offerings over a 3 year period (See link below for more detail).

The plan is to have a first draft of this road map by the '''end of July'''

More information can be found here: '''[[ Wireless Africa Roadmap ]]'''. ''We strongly urge other researchers in the field to comment on this roadmap''

 

== 10 December 2006 - Prototype 1 of fully self-contained solar powered SA mesh node ==

[[Image: Sa-mesh-node2.JPG|thumb|SA Mesh Node]]

The first prototype of a multi antenna self-contained mesh node was unveiled in December 2006. This nodes operates on a 45W solar panel to power the embedded computer and three 802.11 radios. The backhaul mesh is built in the 5GHz band using 2 radios which can be switched through a matrix of 4 antennas. This allows a full duplex connection on the backhaul. The Switachable antenna matrix consists of 4 5GHz panel antennas placed at 90 degrees to each other within a weather proof cylinder. An intelligent switching algorithm is used to switch through the four antennas and locate the other mesh nodes in the network. Switching happens as soon as traffic needs to be routed between mesh nodes. A 2.4GHz band radio connected to an omni is used to connect clients to the mesh node.

[[More Information on the SA mesh node]]

 

== 1 October 2006 - Tin can connects rural home to outside world ==

[[Image: Cantenna-peebles-small.jpg|thumb]]

The Meraka Institute's first Cantenna installed in a rural setting was successfully mounted onto the house of Agnes Mdluli, a health worker from Peebles valley, near White River in Mpumalanga. This can-antenna is made from a metal can, such as a coffee tin, and a section of bicycle spoke soldered into a special connector which can connect to another point with a similar antenna up to 5km away. The project in Peebles Valley is one of 10 sub-projects in the First Mile First Inch (FMFI) project being funded by the International Development Research Centre (IDRC).

These small, self-constructed antennas, which are made from locally available material, are connected to a low-cost WiFi card plugged into a computer. A small wireless router is placed in a weatherproof casing on a pole to which several community members could connect and form a community mesh network. This mesh networking technology allows the wireless installations to automatically configure themselves to find the optimal routes through the network and very little configuration is needed to set them up.

More information can be found here:
[[Mpumulanga Mesh]] and [http://www.fmfi.org.za/wiki/index.php/Mpumalanga_Mesh:Project_Overview FMFI Mpumalanga Mesh]

 

----

[[NEW: Quick getting started guide for setting up an outdoor mesh node]]

Please use the discussion tag above to comment and provide suggestions!
Please Email wa-admin(at)meraka.org.za if you wish to contribute or for further information.

[[Image:merakalogo_web.png|200px|Meraka Institute]]

Meraka Institute signs MoU with LinkNet of Zambia

2007-08-27T14:31:41Z

Kmatthee:

[[Image: Signing_of_MoU_between_Meraka_and_LinkNet.jpg |frame|left| (Front) Phil Hendricks (CSIR) and Gertjan van Stam (LinkNet) after the signing of the MoU (Back) Karel Matthee and Kobus Roux (Meraka Institute)]]
 
The signing of a memorandum of understanding (MoU) between LinkNet Multi-Purpose Co-operative Society Limited of Zambia and the Meraka Institute on 17 August 2007 is another significant step towards the creation of low-cost, wireless connectivity in Africa. LinkNet has as its objective to establish internet communication facilities in rural communities in Zambia to further holistic empowerment and capacity building of institutions and rural people. The Meraka Institute is a national research centre managed by the CSIR.

The purposes of the MoU are to co-operate in research at LinkNet sites; to create broad awareness of the needs for internet access in rural Africa; to strive for development and publication of open source solutions for deployment in Africa; to develop a centre of experience on rural information and communications technology (ICT) development and training in Zambia; and to develop research projects to gain a better understanding of realities in rural Africa.

The MoU follows a hands-on training workshop with LinkNet hosted at the Meraka Institute during June 2007 to share knowledge on the planning and deployment of a wireless mesh network. The institute released a do-it-yourself mesh guide providing step-by-step instructions to assist the LinkNet team, who also visited the Peebles Valley community in Mpumalanga where the institute helped establish a mesh network in 2005.

Mesh networking provides many benefits to rural communities that wish to become connected, including reliable, easy to deploy infrastructure at a significantly lower cost than current telecommunication alternatives. Members of these communities can install and operate their own networks.

Within one week after the workshop, the LinkNet team was able to set up a mesh network in the rural settlement of Macha in Zambia's Southern Province, providing wireless internet connectivity to ten buildings of the local hospital. Implementation challenges experienced were resolved between LinkNet and the Meraka Institute and lead to improvements in the mesh guide.

Commenting after the signing, Phil Hendricks (Executive Director: CSIR National Research Centres) noted, “I am happy to sign this MoU as it provides evidence of our collaboration with Zambia and a platform for the achievement of the Millennium Development Goals through ICT.”

Kobus Roux (competency area manager of the Meraka Institute), confirms this sentiment, “We are happy that our association with LinkNet has been formalised. We look forward to interact with other organisations in Africa who are seeking alternative solutions to provide low-cost, wireless connectivity in under-serviced rural areas.”

Meraka Institute signs MoU with LinkNet of Zambia

2007-08-27T14:30:04Z

Kmatthee:

[[Image: Signing_of_MoU_between_Meraka_and_LinkNet.jpg |frame|left| (Front) Phil Hendricks (CSIR) and Gertjan van Stam (Linknet) after the signing of the MoU (Back) Karel Matthee and Kobus Roux (Meraka Institute)]]
 
The signing of a memorandum of understanding (MoU) between LinkNet Multi-Purpose Co-operative Society Limited of Zambia and the Meraka Institute on 17 August 2007 is another significant step towards the creation of low-cost, wireless connectivity in Africa. LinkNet has as its objective to establish internet communication facilities in rural communities in Zambia to further holistic empowerment and capacity building of institutions and rural people. The Meraka Institute is a national research centre managed by the CSIR.

The purposes of the MoU are to co-operate in research at LinkNet sites; to create broad awareness of the needs for internet access in rural Africa; to strive for development and publication of open source solutions for deployment in Africa; to develop a centre of experience on rural information and communications technology (ICT) development and training in Zambia; and to develop research projects to gain a better understanding of realities in rural Africa.

The MoU follows a hands-on training workshop with LinkNet hosted at the Meraka Institute during June 2007 to share knowledge on the planning and deployment of a wireless mesh network. The institute released a do-it-yourself mesh guide providing step-by-step instructions to assist the LinkNet team, who also visited the Peebles Valley community in Mpumalanga where the institute helped establish a mesh network in 2005.

Mesh networking provides many benefits to rural communities that wish to become connected, including reliable, easy to deploy infrastructure at a significantly lower cost than current telecommunication alternatives. Members of these communities can install and operate their own networks.

Within one week after the workshop, the LinkNet team was able to set up a mesh network in the rural settlement of Macha in Zambia's Southern Province, providing wireless internet connectivity to ten buildings of the local hospital. Implementation challenges experienced were resolved between LinkNet and the Meraka Institute and lead to improvements in the mesh guide.

Commenting after the signing, Phil Hendricks (Executive Director: CSIR National Research Centres) noted, “I am happy to sign this MoU as it provides evidence of our collaboration with Zambia and a platform for the achievement of the Millennium Development Goals through ICT.”

Kobus Roux (competency area manager of the Meraka Institute), confirms this sentiment, “We are happy that our association with LinkNet has been formalised. We look forward to interact with other organisations in Africa who are seeking alternative solutions to provide low-cost, wireless connectivity in under-serviced rural areas.”

Meraka Institute signs MoU with LinkNet of Zambia

2007-08-27T14:29:14Z

Kmatthee:

[[Image: Signing_of_MoU_between_Meraka_and_LinkNet.jpg |frame| (Front) Phil Hendricks (CSIR) and Gertjan van Stam (Linknet) after the signing of the MoU (Back) Karel Matthee and Kobus Roux (Meraka Institute)]]
 
The signing of a memorandum of understanding (MoU) between LinkNet Multi-Purpose Co-operative Society Limited of Zambia and the Meraka Institute on 17 August 2007 is another significant step towards the creation of low-cost, wireless connectivity in Africa. LinkNet has as its objective to establish internet communication facilities in rural communities in Zambia to further holistic empowerment and capacity building of institutions and rural people. The Meraka Institute is a national research centre managed by the CSIR.

The purposes of the MoU are to co-operate in research at LinkNet sites; to create broad awareness of the needs for internet access in rural Africa; to strive for development and publication of open source solutions for deployment in Africa; to develop a centre of experience on rural information and communications technology (ICT) development and training in Zambia; and to develop research projects to gain a better understanding of realities in rural Africa.

The MoU follows a hands-on training workshop with LinkNet hosted at the Meraka Institute during June 2007 to share knowledge on the planning and deployment of a wireless mesh network. The institute released a do-it-yourself mesh guide providing step-by-step instructions to assist the LinkNet team, who also visited the Peebles Valley community in Mpumalanga where the institute helped establish a mesh network in 2005.

Mesh networking provides many benefits to rural communities that wish to become connected, including reliable, easy to deploy infrastructure at a significantly lower cost than current telecommunication alternatives. Members of these communities can install and operate their own networks.

Within one week after the workshop, the LinkNet team was able to set up a mesh network in the rural settlement of Macha in Zambia's Southern Province, providing wireless internet connectivity to ten buildings of the local hospital. Implementation challenges experienced were resolved between LinkNet and the Meraka Institute and lead to improvements in the mesh guide.

Commenting after the signing, Phil Hendricks (Executive Director: CSIR National Research Centres) noted, “I am happy to sign this MoU as it provides evidence of our collaboration with Zambia and a platform for the achievement of the Millennium Development Goals through ICT.”

Kobus Roux (competency area manager of the Meraka Institute), confirms this sentiment, “We are happy that our association with LinkNet has been formalised. We look forward to interact with other organisations in Africa who are seeking alternative solutions to provide low-cost, wireless connectivity in under-serviced rural areas.”

Meraka Institute signs MoU with LinkNet of Zambia

2007-08-27T14:28:53Z

Kmatthee:

[[Image: Signing_of_MoU_between_Meraka_and_LinkNet.jpg |left| (Front) Phil Hendricks (CSIR) and Gertjan van Stam (Linknet) after the signing of the MoU (Back) Karel Matthee and Kobus Roux (Meraka Institute)]]
 
The signing of a memorandum of understanding (MoU) between LinkNet Multi-Purpose Co-operative Society Limited of Zambia and the Meraka Institute on 17 August 2007 is another significant step towards the creation of low-cost, wireless connectivity in Africa. LinkNet has as its objective to establish internet communication facilities in rural communities in Zambia to further holistic empowerment and capacity building of institutions and rural people. The Meraka Institute is a national research centre managed by the CSIR.

The purposes of the MoU are to co-operate in research at LinkNet sites; to create broad awareness of the needs for internet access in rural Africa; to strive for development and publication of open source solutions for deployment in Africa; to develop a centre of experience on rural information and communications technology (ICT) development and training in Zambia; and to develop research projects to gain a better understanding of realities in rural Africa.

The MoU follows a hands-on training workshop with LinkNet hosted at the Meraka Institute during June 2007 to share knowledge on the planning and deployment of a wireless mesh network. The institute released a do-it-yourself mesh guide providing step-by-step instructions to assist the LinkNet team, who also visited the Peebles Valley community in Mpumalanga where the institute helped establish a mesh network in 2005.

Mesh networking provides many benefits to rural communities that wish to become connected, including reliable, easy to deploy infrastructure at a significantly lower cost than current telecommunication alternatives. Members of these communities can install and operate their own networks.

Within one week after the workshop, the LinkNet team was able to set up a mesh network in the rural settlement of Macha in Zambia's Southern Province, providing wireless internet connectivity to ten buildings of the local hospital. Implementation challenges experienced were resolved between LinkNet and the Meraka Institute and lead to improvements in the mesh guide.

Commenting after the signing, Phil Hendricks (Executive Director: CSIR National Research Centres) noted, “I am happy to sign this MoU as it provides evidence of our collaboration with Zambia and a platform for the achievement of the Millennium Development Goals through ICT.”

Kobus Roux (competency area manager of the Meraka Institute), confirms this sentiment, “We are happy that our association with LinkNet has been formalised. We look forward to interact with other organisations in Africa who are seeking alternative solutions to provide low-cost, wireless connectivity in under-serviced rural areas.”

Meraka Institute signs MoU with LinkNet of Zambia

2007-08-27T14:28:31Z

Kmatthee:

[[Image: Signing_of_MoU_between_Meraka_and_LinkNet.jpg |center| (Front) Phil Hendricks (CSIR) and Gertjan van Stam (Linknet) after the signing of the MoU (Back) Karel Matthee and Kobus Roux (Meraka Institute)]]
 
The signing of a memorandum of understanding (MoU) between LinkNet Multi-Purpose Co-operative Society Limited of Zambia and the Meraka Institute on 17 August 2007 is another significant step towards the creation of low-cost, wireless connectivity in Africa. LinkNet has as its objective to establish internet communication facilities in rural communities in Zambia to further holistic empowerment and capacity building of institutions and rural people. The Meraka Institute is a national research centre managed by the CSIR.

The purposes of the MoU are to co-operate in research at LinkNet sites; to create broad awareness of the needs for internet access in rural Africa; to strive for development and publication of open source solutions for deployment in Africa; to develop a centre of experience on rural information and communications technology (ICT) development and training in Zambia; and to develop research projects to gain a better understanding of realities in rural Africa.

The MoU follows a hands-on training workshop with LinkNet hosted at the Meraka Institute during June 2007 to share knowledge on the planning and deployment of a wireless mesh network. The institute released a do-it-yourself mesh guide providing step-by-step instructions to assist the LinkNet team, who also visited the Peebles Valley community in Mpumalanga where the institute helped establish a mesh network in 2005.

Mesh networking provides many benefits to rural communities that wish to become connected, including reliable, easy to deploy infrastructure at a significantly lower cost than current telecommunication alternatives. Members of these communities can install and operate their own networks.

Within one week after the workshop, the LinkNet team was able to set up a mesh network in the rural settlement of Macha in Zambia's Southern Province, providing wireless internet connectivity to ten buildings of the local hospital. Implementation challenges experienced were resolved between LinkNet and the Meraka Institute and lead to improvements in the mesh guide.

Commenting after the signing, Phil Hendricks (Executive Director: CSIR National Research Centres) noted, “I am happy to sign this MoU as it provides evidence of our collaboration with Zambia and a platform for the achievement of the Millennium Development Goals through ICT.”

Kobus Roux (competency area manager of the Meraka Institute), confirms this sentiment, “We are happy that our association with LinkNet has been formalised. We look forward to interact with other organisations in Africa who are seeking alternative solutions to provide low-cost, wireless connectivity in under-serviced rural areas.”

Meraka Institute signs MoU with LinkNet of Zambia

2007-08-27T14:27:56Z

Kmatthee:

Meraka Institute signs MoU with LinkNet of Zambia

2007-08-27T14:16:13Z

Kmatthee:

[[Image: Signing_of_MoU_between_Meraka_and_LinkNet.jpg |left| (Front) Phil Hendricks (CSIR) and Gertjan van Stam (Linknet) after the signing of the MoU (Back) Karel Matthee and Kobus Roux (Meraka Institute)]]

The signing of a memorandum of understanding (MoU) between LinkNet Multi-Purpose Co-operative Society Limited of Zambia and the Meraka Institute on 17 August 2007 is another significant step towards the creation of low-cost, wireless connectivity in Africa. LinkNet has as its objective to establish internet communication facilities in rural communities in Zambia to further holistic empowerment and capacity building of institutions and rural people. The Meraka Institute is a national research centre managed by the CSIR.

The purposes of the MoU are to co-operate in research at LinkNet sites; to create broad awareness of the needs for internet access in rural Africa; to strive for development and publication of open source solutions for deployment in Africa; to develop a centre of experience on rural information and communications technology (ICT) development and training in Zambia; and to develop research projects to gain a better understanding of realities in rural Africa.

The MoU follows a hands-on training workshop with LinkNet hosted at the Meraka Institute during June 2007 to share knowledge on the planning and deployment of a wireless mesh network. The institute released a do-it-yourself mesh guide providing step-by-step instructions to assist the LinkNet team, who also visited the Peebles Valley community in Mpumalanga where the institute helped establish a mesh network in 2005.

Mesh networking provides many benefits to rural communities that wish to become connected, including reliable, easy to deploy infrastructure at a significantly lower cost than current telecommunication alternatives. Members of these communities can install and operate their own networks.

Within one week after the workshop, the LinkNet team was able to set up a mesh network in the rural settlement of Macha in Zambia's Southern Province, providing wireless internet connectivity to ten buildings of the local hospital. Implementation challenges experienced were resolved between LinkNet and the Meraka Institute and lead to improvements in the mesh guide.

Commenting after the signing, Phil Hendricks (Executive Director: CSIR National Research Centres) noted, “I am happy to sign this MoU as it provides evidence of our collaboration with Zambia and a platform for the achievement of the Millennium Development Goals through ICT.”

Kobus Roux (competency area manager of the Meraka Institute), confirms this sentiment, “We are happy that our association with LinkNet has been formalised. We look forward to interact with other organisations in Africa who are seeking alternative solutions to provide low-cost, wireless connectivity in under-serviced rural areas.”

Meraka Institute signs MoU with LinkNet of Zambia

2007-08-27T14:06:08Z

Kmatthee:

[[Image: Signing_of_MoU_between_Meraka_and_LinkNet.jpg || (Front) Phil Hendricks (CSIR) and Gertjan van Stam (Linknet) after the signing of the MoU (Back) Karel Matthee and Kobus Roux (Meraka Institute)]]

The signing of a memorandum of understanding (MoU) between LinkNet Multi-Purpose Co-operative Society Limited of Zambia and the Meraka Institute on 17 August 2007 is another significant step towards the creation of low-cost, wireless connectivity in Africa. LinkNet has as its objective to establish internet communication facilities in rural communities in Zambia to further holistic empowerment and capacity building of institutions and rural people. The Meraka Institute is a national research centre managed by the CSIR.

The purposes of the MoU are to co-operate in research at LinkNet sites; to create broad awareness of the needs for internet access in rural Africa; to strive for development and publication of open source solutions for deployment in Africa; to develop a centre of experience on rural information and communications technology (ICT) development and training in Zambia; and to develop research projects to gain a better understanding of realities in rural Africa.

The MoU follows a hands-on training workshop with LinkNet hosted at the Meraka Institute during June 2007 to share knowledge on the planning and deployment of a wireless mesh network. The institute released a do-it-yourself mesh guide providing step-by-step instructions to assist the LinkNet team, who also visited the Peebles Valley community in Mpumalanga where the institute helped establish a mesh network in 2005.

Mesh networking provides many benefits to rural communities that wish to become connected, including reliable, easy to deploy infrastructure at a significantly lower cost than current telecommunication alternatives. Members of these communities can install and operate their own networks.

Within one week after the workshop, the LinkNet team was able to set up a mesh network in the rural settlement of Macha in Zambia's Southern Province, providing wireless internet connectivity to ten buildings of the local hospital. Implementation challenges experienced were resolved between LinkNet and the Meraka Institute and lead to improvements in the mesh guide.

Commenting after the signing, Phil Hendricks (Executive Director: CSIR National Research Centres) noted, “I am happy to sign this MoU as it provides evidence of our collaboration with Zambia and a platform for the achievement of the Millennium Development Goals through ICT.”

Kobus Roux (competency area manager of the Meraka Institute), confirms this sentiment, “We are happy that our association with LinkNet has been formalised. We look forward to interact with other organisations in Africa who are seeking alternative solutions to provide low-cost, wireless connectivity in under-serviced rural areas.”

Wireless Africa Home Page

2007-08-27T14:05:00Z

Kmatthee: /* 17 August 2007 - Meraka Institute signs MoU with LinkNet of Zambia */

__NOTOC__
{| cellpadding="0px" cellspacing="0px" border="0px" width="100%"
|-
|align="left" width="100%" style="background-color:#5A1C10; border:0px solid #808080"| [[Image:tobar.jpg]]
|}
----
{| cellpadding="10px" cellspacing="0px" border="0px" width="100%"
|-
|align="left" width="100%" style="background-color:#B3E8FF; border:1px solid #808080"|'''The Wireless Africa group is researching ways and means to develop sustainable information and communications technology in developing countries. This will be achieved through community-owned decentralized mesh networks built on open source technology'''
|}

== 17 August 2007 - Meraka Institute signs MoU with LinkNet of Zambia ==

[[Image: Signing_of_MoU_between_Meraka_and_LinkNet.jpg |thumb|(Front) Phil Hendricks (CSIR) and Gertjan van Stam (Linknet) after the signing of the MoU (Back) Karel Matthee and Kobus Roux (Meraka Institute)]]

The signing of a memorandum of understanding (MoU) between [http://link.net.zm LinkNet Multi-Purpose Co-operative Society Limited of Zambia] and the [http://www.meraka.org.za Meraka Institute] on 17 August 2007 is another significant step towards the creation of low-cost, wireless connectivity in Africa. LinkNet has as its objective to establish internet communication facilities in rural communities in Zambia to further holistic empowerment and capacity building of institutions and rural people. The Meraka Institute is a South African national research centre managed by the [http://www.csir.co.za CSIR].

Read full article: [[Meraka Institute signs MoU with LinkNet of Zambia]]

 

== 1 May 2007 - Wireless Africa roadmap process underway ==

[[Image: Rm-ws-small.jpg|thumb]]

A number of workshops were hold with staff at Meraka to understand our vision and what our research, development and product offerings will be.
* The first workshop, held on the '''18th of May 2007''', helped us to understand where we've come from and what our vision is for the future. Our current vision statement is:

{| cellpadding="10px" cellspacing="0px" border="0px""
|-
|align="left" style="background-color:#FFFEB8"|''''' Make a significant contribution to connecting 450 million people sustainably in rural Africa through wireless mesh and other technology with a community grown philosophy
'''''
|}

* The second workshop, held on the '''8th of June 2007''', helped us understand what our three main product offerings will be
**Africa mesh node (Multi radio node with customized hardware and specialized firmware)
** DIY mesh kit (Low cost single radio node available off the shelf with specialized firmware)
** WISP in a box (Bandwidth and user management tool which makes it simple for somebody to set up a wireless business)
* The third workshop, held on the '''14th of June''', was a follow up on the second workshop which tried to define the milestones needed to improve the functionality of each of these product offerings over a 3 year period (See link below for more detail).

The plan is to have a first draft of this road map by the '''end of July'''

More information can be found here: '''[[ Wireless Africa Roadmap ]]'''. ''We strongly urge other researchers in the field to comment on this roadmap''

 

== 10 December 2006 - Prototype 1 of fully self-contained solar powered SA mesh node ==

[[Image: Sa-mesh-node2.JPG|thumb|SA Mesh Node]]

The first prototype of a multi antenna self-contained mesh node was unveiled in December 2006. This nodes operates on a 45W solar panel to power the embedded computer and three 802.11 radios. The backhaul mesh is built in the 5GHz band using 2 radios which can be switched through a matrix of 4 antennas. This allows a full duplex connection on the backhaul. The Switachable antenna matrix consists of 4 5GHz panel antennas placed at 90 degrees to each other within a weather proof cylinder. An intelligent switching algorithm is used to switch through the four antennas and locate the other mesh nodes in the network. Switching happens as soon as traffic needs to be routed between mesh nodes. A 2.4GHz band radio connected to an omni is used to connect clients to the mesh node.

[[More Information on the SA mesh node]]

 

== 1 October 2006 - Tin can connects rural home to outside world ==

[[Image: Cantenna-peebles-small.jpg|thumb]]

The Meraka Institute's first Cantenna installed in a rural setting was successfully mounted onto the house of Agnes Mdluli, a health worker from Peebles valley, near White River in Mpumalanga. This can-antenna is made from a metal can, such as a coffee tin, and a section of bicycle spoke soldered into a special connector which can connect to another point with a similar antenna up to 5km away. The project in Peebles Valley is one of 10 sub-projects in the First Mile First Inch (FMFI) project being funded by the International Development Research Centre (IDRC).

These small, self-constructed antennas, which are made from locally available material, are connected to a low-cost WiFi card plugged into a computer. A small wireless router is placed in a weatherproof casing on a pole to which several community members could connect and form a community mesh network. This mesh networking technology allows the wireless installations to automatically configure themselves to find the optimal routes through the network and very little configuration is needed to set them up.

More information can be found here:
[[Mpumulanga Mesh]] and [http://www.fmfi.org.za/wiki/index.php/Mpumalanga_Mesh:Project_Overview FMFI Mpumalanga Mesh]

 

----

[[NEW: Quick getting started guide for setting up an outdoor mesh node]]

Please use the discussion tag above to comment and provide suggestions!
Please Email wa-admin(at)meraka.org.za if you wish to contribute or for further information.

[[Image:merakalogo_web.png|200px|Meraka Institute]]

Wireless Africa Home Page

2007-08-27T14:00:20Z

Kmatthee: /* 17 August 2007 - Meraka Institute signs MoU with LinkNet of Zambia */

__NOTOC__
{| cellpadding="0px" cellspacing="0px" border="0px" width="100%"
|-
|align="left" width="100%" style="background-color:#5A1C10; border:0px solid #808080"| [[Image:tobar.jpg]]
|}
----
{| cellpadding="10px" cellspacing="0px" border="0px" width="100%"
|-
|align="left" width="100%" style="background-color:#B3E8FF; border:1px solid #808080"|'''The Wireless Africa group is researching ways and means to develop sustainable information and communications technology in developing countries. This will be achieved through community-owned decentralized mesh networks built on open source technology'''
|}

== 17 August 2007 - Meraka Institute signs MoU with LinkNet of Zambia ==

[[Image: Signing_of_MoU_between_Meraka_and_LinkNet.jpg |thumb|(Front) Phil Hendricks (CSIR) and Gertjan van Stam (Linknet) after the signing of the MoU (Back) Karel Matthee and Kobus Roux (Meraka Institute)]]

The signing of a memorandum of understanding (MoU) between [http://link.net.zm LinkNet Multi-Purpose Co-operative Society Limited of Zambia] and the [http://www.meraka.org.za Meraka Institute] on 17 August 2007 is another significant step towards the creation of low-cost, wireless connectivity in Africa. LinkNet has as its objective to establish internet communication facilities in rural communities in Zambia to further holistic empowerment and capacity building of institutions and rural people. The Meraka Institute is a South African national research centre managed by the [http://www.csir.co.za CSIR].

Read full article [[Meraka Institute signs MoU with LinkNet of Zambia]]

 

== 1 May 2007 - Wireless Africa roadmap process underway ==

[[Image: Rm-ws-small.jpg|thumb]]

A number of workshops were hold with staff at Meraka to understand our vision and what our research, development and product offerings will be.
* The first workshop, held on the '''18th of May 2007''', helped us to understand where we've come from and what our vision is for the future. Our current vision statement is:

{| cellpadding="10px" cellspacing="0px" border="0px""
|-
|align="left" style="background-color:#FFFEB8"|''''' Make a significant contribution to connecting 450 million people sustainably in rural Africa through wireless mesh and other technology with a community grown philosophy
'''''
|}

* The second workshop, held on the '''8th of June 2007''', helped us understand what our three main product offerings will be
**Africa mesh node (Multi radio node with customized hardware and specialized firmware)
** DIY mesh kit (Low cost single radio node available off the shelf with specialized firmware)
** WISP in a box (Bandwidth and user management tool which makes it simple for somebody to set up a wireless business)
* The third workshop, held on the '''14th of June''', was a follow up on the second workshop which tried to define the milestones needed to improve the functionality of each of these product offerings over a 3 year period (See link below for more detail).

The plan is to have a first draft of this road map by the '''end of July'''

More information can be found here: '''[[ Wireless Africa Roadmap ]]'''. ''We strongly urge other researchers in the field to comment on this roadmap''

 

== 10 December 2006 - Prototype 1 of fully self-contained solar powered SA mesh node ==

[[Image: Sa-mesh-node2.JPG|thumb|SA Mesh Node]]

The first prototype of a multi antenna self-contained mesh node was unveiled in December 2006. This nodes operates on a 45W solar panel to power the embedded computer and three 802.11 radios. The backhaul mesh is built in the 5GHz band using 2 radios which can be switched through a matrix of 4 antennas. This allows a full duplex connection on the backhaul. The Switachable antenna matrix consists of 4 5GHz panel antennas placed at 90 degrees to each other within a weather proof cylinder. An intelligent switching algorithm is used to switch through the four antennas and locate the other mesh nodes in the network. Switching happens as soon as traffic needs to be routed between mesh nodes. A 2.4GHz band radio connected to an omni is used to connect clients to the mesh node.

[[More Information on the SA mesh node]]

 

== 1 October 2006 - Tin can connects rural home to outside world ==

[[Image: Cantenna-peebles-small.jpg|thumb]]

The Meraka Institute's first Cantenna installed in a rural setting was successfully mounted onto the house of Agnes Mdluli, a health worker from Peebles valley, near White River in Mpumalanga. This can-antenna is made from a metal can, such as a coffee tin, and a section of bicycle spoke soldered into a special connector which can connect to another point with a similar antenna up to 5km away. The project in Peebles Valley is one of 10 sub-projects in the First Mile First Inch (FMFI) project being funded by the International Development Research Centre (IDRC).

These small, self-constructed antennas, which are made from locally available material, are connected to a low-cost WiFi card plugged into a computer. A small wireless router is placed in a weatherproof casing on a pole to which several community members could connect and form a community mesh network. This mesh networking technology allows the wireless installations to automatically configure themselves to find the optimal routes through the network and very little configuration is needed to set them up.

More information can be found here:
[[Mpumulanga Mesh]] and [http://www.fmfi.org.za/wiki/index.php/Mpumalanga_Mesh:Project_Overview FMFI Mpumalanga Mesh]

 

----

[[NEW: Quick getting started guide for setting up an outdoor mesh node]]

Please use the discussion tag above to comment and provide suggestions!
Please Email wa-admin(at)meraka.org.za if you wish to contribute or for further information.

[[Image:merakalogo_web.png|200px|Meraka Institute]]

Meraka Institute signs MoU with LinkNet of Zambia

2007-08-27T13:55:43Z

Kmatthee:

[[Image: Signing_of_MoU_between_Meraka_and_LinkNet.jpg | (Front) Phil Hendricks (CSIR) and Gertjan van Stam (Linknet) after the signing of the MoU (Back) Karel Matthee and Kobus Roux (Meraka Institute)]]

The signing of a memorandum of understanding (MoU) between LinkNet Multi-Purpose Co-operative Society Limited of Zambia and the Meraka Institute on 17 August 2007 is another significant step towards the creation of low-cost, wireless connectivity in Africa. LinkNet has as its objective to establish internet communication facilities in rural communities in Zambia to further holistic empowerment and capacity building of institutions and rural people. The Meraka Institute is a national research centre managed by the CSIR.

The purposes of the MoU are to co-operate in research at LinkNet sites; to create broad awareness of the needs for internet access in rural Africa; to strive for development and publication of open source solutions for deployment in Africa; to develop a centre of experience on rural information and communications technology (ICT) development and training in Zambia; and to develop research projects to gain a better understanding of realities in rural Africa.

The MoU follows a hands-on training workshop with LinkNet hosted at the Meraka Institute during June 2007 to share knowledge on the planning and deployment of a wireless mesh network. The institute released a do-it-yourself mesh guide providing step-by-step instructions to assist the LinkNet team, who also visited the Peebles Valley community in Mpumalanga where the institute helped establish a mesh network in 2005.

Mesh networking provides many benefits to rural communities that wish to become connected, including reliable, easy to deploy infrastructure at a significantly lower cost than current telecommunication alternatives. Members of these communities can install and operate their own networks.

Within one week after the workshop, the LinkNet team was able to set up a mesh network in the rural settlement of Macha in Zambia's Southern Province, providing wireless internet connectivity to ten buildings of the local hospital. Implementation challenges experienced were resolved between LinkNet and the Meraka Institute and lead to improvements in the mesh guide.

Commenting after the signing, Phil Hendricks (Executive Director: CSIR National Research Centres) noted, “I am happy to sign this MoU as it provides evidence of our collaboration with Zambia and a platform for the achievement of the Millennium Development Goals through ICT.”

Kobus Roux (competency area manager of the Meraka Institute), confirms this sentiment, “We are happy that our association with LinkNet has been formalised. We look forward to interact with other organisations in Africa who are seeking alternative solutions to provide low-cost, wireless connectivity in under-serviced rural areas.”

Meraka Institute signs MoU with LinkNet of Zambia

2007-08-27T13:54:47Z

Kmatthee:

[[Image: Signing_of_MoU_between_Meraka_and_LinkNet.jpg |(Front) Phil Hendricks (CSIR) and Gertjan van Stam (Linknet) after the signing of the MoU (Back) Karel Matthee and Kobus Roux (Meraka Institute)]]

The signing of a memorandum of understanding (MoU) between LinkNet Multi-Purpose Co-operative Society Limited of Zambia and the Meraka Institute on 17 August 2007 is another significant step towards the creation of low-cost, wireless connectivity in Africa. LinkNet has as its objective to establish internet communication facilities in rural communities in Zambia to further holistic empowerment and capacity building of institutions and rural people. The Meraka Institute is a national research centre managed by the CSIR.

The purposes of the MoU are to co-operate in research at LinkNet sites; to create broad awareness of the needs for internet access in rural Africa; to strive for development and publication of open source solutions for deployment in Africa; to develop a centre of experience on rural information and communications technology (ICT) development and training in Zambia; and to develop research projects to gain a better understanding of realities in rural Africa.

The MoU follows a hands-on training workshop with LinkNet hosted at the Meraka Institute during June 2007 to share knowledge on the planning and deployment of a wireless mesh network. The institute released a do-it-yourself mesh guide providing step-by-step instructions to assist the LinkNet team, who also visited the Peebles Valley community in Mpumalanga where the institute helped establish a mesh network in 2005.

Mesh networking provides many benefits to rural communities that wish to become connected, including reliable, easy to deploy infrastructure at a significantly lower cost than current telecommunication alternatives. Members of these communities can install and operate their own networks.

Within one week after the workshop, the LinkNet team was able to set up a mesh network in the rural settlement of Macha in Zambia's Southern Province, providing wireless internet connectivity to ten buildings of the local hospital. Implementation challenges experienced were resolved between LinkNet and the Meraka Institute and lead to improvements in the mesh guide.

Commenting after the signing, Phil Hendricks (Executive Director: CSIR National Research Centres) noted, “I am happy to sign this MoU as it provides evidence of our collaboration with Zambia and a platform for the achievement of the Millennium Development Goals through ICT.”

Kobus Roux (competency area manager of the Meraka Institute), confirms this sentiment, “We are happy that our association with LinkNet has been formalised. We look forward to interact with other organisations in Africa who are seeking alternative solutions to provide low-cost, wireless connectivity in under-serviced rural areas.”

Meraka Institute signs MoU with LinkNet of Zambia

2007-08-27T13:52:59Z

Kmatthee: New page: The signing of a memorandum of understanding (MoU) between LinkNet Multi-Purpose Co-operative Society Limited of Zambia and the Meraka Institute on 17 August 2007 is another significant st...

The signing of a memorandum of understanding (MoU) between LinkNet Multi-Purpose Co-operative Society Limited of Zambia and the Meraka Institute on 17 August 2007 is another significant step towards the creation of low-cost, wireless connectivity in Africa. LinkNet has as its objective to establish internet communication facilities in rural communities in Zambia to further holistic empowerment and capacity building of institutions and rural people. The Meraka Institute is a national research centre managed by the CSIR.

The purposes of the MoU are to co-operate in research at LinkNet sites; to create broad awareness of the needs for internet access in rural Africa; to strive for development and publication of open source solutions for deployment in Africa; to develop a centre of experience on rural information and communications technology (ICT) development and training in Zambia; and to develop research projects to gain a better understanding of realities in rural Africa.

The MoU follows a hands-on training workshop with LinkNet hosted at the Meraka Institute during June 2007 to share knowledge on the planning and deployment of a wireless mesh network. The institute released a do-it-yourself mesh guide providing step-by-step instructions to assist the LinkNet team, who also visited the Peebles Valley community in Mpumalanga where the institute helped establish a mesh network in 2005.

Mesh networking provides many benefits to rural communities that wish to become connected, including reliable, easy to deploy infrastructure at a significantly lower cost than current telecommunication alternatives. Members of these communities can install and operate their own networks.

Within one week after the workshop, the LinkNet team was able to set up a mesh network in the rural settlement of Macha in Zambia's Southern Province, providing wireless internet connectivity to ten buildings of the local hospital. Implementation challenges experienced were resolved between LinkNet and the Meraka Institute and lead to improvements in the mesh guide.

Commenting after the signing, Phil Hendricks (Executive Director: CSIR National Research Centres) noted, “I am happy to sign this MoU as it provides evidence of our collaboration with Zambia and a platform for the achievement of the Millennium Development Goals through ICT.”

Kobus Roux (competency area manager of the Meraka Institute), confirms this sentiment, “We are happy that our association with LinkNet has been formalised. We look forward to interact with other organisations in Africa who are seeking alternative solutions to provide low-cost, wireless connectivity in under-serviced rural areas.”

Wireless Africa Home Page

2007-08-27T13:52:07Z

Kmatthee: /* 17 August 2007 - Meraka Institute signs MoU with LinkNet of Zambia */

__NOTOC__
{| cellpadding="0px" cellspacing="0px" border="0px" width="100%"
|-
|align="left" width="100%" style="background-color:#5A1C10; border:0px solid #808080"| [[Image:tobar.jpg]]
|}
----
{| cellpadding="10px" cellspacing="0px" border="0px" width="100%"
|-
|align="left" width="100%" style="background-color:#B3E8FF; border:1px solid #808080"|'''The Wireless Africa group is researching ways and means to develop sustainable information and communications technology in developing countries. This will be achieved through community-owned decentralized mesh networks built on open source technology'''
|}

== 17 August 2007 - Meraka Institute signs MoU with LinkNet of Zambia ==

[[Image: Signing_of_MoU_between_Meraka_and_LinkNet.jpg |thumb|(Front) Phil Hendricks (CSIR) and Gertjan van Stam (Linknet) after the signing of the MoU (Back) Karel Matthee and Kobus Roux (Meraka Institute)]]

The signing of a memorandum of understanding (MoU) between [http://link.net.zm LinkNet Multi-Purpose Co-operative Society Limited of Zambia] and the [http://www.meraka.org.za Meraka Institute] on 17 August 2007 is another significant step towards the creation of low-cost, wireless connectivity in Africa. LinkNet has as its objective to establish internet communication facilities in rural communities in Zambia to further holistic empowerment and capacity building of institutions and rural people. The Meraka Institute is a South African national research centre managed by the CSIR.

Read full article [[Meraka Institute signs MoU with LinkNet of Zambia]]

 

== 1 May 2007 - Wireless Africa roadmap process underway ==

[[Image: Rm-ws-small.jpg|thumb]]

A number of workshops were hold with staff at Meraka to understand our vision and what our research, development and product offerings will be.
* The first workshop, held on the '''18th of May 2007''', helped us to understand where we've come from and what our vision is for the future. Our current vision statement is:

{| cellpadding="10px" cellspacing="0px" border="0px""
|-
|align="left" style="background-color:#FFFEB8"|''''' Make a significant contribution to connecting 450 million people sustainably in rural Africa through wireless mesh and other technology with a community grown philosophy
'''''
|}

* The second workshop, held on the '''8th of June 2007''', helped us understand what our three main product offerings will be
**Africa mesh node (Multi radio node with customized hardware and specialized firmware)
** DIY mesh kit (Low cost single radio node available off the shelf with specialized firmware)
** WISP in a box (Bandwidth and user management tool which makes it simple for somebody to set up a wireless business)
* The third workshop, held on the '''14th of June''', was a follow up on the second workshop which tried to define the milestones needed to improve the functionality of each of these product offerings over a 3 year period (See link below for more detail).

The plan is to have a first draft of this road map by the '''end of July'''

More information can be found here: '''[[ Wireless Africa Roadmap ]]'''. ''We strongly urge other researchers in the field to comment on this roadmap''

 

== 10 December 2006 - Prototype 1 of fully self-contained solar powered SA mesh node ==

[[Image: Sa-mesh-node2.JPG|thumb|SA Mesh Node]]

The first prototype of a multi antenna self-contained mesh node was unveiled in December 2006. This nodes operates on a 45W solar panel to power the embedded computer and three 802.11 radios. The backhaul mesh is built in the 5GHz band using 2 radios which can be switched through a matrix of 4 antennas. This allows a full duplex connection on the backhaul. The Switachable antenna matrix consists of 4 5GHz panel antennas placed at 90 degrees to each other within a weather proof cylinder. An intelligent switching algorithm is used to switch through the four antennas and locate the other mesh nodes in the network. Switching happens as soon as traffic needs to be routed between mesh nodes. A 2.4GHz band radio connected to an omni is used to connect clients to the mesh node.

[[More Information on the SA mesh node]]

 

== 1 October 2006 - Tin can connects rural home to outside world ==

[[Image: Cantenna-peebles-small.jpg|thumb]]

The Meraka Institute's first Cantenna installed in a rural setting was successfully mounted onto the house of Agnes Mdluli, a health worker from Peebles valley, near White River in Mpumalanga. This can-antenna is made from a metal can, such as a coffee tin, and a section of bicycle spoke soldered into a special connector which can connect to another point with a similar antenna up to 5km away. The project in Peebles Valley is one of 10 sub-projects in the First Mile First Inch (FMFI) project being funded by the International Development Research Centre (IDRC).

These small, self-constructed antennas, which are made from locally available material, are connected to a low-cost WiFi card plugged into a computer. A small wireless router is placed in a weatherproof casing on a pole to which several community members could connect and form a community mesh network. This mesh networking technology allows the wireless installations to automatically configure themselves to find the optimal routes through the network and very little configuration is needed to set them up.

More information can be found here:
[[Mpumulanga Mesh]] and [http://www.fmfi.org.za/wiki/index.php/Mpumalanga_Mesh:Project_Overview FMFI Mpumalanga Mesh]

 

----

[[NEW: Quick getting started guide for setting up an outdoor mesh node]]

Please use the discussion tag above to comment and provide suggestions!
Please Email wa-admin(at)meraka.org.za if you wish to contribute or for further information.

[[Image:merakalogo_web.png|200px|Meraka Institute]]

Wireless Africa Home Page

2007-08-27T13:48:47Z

Kmatthee: /* 17 August 2007 - Meraka Institute signs MoU with LinkNet of Zambia */

__NOTOC__
{| cellpadding="0px" cellspacing="0px" border="0px" width="100%"
|-
|align="left" width="100%" style="background-color:#5A1C10; border:0px solid #808080"| [[Image:tobar.jpg]]
|}
----
{| cellpadding="10px" cellspacing="0px" border="0px" width="100%"
|-
|align="left" width="100%" style="background-color:#B3E8FF; border:1px solid #808080"|'''The Wireless Africa group is researching ways and means to develop sustainable information and communications technology in developing countries. This will be achieved through community-owned decentralized mesh networks built on open source technology'''
|}

== 17 August 2007 - Meraka Institute signs MoU with LinkNet of Zambia ==

[[Image: Signing_of_MoU_between_Meraka_and_LinkNet.jpg |thumb|(Front) Phil Hendricks (CSIR) and Gertjan van Stam (Linknet) after the signing of the MoU (Back) Karel Matthee and Kobus Roux (Meraka Institute)]]

The signing of a memorandum of understanding (MoU) between [http://link.net.zm LinkNet Multi-Purpose Co-operative Society Limited of Zambia] and the [http://www.meraka.org.za Meraka Institute] on 17 August 2007 is another significant step towards the creation of low-cost, wireless connectivity in Africa. LinkNet has as its objective to establish internet communication facilities in rural communities in Zambia to further holistic empowerment and capacity building of institutions and rural people. The Meraka Institute is a South African national research centre managed by the CSIR.

 

== 1 May 2007 - Wireless Africa roadmap process underway ==

[[Image: Rm-ws-small.jpg|thumb]]

A number of workshops were hold with staff at Meraka to understand our vision and what our research, development and product offerings will be.
* The first workshop, held on the '''18th of May 2007''', helped us to understand where we've come from and what our vision is for the future. Our current vision statement is:

{| cellpadding="10px" cellspacing="0px" border="0px""
|-
|align="left" style="background-color:#FFFEB8"|''''' Make a significant contribution to connecting 450 million people sustainably in rural Africa through wireless mesh and other technology with a community grown philosophy
'''''
|}

* The second workshop, held on the '''8th of June 2007''', helped us understand what our three main product offerings will be
**Africa mesh node (Multi radio node with customized hardware and specialized firmware)
** DIY mesh kit (Low cost single radio node available off the shelf with specialized firmware)
** WISP in a box (Bandwidth and user management tool which makes it simple for somebody to set up a wireless business)
* The third workshop, held on the '''14th of June''', was a follow up on the second workshop which tried to define the milestones needed to improve the functionality of each of these product offerings over a 3 year period (See link below for more detail).

The plan is to have a first draft of this road map by the '''end of July'''

More information can be found here: '''[[ Wireless Africa Roadmap ]]'''. ''We strongly urge other researchers in the field to comment on this roadmap''

 

== 10 December 2006 - Prototype 1 of fully self-contained solar powered SA mesh node ==

[[Image: Sa-mesh-node2.JPG|thumb|SA Mesh Node]]

The first prototype of a multi antenna self-contained mesh node was unveiled in December 2006. This nodes operates on a 45W solar panel to power the embedded computer and three 802.11 radios. The backhaul mesh is built in the 5GHz band using 2 radios which can be switched through a matrix of 4 antennas. This allows a full duplex connection on the backhaul. The Switachable antenna matrix consists of 4 5GHz panel antennas placed at 90 degrees to each other within a weather proof cylinder. An intelligent switching algorithm is used to switch through the four antennas and locate the other mesh nodes in the network. Switching happens as soon as traffic needs to be routed between mesh nodes. A 2.4GHz band radio connected to an omni is used to connect clients to the mesh node.

[[More Information on the SA mesh node]]

 

== 1 October 2006 - Tin can connects rural home to outside world ==

[[Image: Cantenna-peebles-small.jpg|thumb]]

The Meraka Institute's first Cantenna installed in a rural setting was successfully mounted onto the house of Agnes Mdluli, a health worker from Peebles valley, near White River in Mpumalanga. This can-antenna is made from a metal can, such as a coffee tin, and a section of bicycle spoke soldered into a special connector which can connect to another point with a similar antenna up to 5km away. The project in Peebles Valley is one of 10 sub-projects in the First Mile First Inch (FMFI) project being funded by the International Development Research Centre (IDRC).

These small, self-constructed antennas, which are made from locally available material, are connected to a low-cost WiFi card plugged into a computer. A small wireless router is placed in a weatherproof casing on a pole to which several community members could connect and form a community mesh network. This mesh networking technology allows the wireless installations to automatically configure themselves to find the optimal routes through the network and very little configuration is needed to set them up.

More information can be found here:
[[Mpumulanga Mesh]] and [http://www.fmfi.org.za/wiki/index.php/Mpumalanga_Mesh:Project_Overview FMFI Mpumalanga Mesh]

 

----

[[NEW: Quick getting started guide for setting up an outdoor mesh node]]

Please use the discussion tag above to comment and provide suggestions!
Please Email wa-admin(at)meraka.org.za if you wish to contribute or for further information.

[[Image:merakalogo_web.png|200px|Meraka Institute]]

Wireless Africa Home Page

2007-08-27T13:46:15Z

Kmatthee: /* 17 August 2007 - Meraka Institute signs MoU with LinkNet of Zambia */

__NOTOC__
{| cellpadding="0px" cellspacing="0px" border="0px" width="100%"
|-
|align="left" width="100%" style="background-color:#5A1C10; border:0px solid #808080"| [[Image:tobar.jpg]]
|}
----
{| cellpadding="10px" cellspacing="0px" border="0px" width="100%"
|-
|align="left" width="100%" style="background-color:#B3E8FF; border:1px solid #808080"|'''The Wireless Africa group is researching ways and means to develop sustainable information and communications technology in developing countries. This will be achieved through community-owned decentralized mesh networks built on open source technology'''
|}

== 17 August 2007 - Meraka Institute signs MoU with LinkNet of Zambia ==

[[Image: Signing_of_MoU_between_Meraka_and_LinkNet.jpg |thumb|(Front) Phil Hendricks (CSIR) and Gertjan van Stam (Linknet) after the signing of the MoU (Back) Karel Matthee and Kobus Roux (Meraka Institute)]]

The signing of a memorandum of understanding (MoU) between [http://link.net.zm | LinkNet Multi-Purpose Co-operative Society Limited of Zambia] and the [http://www.meraka.org.za | Meraka Institute] on 17 August 2007 is another significant step towards the creation of low-cost, wireless connectivity in Africa. LinkNet has as its objective to establish internet communication facilities in rural communities in Zambia to further holistic empowerment and capacity building of institutions and rural people. The Meraka Institute is a South African national research centre managed by the CSIR.

 

== 1 May 2007 - Wireless Africa roadmap process underway ==

[[Image: Rm-ws-small.jpg|thumb]]

A number of workshops were hold with staff at Meraka to understand our vision and what our research, development and product offerings will be.
* The first workshop, held on the '''18th of May 2007''', helped us to understand where we've come from and what our vision is for the future. Our current vision statement is:

{| cellpadding="10px" cellspacing="0px" border="0px""
|-
|align="left" style="background-color:#FFFEB8"|''''' Make a significant contribution to connecting 450 million people sustainably in rural Africa through wireless mesh and other technology with a community grown philosophy
'''''
|}

* The second workshop, held on the '''8th of June 2007''', helped us understand what our three main product offerings will be
**Africa mesh node (Multi radio node with customized hardware and specialized firmware)
** DIY mesh kit (Low cost single radio node available off the shelf with specialized firmware)
** WISP in a box (Bandwidth and user management tool which makes it simple for somebody to set up a wireless business)
* The third workshop, held on the '''14th of June''', was a follow up on the second workshop which tried to define the milestones needed to improve the functionality of each of these product offerings over a 3 year period (See link below for more detail).

The plan is to have a first draft of this road map by the '''end of July'''

More information can be found here: '''[[ Wireless Africa Roadmap ]]'''. ''We strongly urge other researchers in the field to comment on this roadmap''

 

== 10 December 2006 - Prototype 1 of fully self-contained solar powered SA mesh node ==

[[Image: Sa-mesh-node2.JPG|thumb|SA Mesh Node]]

The first prototype of a multi antenna self-contained mesh node was unveiled in December 2006. This nodes operates on a 45W solar panel to power the embedded computer and three 802.11 radios. The backhaul mesh is built in the 5GHz band using 2 radios which can be switched through a matrix of 4 antennas. This allows a full duplex connection on the backhaul. The Switachable antenna matrix consists of 4 5GHz panel antennas placed at 90 degrees to each other within a weather proof cylinder. An intelligent switching algorithm is used to switch through the four antennas and locate the other mesh nodes in the network. Switching happens as soon as traffic needs to be routed between mesh nodes. A 2.4GHz band radio connected to an omni is used to connect clients to the mesh node.

[[More Information on the SA mesh node]]

 

== 1 October 2006 - Tin can connects rural home to outside world ==

[[Image: Cantenna-peebles-small.jpg|thumb]]

The Meraka Institute's first Cantenna installed in a rural setting was successfully mounted onto the house of Agnes Mdluli, a health worker from Peebles valley, near White River in Mpumalanga. This can-antenna is made from a metal can, such as a coffee tin, and a section of bicycle spoke soldered into a special connector which can connect to another point with a similar antenna up to 5km away. The project in Peebles Valley is one of 10 sub-projects in the First Mile First Inch (FMFI) project being funded by the International Development Research Centre (IDRC).

These small, self-constructed antennas, which are made from locally available material, are connected to a low-cost WiFi card plugged into a computer. A small wireless router is placed in a weatherproof casing on a pole to which several community members could connect and form a community mesh network. This mesh networking technology allows the wireless installations to automatically configure themselves to find the optimal routes through the network and very little configuration is needed to set them up.

More information can be found here:
[[Mpumulanga Mesh]] and [http://www.fmfi.org.za/wiki/index.php/Mpumalanga_Mesh:Project_Overview FMFI Mpumalanga Mesh]

 

----

[[NEW: Quick getting started guide for setting up an outdoor mesh node]]

Please use the discussion tag above to comment and provide suggestions!
Please Email wa-admin(at)meraka.org.za if you wish to contribute or for further information.

[[Image:merakalogo_web.png|200px|Meraka Institute]]

Wireless Africa Home Page

2007-08-27T13:45:40Z

Kmatthee: /* 17 August 2007 - Meraka Institute signs MoU with LinkNet of Zambia */

__NOTOC__
{| cellpadding="0px" cellspacing="0px" border="0px" width="100%"
|-
|align="left" width="100%" style="background-color:#5A1C10; border:0px solid #808080"| [[Image:tobar.jpg]]
|}
----
{| cellpadding="10px" cellspacing="0px" border="0px" width="100%"
|-
|align="left" width="100%" style="background-color:#B3E8FF; border:1px solid #808080"|'''The Wireless Africa group is researching ways and means to develop sustainable information and communications technology in developing countries. This will be achieved through community-owned decentralized mesh networks built on open source technology'''
|}

== 17 August 2007 - Meraka Institute signs MoU with LinkNet of Zambia ==

[[Image: Signing_of_MoU_between_Meraka_and_LinkNet.jpg |thumb|(Front) Phil Hendricks (CSIR) and Gertjan van Stam (Linknet) after the signing of the MoU (Back) Karel Matthee and Kobus Roux (Meraka Institute)]]

The signing of a memorandum of understanding (MoU) between [http://link.net.zm |LinkNet Multi-Purpose Co-operative Society Limited of Zambia] and the [http://www.meraka.org.za|Meraka Institute] on 17 August 2007 is another significant step towards the creation of low-cost, wireless connectivity in Africa. LinkNet has as its objective to establish internet communication facilities in rural communities in Zambia to further holistic empowerment and capacity building of institutions and rural people. The Meraka Institute is a South African national research centre managed by the CSIR.

 

== 1 May 2007 - Wireless Africa roadmap process underway ==

[[Image: Rm-ws-small.jpg|thumb]]

A number of workshops were hold with staff at Meraka to understand our vision and what our research, development and product offerings will be.
* The first workshop, held on the '''18th of May 2007''', helped us to understand where we've come from and what our vision is for the future. Our current vision statement is:

{| cellpadding="10px" cellspacing="0px" border="0px""
|-
|align="left" style="background-color:#FFFEB8"|''''' Make a significant contribution to connecting 450 million people sustainably in rural Africa through wireless mesh and other technology with a community grown philosophy
'''''
|}

* The second workshop, held on the '''8th of June 2007''', helped us understand what our three main product offerings will be
**Africa mesh node (Multi radio node with customized hardware and specialized firmware)
** DIY mesh kit (Low cost single radio node available off the shelf with specialized firmware)
** WISP in a box (Bandwidth and user management tool which makes it simple for somebody to set up a wireless business)
* The third workshop, held on the '''14th of June''', was a follow up on the second workshop which tried to define the milestones needed to improve the functionality of each of these product offerings over a 3 year period (See link below for more detail).

The plan is to have a first draft of this road map by the '''end of July'''

More information can be found here: '''[[ Wireless Africa Roadmap ]]'''. ''We strongly urge other researchers in the field to comment on this roadmap''

 

== 10 December 2006 - Prototype 1 of fully self-contained solar powered SA mesh node ==

[[Image: Sa-mesh-node2.JPG|thumb|SA Mesh Node]]

The first prototype of a multi antenna self-contained mesh node was unveiled in December 2006. This nodes operates on a 45W solar panel to power the embedded computer and three 802.11 radios. The backhaul mesh is built in the 5GHz band using 2 radios which can be switched through a matrix of 4 antennas. This allows a full duplex connection on the backhaul. The Switachable antenna matrix consists of 4 5GHz panel antennas placed at 90 degrees to each other within a weather proof cylinder. An intelligent switching algorithm is used to switch through the four antennas and locate the other mesh nodes in the network. Switching happens as soon as traffic needs to be routed between mesh nodes. A 2.4GHz band radio connected to an omni is used to connect clients to the mesh node.

[[More Information on the SA mesh node]]

 

== 1 October 2006 - Tin can connects rural home to outside world ==

[[Image: Cantenna-peebles-small.jpg|thumb]]

The Meraka Institute's first Cantenna installed in a rural setting was successfully mounted onto the house of Agnes Mdluli, a health worker from Peebles valley, near White River in Mpumalanga. This can-antenna is made from a metal can, such as a coffee tin, and a section of bicycle spoke soldered into a special connector which can connect to another point with a similar antenna up to 5km away. The project in Peebles Valley is one of 10 sub-projects in the First Mile First Inch (FMFI) project being funded by the International Development Research Centre (IDRC).

These small, self-constructed antennas, which are made from locally available material, are connected to a low-cost WiFi card plugged into a computer. A small wireless router is placed in a weatherproof casing on a pole to which several community members could connect and form a community mesh network. This mesh networking technology allows the wireless installations to automatically configure themselves to find the optimal routes through the network and very little configuration is needed to set them up.

More information can be found here:
[[Mpumulanga Mesh]] and [http://www.fmfi.org.za/wiki/index.php/Mpumalanga_Mesh:Project_Overview FMFI Mpumalanga Mesh]

 

----

[[NEW: Quick getting started guide for setting up an outdoor mesh node]]

Please use the discussion tag above to comment and provide suggestions!
Please Email wa-admin(at)meraka.org.za if you wish to contribute or for further information.

[[Image:merakalogo_web.png|200px|Meraka Institute]]

Wireless Africa Home Page

2007-08-27T13:43:46Z

Kmatthee: /* 17 August 2007 - Meraka Institute signs MoU with LinkNet of Zambia */

__NOTOC__
{| cellpadding="0px" cellspacing="0px" border="0px" width="100%"
|-
|align="left" width="100%" style="background-color:#5A1C10; border:0px solid #808080"| [[Image:tobar.jpg]]
|}
----
{| cellpadding="10px" cellspacing="0px" border="0px" width="100%"
|-
|align="left" width="100%" style="background-color:#B3E8FF; border:1px solid #808080"|'''The Wireless Africa group is researching ways and means to develop sustainable information and communications technology in developing countries. This will be achieved through community-owned decentralized mesh networks built on open source technology'''
|}

== 17 August 2007 - Meraka Institute signs MoU with LinkNet of Zambia ==

[[Image: Signing_of_MoU_between_Meraka_and_LinkNet.jpg |thumb|(Front) Phil Hendricks (CSIR) and Gertjan van Stam (Linknet) after the signing of the MoU (back) Karel Matthee and Kobus Roux (Meraka Institute)]]

The signing of a memorandum of understanding (MoU) between LinkNet Multi-Purpose Co-operative Society Limited of Zambia and the Meraka Institute on '''17 August 2007''' is another significant step towards the creation of low-cost, wireless connectivity in Africa. LinkNet has as its objective to establish internet communication facilities in rural communities in Zambia to further holistic empowerment and capacity building of institutions and rural people. The Meraka Institute is a South African national research centre managed by the CSIR.

 

== 1 May 2007 - Wireless Africa roadmap process underway ==

[[Image: Rm-ws-small.jpg|thumb]]

A number of workshops were hold with staff at Meraka to understand our vision and what our research, development and product offerings will be.
* The first workshop, held on the '''18th of May 2007''', helped us to understand where we've come from and what our vision is for the future. Our current vision statement is:

{| cellpadding="10px" cellspacing="0px" border="0px""
|-
|align="left" style="background-color:#FFFEB8"|''''' Make a significant contribution to connecting 450 million people sustainably in rural Africa through wireless mesh and other technology with a community grown philosophy
'''''
|}

* The second workshop, held on the '''8th of June 2007''', helped us understand what our three main product offerings will be
**Africa mesh node (Multi radio node with customized hardware and specialized firmware)
** DIY mesh kit (Low cost single radio node available off the shelf with specialized firmware)
** WISP in a box (Bandwidth and user management tool which makes it simple for somebody to set up a wireless business)
* The third workshop, held on the '''14th of June''', was a follow up on the second workshop which tried to define the milestones needed to improve the functionality of each of these product offerings over a 3 year period (See link below for more detail).

The plan is to have a first draft of this road map by the '''end of July'''

More information can be found here: '''[[ Wireless Africa Roadmap ]]'''. ''We strongly urge other researchers in the field to comment on this roadmap''

 

== 10 December 2006 - Prototype 1 of fully self-contained solar powered SA mesh node ==

[[Image: Sa-mesh-node2.JPG|thumb|SA Mesh Node]]

The first prototype of a multi antenna self-contained mesh node was unveiled in December 2006. This nodes operates on a 45W solar panel to power the embedded computer and three 802.11 radios. The backhaul mesh is built in the 5GHz band using 2 radios which can be switched through a matrix of 4 antennas. This allows a full duplex connection on the backhaul. The Switachable antenna matrix consists of 4 5GHz panel antennas placed at 90 degrees to each other within a weather proof cylinder. An intelligent switching algorithm is used to switch through the four antennas and locate the other mesh nodes in the network. Switching happens as soon as traffic needs to be routed between mesh nodes. A 2.4GHz band radio connected to an omni is used to connect clients to the mesh node.

[[More Information on the SA mesh node]]

 

== 1 October 2006 - Tin can connects rural home to outside world ==

[[Image: Cantenna-peebles-small.jpg|thumb]]

The Meraka Institute's first Cantenna installed in a rural setting was successfully mounted onto the house of Agnes Mdluli, a health worker from Peebles valley, near White River in Mpumalanga. This can-antenna is made from a metal can, such as a coffee tin, and a section of bicycle spoke soldered into a special connector which can connect to another point with a similar antenna up to 5km away. The project in Peebles Valley is one of 10 sub-projects in the First Mile First Inch (FMFI) project being funded by the International Development Research Centre (IDRC).

These small, self-constructed antennas, which are made from locally available material, are connected to a low-cost WiFi card plugged into a computer. A small wireless router is placed in a weatherproof casing on a pole to which several community members could connect and form a community mesh network. This mesh networking technology allows the wireless installations to automatically configure themselves to find the optimal routes through the network and very little configuration is needed to set them up.

More information can be found here:
[[Mpumulanga Mesh]] and [http://www.fmfi.org.za/wiki/index.php/Mpumalanga_Mesh:Project_Overview FMFI Mpumalanga Mesh]

 

----

[[NEW: Quick getting started guide for setting up an outdoor mesh node]]

Please use the discussion tag above to comment and provide suggestions!
Please Email wa-admin(at)meraka.org.za if you wish to contribute or for further information.

[[Image:merakalogo_web.png|200px|Meraka Institute]]

Wireless Africa Home Page

2007-08-27T13:42:43Z

Kmatthee: /* 17 August 2007 - Meraka Institute signs MoU with LinkNet of Zambia */

__NOTOC__
{| cellpadding="0px" cellspacing="0px" border="0px" width="100%"
|-
|align="left" width="100%" style="background-color:#5A1C10; border:0px solid #808080"| [[Image:tobar.jpg]]
|}
----
{| cellpadding="10px" cellspacing="0px" border="0px" width="100%"
|-
|align="left" width="100%" style="background-color:#B3E8FF; border:1px solid #808080"|'''The Wireless Africa group is researching ways and means to develop sustainable information and communications technology in developing countries. This will be achieved through community-owned decentralized mesh networks built on open source technology'''
|}

== 17 August 2007 - Meraka Institute signs MoU with LinkNet of Zambia ==

[[Image: Signing_of_MoU_between_Meraka_and_LinkNet.jpg |thumb|(Front) Phil Hendricks (CSIR) and Gertjan van Stam (Linknet) after the signing of the MoU (back) Karel Matthee and Kobus Roux (Meraka Institute)]]

The signing of a memorandum of understanding (MoU) between LinkNet Multi-Purpose Co-operative Society Limited of Zambia and the Meraka Institute on 17 August 2007 is another significant step towards the creation of low-cost, wireless connectivity in Africa. LinkNet has as its objective to establish internet communication facilities in rural communities in Zambia to further holistic empowerment and capacity building of institutions and rural people. The Meraka Institute is a South African national research centre managed by the CSIR.

 

== 1 May 2007 - Wireless Africa roadmap process underway ==

[[Image: Rm-ws-small.jpg|thumb]]

A number of workshops were hold with staff at Meraka to understand our vision and what our research, development and product offerings will be.
* The first workshop, held on the '''18th of May 2007''', helped us to understand where we've come from and what our vision is for the future. Our current vision statement is:

{| cellpadding="10px" cellspacing="0px" border="0px""
|-
|align="left" style="background-color:#FFFEB8"|''''' Make a significant contribution to connecting 450 million people sustainably in rural Africa through wireless mesh and other technology with a community grown philosophy
'''''
|}

* The second workshop, held on the '''8th of June 2007''', helped us understand what our three main product offerings will be
**Africa mesh node (Multi radio node with customized hardware and specialized firmware)
** DIY mesh kit (Low cost single radio node available off the shelf with specialized firmware)
** WISP in a box (Bandwidth and user management tool which makes it simple for somebody to set up a wireless business)
* The third workshop, held on the '''14th of June''', was a follow up on the second workshop which tried to define the milestones needed to improve the functionality of each of these product offerings over a 3 year period (See link below for more detail).

The plan is to have a first draft of this road map by the '''end of July'''

More information can be found here: '''[[ Wireless Africa Roadmap ]]'''. ''We strongly urge other researchers in the field to comment on this roadmap''

 

== 10 December 2006 - Prototype 1 of fully self-contained solar powered SA mesh node ==

[[Image: Sa-mesh-node2.JPG|thumb|SA Mesh Node]]

The first prototype of a multi antenna self-contained mesh node was unveiled in December 2006. This nodes operates on a 45W solar panel to power the embedded computer and three 802.11 radios. The backhaul mesh is built in the 5GHz band using 2 radios which can be switched through a matrix of 4 antennas. This allows a full duplex connection on the backhaul. The Switachable antenna matrix consists of 4 5GHz panel antennas placed at 90 degrees to each other within a weather proof cylinder. An intelligent switching algorithm is used to switch through the four antennas and locate the other mesh nodes in the network. Switching happens as soon as traffic needs to be routed between mesh nodes. A 2.4GHz band radio connected to an omni is used to connect clients to the mesh node.

[[More Information on the SA mesh node]]

 

== 1 October 2006 - Tin can connects rural home to outside world ==

[[Image: Cantenna-peebles-small.jpg|thumb]]

The Meraka Institute's first Cantenna installed in a rural setting was successfully mounted onto the house of Agnes Mdluli, a health worker from Peebles valley, near White River in Mpumalanga. This can-antenna is made from a metal can, such as a coffee tin, and a section of bicycle spoke soldered into a special connector which can connect to another point with a similar antenna up to 5km away. The project in Peebles Valley is one of 10 sub-projects in the First Mile First Inch (FMFI) project being funded by the International Development Research Centre (IDRC).

These small, self-constructed antennas, which are made from locally available material, are connected to a low-cost WiFi card plugged into a computer. A small wireless router is placed in a weatherproof casing on a pole to which several community members could connect and form a community mesh network. This mesh networking technology allows the wireless installations to automatically configure themselves to find the optimal routes through the network and very little configuration is needed to set them up.

More information can be found here:
[[Mpumulanga Mesh]] and [http://www.fmfi.org.za/wiki/index.php/Mpumalanga_Mesh:Project_Overview FMFI Mpumalanga Mesh]

 

----

[[NEW: Quick getting started guide for setting up an outdoor mesh node]]

Please use the discussion tag above to comment and provide suggestions!
Please Email wa-admin(at)meraka.org.za if you wish to contribute or for further information.

[[Image:merakalogo_web.png|200px|Meraka Institute]]

Wireless Africa Home Page

2007-08-27T13:41:52Z

Kmatthee: /* 17 August 2007 - Meraka Institute signs MoU with LinkNet of Zambia */

__NOTOC__
{| cellpadding="0px" cellspacing="0px" border="0px" width="100%"
|-
|align="left" width="100%" style="background-color:#5A1C10; border:0px solid #808080"| [[Image:tobar.jpg]]
|}
----
{| cellpadding="10px" cellspacing="0px" border="0px" width="100%"
|-
|align="left" width="100%" style="background-color:#B3E8FF; border:1px solid #808080"|'''The Wireless Africa group is researching ways and means to develop sustainable information and communications technology in developing countries. This will be achieved through community-owned decentralized mesh networks built on open source technology'''
|}

== 17 August 2007 - Meraka Institute signs MoU with LinkNet of Zambia ==

[[Image: Signing_of_MoU_between_Meraka_and_LinkNet.jpg |thumb|The team at the signing of the MoU]]

The signing of a memorandum of understanding (MoU) between LinkNet Multi-Purpose Co-operative Society Limited of Zambia and the Meraka Institute on 17 August 2007 is another significant step towards the creation of low-cost, wireless connectivity in Africa. LinkNet has as its objective to establish internet communication facilities in rural communities in Zambia to further holistic empowerment and capacity building of institutions and rural people. The Meraka Institute is a South African national research centre managed by the CSIR.

 

== 1 May 2007 - Wireless Africa roadmap process underway ==

[[Image: Rm-ws-small.jpg|thumb]]

A number of workshops were hold with staff at Meraka to understand our vision and what our research, development and product offerings will be.
* The first workshop, held on the '''18th of May 2007''', helped us to understand where we've come from and what our vision is for the future. Our current vision statement is:

{| cellpadding="10px" cellspacing="0px" border="0px""
|-
|align="left" style="background-color:#FFFEB8"|''''' Make a significant contribution to connecting 450 million people sustainably in rural Africa through wireless mesh and other technology with a community grown philosophy
'''''
|}

* The second workshop, held on the '''8th of June 2007''', helped us understand what our three main product offerings will be
**Africa mesh node (Multi radio node with customized hardware and specialized firmware)
** DIY mesh kit (Low cost single radio node available off the shelf with specialized firmware)
** WISP in a box (Bandwidth and user management tool which makes it simple for somebody to set up a wireless business)
* The third workshop, held on the '''14th of June''', was a follow up on the second workshop which tried to define the milestones needed to improve the functionality of each of these product offerings over a 3 year period (See link below for more detail).

The plan is to have a first draft of this road map by the '''end of July'''

More information can be found here: '''[[ Wireless Africa Roadmap ]]'''. ''We strongly urge other researchers in the field to comment on this roadmap''

 

== 10 December 2006 - Prototype 1 of fully self-contained solar powered SA mesh node ==

[[Image: Sa-mesh-node2.JPG|thumb|SA Mesh Node]]

The first prototype of a multi antenna self-contained mesh node was unveiled in December 2006. This nodes operates on a 45W solar panel to power the embedded computer and three 802.11 radios. The backhaul mesh is built in the 5GHz band using 2 radios which can be switched through a matrix of 4 antennas. This allows a full duplex connection on the backhaul. The Switachable antenna matrix consists of 4 5GHz panel antennas placed at 90 degrees to each other within a weather proof cylinder. An intelligent switching algorithm is used to switch through the four antennas and locate the other mesh nodes in the network. Switching happens as soon as traffic needs to be routed between mesh nodes. A 2.4GHz band radio connected to an omni is used to connect clients to the mesh node.

[[More Information on the SA mesh node]]

 

== 1 October 2006 - Tin can connects rural home to outside world ==

[[Image: Cantenna-peebles-small.jpg|thumb]]

The Meraka Institute's first Cantenna installed in a rural setting was successfully mounted onto the house of Agnes Mdluli, a health worker from Peebles valley, near White River in Mpumalanga. This can-antenna is made from a metal can, such as a coffee tin, and a section of bicycle spoke soldered into a special connector which can connect to another point with a similar antenna up to 5km away. The project in Peebles Valley is one of 10 sub-projects in the First Mile First Inch (FMFI) project being funded by the International Development Research Centre (IDRC).

These small, self-constructed antennas, which are made from locally available material, are connected to a low-cost WiFi card plugged into a computer. A small wireless router is placed in a weatherproof casing on a pole to which several community members could connect and form a community mesh network. This mesh networking technology allows the wireless installations to automatically configure themselves to find the optimal routes through the network and very little configuration is needed to set them up.

More information can be found here:
[[Mpumulanga Mesh]] and [http://www.fmfi.org.za/wiki/index.php/Mpumalanga_Mesh:Project_Overview FMFI Mpumalanga Mesh]

 

----

[[NEW: Quick getting started guide for setting up an outdoor mesh node]]

Please use the discussion tag above to comment and provide suggestions!
Please Email wa-admin(at)meraka.org.za if you wish to contribute or for further information.

[[Image:merakalogo_web.png|200px|Meraka Institute]]

Wireless Africa Home Page

2007-08-27T13:41:04Z

Kmatthee: /* 17 August 2007 - Meraka Institute signs MoU with LinkNet of Zambia */

__NOTOC__
{| cellpadding="0px" cellspacing="0px" border="0px" width="100%"
|-
|align="left" width="100%" style="background-color:#5A1C10; border:0px solid #808080"| [[Image:tobar.jpg]]
|}
----
{| cellpadding="10px" cellspacing="0px" border="0px" width="100%"
|-
|align="left" width="100%" style="background-color:#B3E8FF; border:1px solid #808080"|'''The Wireless Africa group is researching ways and means to develop sustainable information and communications technology in developing countries. This will be achieved through community-owned decentralized mesh networks built on open source technology'''
|}

== 17 August 2007 - Meraka Institute signs MoU with LinkNet of Zambia ==

[[Image: Signing_of_MoU_between_Meraka_and_LinkNet.jpg |thumb]The team at the signing of the MoU]

The signing of a memorandum of understanding (MoU) between LinkNet Multi-Purpose Co-operative Society Limited of Zambia and the Meraka Institute on 17 August 2007 is another significant step towards the creation of low-cost, wireless connectivity in Africa. LinkNet has as its objective to establish internet communication facilities in rural communities in Zambia to further holistic empowerment and capacity building of institutions and rural people. The Meraka Institute is a South African national research centre managed by the CSIR.

 

== 1 May 2007 - Wireless Africa roadmap process underway ==

[[Image: Rm-ws-small.jpg|thumb]]

A number of workshops were hold with staff at Meraka to understand our vision and what our research, development and product offerings will be.
* The first workshop, held on the '''18th of May 2007''', helped us to understand where we've come from and what our vision is for the future. Our current vision statement is:

{| cellpadding="10px" cellspacing="0px" border="0px""
|-
|align="left" style="background-color:#FFFEB8"|''''' Make a significant contribution to connecting 450 million people sustainably in rural Africa through wireless mesh and other technology with a community grown philosophy
'''''
|}

* The second workshop, held on the '''8th of June 2007''', helped us understand what our three main product offerings will be
**Africa mesh node (Multi radio node with customized hardware and specialized firmware)
** DIY mesh kit (Low cost single radio node available off the shelf with specialized firmware)
** WISP in a box (Bandwidth and user management tool which makes it simple for somebody to set up a wireless business)
* The third workshop, held on the '''14th of June''', was a follow up on the second workshop which tried to define the milestones needed to improve the functionality of each of these product offerings over a 3 year period (See link below for more detail).

The plan is to have a first draft of this road map by the '''end of July'''

More information can be found here: '''[[ Wireless Africa Roadmap ]]'''. ''We strongly urge other researchers in the field to comment on this roadmap''

 

== 10 December 2006 - Prototype 1 of fully self-contained solar powered SA mesh node ==

[[Image: Sa-mesh-node2.JPG|thumb|SA Mesh Node]]

The first prototype of a multi antenna self-contained mesh node was unveiled in December 2006. This nodes operates on a 45W solar panel to power the embedded computer and three 802.11 radios. The backhaul mesh is built in the 5GHz band using 2 radios which can be switched through a matrix of 4 antennas. This allows a full duplex connection on the backhaul. The Switachable antenna matrix consists of 4 5GHz panel antennas placed at 90 degrees to each other within a weather proof cylinder. An intelligent switching algorithm is used to switch through the four antennas and locate the other mesh nodes in the network. Switching happens as soon as traffic needs to be routed between mesh nodes. A 2.4GHz band radio connected to an omni is used to connect clients to the mesh node.

[[More Information on the SA mesh node]]

 

== 1 October 2006 - Tin can connects rural home to outside world ==

[[Image: Cantenna-peebles-small.jpg|thumb]]

The Meraka Institute's first Cantenna installed in a rural setting was successfully mounted onto the house of Agnes Mdluli, a health worker from Peebles valley, near White River in Mpumalanga. This can-antenna is made from a metal can, such as a coffee tin, and a section of bicycle spoke soldered into a special connector which can connect to another point with a similar antenna up to 5km away. The project in Peebles Valley is one of 10 sub-projects in the First Mile First Inch (FMFI) project being funded by the International Development Research Centre (IDRC).

These small, self-constructed antennas, which are made from locally available material, are connected to a low-cost WiFi card plugged into a computer. A small wireless router is placed in a weatherproof casing on a pole to which several community members could connect and form a community mesh network. This mesh networking technology allows the wireless installations to automatically configure themselves to find the optimal routes through the network and very little configuration is needed to set them up.

More information can be found here:
[[Mpumulanga Mesh]] and [http://www.fmfi.org.za/wiki/index.php/Mpumalanga_Mesh:Project_Overview FMFI Mpumalanga Mesh]

 

----

[[NEW: Quick getting started guide for setting up an outdoor mesh node]]

Please use the discussion tag above to comment and provide suggestions!
Please Email wa-admin(at)meraka.org.za if you wish to contribute or for further information.

[[Image:merakalogo_web.png|200px|Meraka Institute]]

Wireless Africa Home Page

2007-08-27T13:40:35Z

Kmatthee: /* 17 August 2007 - Meraka Institute signs MoU with LinkNet of Zambia */

__NOTOC__
{| cellpadding="0px" cellspacing="0px" border="0px" width="100%"
|-
|align="left" width="100%" style="background-color:#5A1C10; border:0px solid #808080"| [[Image:tobar.jpg]]
|}
----
{| cellpadding="10px" cellspacing="0px" border="0px" width="100%"
|-
|align="left" width="100%" style="background-color:#B3E8FF; border:1px solid #808080"|'''The Wireless Africa group is researching ways and means to develop sustainable information and communications technology in developing countries. This will be achieved through community-owned decentralized mesh networks built on open source technology'''
|}

== 17 August 2007 - Meraka Institute signs MoU with LinkNet of Zambia ==

[[Image: Signing_of_MoU_between_Meraka_and_LinkNet.jpg |thumb The team at the signing of the MoU]]

The signing of a memorandum of understanding (MoU) between LinkNet Multi-Purpose Co-operative Society Limited of Zambia and the Meraka Institute on 17 August 2007 is another significant step towards the creation of low-cost, wireless connectivity in Africa. LinkNet has as its objective to establish internet communication facilities in rural communities in Zambia to further holistic empowerment and capacity building of institutions and rural people. The Meraka Institute is a South African national research centre managed by the CSIR.

 

== 1 May 2007 - Wireless Africa roadmap process underway ==

[[Image: Rm-ws-small.jpg|thumb]]

A number of workshops were hold with staff at Meraka to understand our vision and what our research, development and product offerings will be.
* The first workshop, held on the '''18th of May 2007''', helped us to understand where we've come from and what our vision is for the future. Our current vision statement is:

{| cellpadding="10px" cellspacing="0px" border="0px""
|-
|align="left" style="background-color:#FFFEB8"|''''' Make a significant contribution to connecting 450 million people sustainably in rural Africa through wireless mesh and other technology with a community grown philosophy
'''''
|}

* The second workshop, held on the '''8th of June 2007''', helped us understand what our three main product offerings will be
**Africa mesh node (Multi radio node with customized hardware and specialized firmware)
** DIY mesh kit (Low cost single radio node available off the shelf with specialized firmware)
** WISP in a box (Bandwidth and user management tool which makes it simple for somebody to set up a wireless business)
* The third workshop, held on the '''14th of June''', was a follow up on the second workshop which tried to define the milestones needed to improve the functionality of each of these product offerings over a 3 year period (See link below for more detail).

The plan is to have a first draft of this road map by the '''end of July'''

More information can be found here: '''[[ Wireless Africa Roadmap ]]'''. ''We strongly urge other researchers in the field to comment on this roadmap''

 

== 10 December 2006 - Prototype 1 of fully self-contained solar powered SA mesh node ==

[[Image: Sa-mesh-node2.JPG|thumb|SA Mesh Node]]

The first prototype of a multi antenna self-contained mesh node was unveiled in December 2006. This nodes operates on a 45W solar panel to power the embedded computer and three 802.11 radios. The backhaul mesh is built in the 5GHz band using 2 radios which can be switched through a matrix of 4 antennas. This allows a full duplex connection on the backhaul. The Switachable antenna matrix consists of 4 5GHz panel antennas placed at 90 degrees to each other within a weather proof cylinder. An intelligent switching algorithm is used to switch through the four antennas and locate the other mesh nodes in the network. Switching happens as soon as traffic needs to be routed between mesh nodes. A 2.4GHz band radio connected to an omni is used to connect clients to the mesh node.

[[More Information on the SA mesh node]]

 

== 1 October 2006 - Tin can connects rural home to outside world ==

[[Image: Cantenna-peebles-small.jpg|thumb]]

The Meraka Institute's first Cantenna installed in a rural setting was successfully mounted onto the house of Agnes Mdluli, a health worker from Peebles valley, near White River in Mpumalanga. This can-antenna is made from a metal can, such as a coffee tin, and a section of bicycle spoke soldered into a special connector which can connect to another point with a similar antenna up to 5km away. The project in Peebles Valley is one of 10 sub-projects in the First Mile First Inch (FMFI) project being funded by the International Development Research Centre (IDRC).

These small, self-constructed antennas, which are made from locally available material, are connected to a low-cost WiFi card plugged into a computer. A small wireless router is placed in a weatherproof casing on a pole to which several community members could connect and form a community mesh network. This mesh networking technology allows the wireless installations to automatically configure themselves to find the optimal routes through the network and very little configuration is needed to set them up.

More information can be found here:
[[Mpumulanga Mesh]] and [http://www.fmfi.org.za/wiki/index.php/Mpumalanga_Mesh:Project_Overview FMFI Mpumalanga Mesh]

 

----

[[NEW: Quick getting started guide for setting up an outdoor mesh node]]

Please use the discussion tag above to comment and provide suggestions!
Please Email wa-admin(at)meraka.org.za if you wish to contribute or for further information.

[[Image:merakalogo_web.png|200px|Meraka Institute]]

Wireless Africa Home Page

2007-08-27T13:39:42Z

Kmatthee: /* 1 October 2006 - Tin can connects rural home to outside world */

__NOTOC__
{| cellpadding="0px" cellspacing="0px" border="0px" width="100%"
|-
|align="left" width="100%" style="background-color:#5A1C10; border:0px solid #808080"| [[Image:tobar.jpg]]
|}
----
{| cellpadding="10px" cellspacing="0px" border="0px" width="100%"
|-
|align="left" width="100%" style="background-color:#B3E8FF; border:1px solid #808080"|'''The Wireless Africa group is researching ways and means to develop sustainable information and communications technology in developing countries. This will be achieved through community-owned decentralized mesh networks built on open source technology'''
|}

== 17 August 2007 - Meraka Institute signs MoU with LinkNet of Zambia ==

[[Image: Signing_of_MoU_between_Meraka_and_LinkNet.jpg |thumb]]

The signing of a memorandum of understanding (MoU) between LinkNet Multi-Purpose Co-operative Society Limited of Zambia and the Meraka Institute on 17 August 2007 is another significant step towards the creation of low-cost, wireless connectivity in Africa. LinkNet has as its objective to establish internet communication facilities in rural communities in Zambia to further holistic empowerment and capacity building of institutions and rural people. The Meraka Institute is a South African national research centre managed by the CSIR.

 

== 1 May 2007 - Wireless Africa roadmap process underway ==

[[Image: Rm-ws-small.jpg|thumb]]

A number of workshops were hold with staff at Meraka to understand our vision and what our research, development and product offerings will be.
* The first workshop, held on the '''18th of May 2007''', helped us to understand where we've come from and what our vision is for the future. Our current vision statement is:

{| cellpadding="10px" cellspacing="0px" border="0px""
|-
|align="left" style="background-color:#FFFEB8"|''''' Make a significant contribution to connecting 450 million people sustainably in rural Africa through wireless mesh and other technology with a community grown philosophy
'''''
|}

* The second workshop, held on the '''8th of June 2007''', helped us understand what our three main product offerings will be
**Africa mesh node (Multi radio node with customized hardware and specialized firmware)
** DIY mesh kit (Low cost single radio node available off the shelf with specialized firmware)
** WISP in a box (Bandwidth and user management tool which makes it simple for somebody to set up a wireless business)
* The third workshop, held on the '''14th of June''', was a follow up on the second workshop which tried to define the milestones needed to improve the functionality of each of these product offerings over a 3 year period (See link below for more detail).

The plan is to have a first draft of this road map by the '''end of July'''

More information can be found here: '''[[ Wireless Africa Roadmap ]]'''. ''We strongly urge other researchers in the field to comment on this roadmap''

 

== 10 December 2006 - Prototype 1 of fully self-contained solar powered SA mesh node ==

[[Image: Sa-mesh-node2.JPG|thumb|SA Mesh Node]]

The first prototype of a multi antenna self-contained mesh node was unveiled in December 2006. This nodes operates on a 45W solar panel to power the embedded computer and three 802.11 radios. The backhaul mesh is built in the 5GHz band using 2 radios which can be switched through a matrix of 4 antennas. This allows a full duplex connection on the backhaul. The Switachable antenna matrix consists of 4 5GHz panel antennas placed at 90 degrees to each other within a weather proof cylinder. An intelligent switching algorithm is used to switch through the four antennas and locate the other mesh nodes in the network. Switching happens as soon as traffic needs to be routed between mesh nodes. A 2.4GHz band radio connected to an omni is used to connect clients to the mesh node.

[[More Information on the SA mesh node]]

 

== 1 October 2006 - Tin can connects rural home to outside world ==

[[Image: Cantenna-peebles-small.jpg|thumb]]

The Meraka Institute's first Cantenna installed in a rural setting was successfully mounted onto the house of Agnes Mdluli, a health worker from Peebles valley, near White River in Mpumalanga. This can-antenna is made from a metal can, such as a coffee tin, and a section of bicycle spoke soldered into a special connector which can connect to another point with a similar antenna up to 5km away. The project in Peebles Valley is one of 10 sub-projects in the First Mile First Inch (FMFI) project being funded by the International Development Research Centre (IDRC).

These small, self-constructed antennas, which are made from locally available material, are connected to a low-cost WiFi card plugged into a computer. A small wireless router is placed in a weatherproof casing on a pole to which several community members could connect and form a community mesh network. This mesh networking technology allows the wireless installations to automatically configure themselves to find the optimal routes through the network and very little configuration is needed to set them up.

More information can be found here:
[[Mpumulanga Mesh]] and [http://www.fmfi.org.za/wiki/index.php/Mpumalanga_Mesh:Project_Overview FMFI Mpumalanga Mesh]

 

----

[[NEW: Quick getting started guide for setting up an outdoor mesh node]]

Please use the discussion tag above to comment and provide suggestions!
Please Email wa-admin(at)meraka.org.za if you wish to contribute or for further information.

[[Image:merakalogo_web.png|200px|Meraka Institute]]

Wireless Africa Home Page

2007-08-27T13:38:12Z

Kmatthee: /* 17 August 2007 - Meraka Institute signs MoU with LinkNet of Zambia */

__NOTOC__
{| cellpadding="0px" cellspacing="0px" border="0px" width="100%"
|-
|align="left" width="100%" style="background-color:#5A1C10; border:0px solid #808080"| [[Image:tobar.jpg]]
|}
----
{| cellpadding="10px" cellspacing="0px" border="0px" width="100%"
|-
|align="left" width="100%" style="background-color:#B3E8FF; border:1px solid #808080"|'''The Wireless Africa group is researching ways and means to develop sustainable information and communications technology in developing countries. This will be achieved through community-owned decentralized mesh networks built on open source technology'''
|}

== 17 August 2007 - Meraka Institute signs MoU with LinkNet of Zambia ==

[[Image: Signing_of_MoU_between_Meraka_and_LinkNet.jpg |thumb]]

The signing of a memorandum of understanding (MoU) between LinkNet Multi-Purpose Co-operative Society Limited of Zambia and the Meraka Institute on 17 August 2007 is another significant step towards the creation of low-cost, wireless connectivity in Africa. LinkNet has as its objective to establish internet communication facilities in rural communities in Zambia to further holistic empowerment and capacity building of institutions and rural people. The Meraka Institute is a South African national research centre managed by the CSIR.

 

== 1 May 2007 - Wireless Africa roadmap process underway ==

[[Image: Rm-ws-small.jpg|thumb]]

A number of workshops were hold with staff at Meraka to understand our vision and what our research, development and product offerings will be.
* The first workshop, held on the '''18th of May 2007''', helped us to understand where we've come from and what our vision is for the future. Our current vision statement is:

{| cellpadding="10px" cellspacing="0px" border="0px""
|-
|align="left" style="background-color:#FFFEB8"|''''' Make a significant contribution to connecting 450 million people sustainably in rural Africa through wireless mesh and other technology with a community grown philosophy
'''''
|}

* The second workshop, held on the '''8th of June 2007''', helped us understand what our three main product offerings will be
**Africa mesh node (Multi radio node with customized hardware and specialized firmware)
** DIY mesh kit (Low cost single radio node available off the shelf with specialized firmware)
** WISP in a box (Bandwidth and user management tool which makes it simple for somebody to set up a wireless business)
* The third workshop, held on the '''14th of June''', was a follow up on the second workshop which tried to define the milestones needed to improve the functionality of each of these product offerings over a 3 year period (See link below for more detail).

The plan is to have a first draft of this road map by the '''end of July'''

More information can be found here: '''[[ Wireless Africa Roadmap ]]'''. ''We strongly urge other researchers in the field to comment on this roadmap''

 

== 10 December 2006 - Prototype 1 of fully self-contained solar powered SA mesh node ==

[[Image: Sa-mesh-node2.JPG|thumb|SA Mesh Node]]

The first prototype of a multi antenna self-contained mesh node was unveiled in December 2006. This nodes operates on a 45W solar panel to power the embedded computer and three 802.11 radios. The backhaul mesh is built in the 5GHz band using 2 radios which can be switched through a matrix of 4 antennas. This allows a full duplex connection on the backhaul. The Switachable antenna matrix consists of 4 5GHz panel antennas placed at 90 degrees to each other within a weather proof cylinder. An intelligent switching algorithm is used to switch through the four antennas and locate the other mesh nodes in the network. Switching happens as soon as traffic needs to be routed between mesh nodes. A 2.4GHz band radio connected to an omni is used to connect clients to the mesh node.

[[More Information on the SA mesh node]]

 

== 1 October 2006 - Tin can connects rural home to outside world ==

[[Image: Cantenna-peebles-small.jpg|thumb]]

The Meraka Institute's first Cantenna installed in a rural setting was successfully mounted onto the house of Agnes Mdluli, a health worker from Peebles valley, near White River in Mpumalanga. This can-antenna is made from a metal can, such as a coffee tin, and a section of bicycle spoke soldered into a special connector which can connect to another point with a similar antenna up to 5km away. The project in Peebles Valley is one of 10 sub-projects in the First Mile First Inch (FMFI) project being funded by the International Development Research Centre (IDRC).

These small, self-constructed antennas, which are made from locally available material, are connected to a low-cost WiFi card plugged into a computer. A small wireless router is placed in a weatherproof casing on a pole to which several community members could connect and form a community mesh network. This mesh networking technology allows the wireless installations to automatically configure themselves to find the optimal routes through the network and very little configuration is needed to set them up.

More information can be found here:
[[Mpumulanga Mesh]] and [http://www.fmfi.org.za/wiki/index.php/Mpumalanga_Mesh:Project_Overview FMFI Mpumalanga Mesh]

 

----

[[NEW: Quick getting started guide for setting up an outdoor mesh node]]

Please use the discussion tag above to comment and provide suggestions!
Please Email wa-admin(at)meraka.org.za if you wish to contribute or for further information.

[[Image:merakalogo_web.png|200px|Meraka Institute]]

Wireless Africa Home Page

2007-08-27T13:37:41Z

Kmatthee: /* 1 October 2006 - Tin can connects rural home to outside world */

__NOTOC__
{| cellpadding="0px" cellspacing="0px" border="0px" width="100%"
|-
|align="left" width="100%" style="background-color:#5A1C10; border:0px solid #808080"| [[Image:tobar.jpg]]
|}
----
{| cellpadding="10px" cellspacing="0px" border="0px" width="100%"
|-
|align="left" width="100%" style="background-color:#B3E8FF; border:1px solid #808080"|'''The Wireless Africa group is researching ways and means to develop sustainable information and communications technology in developing countries. This will be achieved through community-owned decentralized mesh networks built on open source technology'''
|}

== 17 August 2007 - Meraka Institute signs MoU with LinkNet of Zambia ==

[[Image: Signing_of_MoU_between_Meraka_and_LinkNet.jpg |thumb]]

The signing of a memorandum of understanding (MoU) between LinkNet Multi-Purpose Co-operative Society Limited of Zambia and the Meraka Institute on 17 August 2007 is another significant step towards the creation of low-cost, wireless connectivity in Africa. LinkNet has as its objective to establish internet communication facilities in rural communities in Zambia to further holistic empowerment and capacity building of institutions and rural people. The Meraka Institute is a South African national research centre managed by the CSIR.

 

== 1 May 2007 - Wireless Africa roadmap process underway ==

[[Image: Rm-ws-small.jpg|thumb]]

A number of workshops were hold with staff at Meraka to understand our vision and what our research, development and product offerings will be.
* The first workshop, held on the '''18th of May 2007''', helped us to understand where we've come from and what our vision is for the future. Our current vision statement is:

{| cellpadding="10px" cellspacing="0px" border="0px""
|-
|align="left" style="background-color:#FFFEB8"|''''' Make a significant contribution to connecting 450 million people sustainably in rural Africa through wireless mesh and other technology with a community grown philosophy
'''''
|}

* The second workshop, held on the '''8th of June 2007''', helped us understand what our three main product offerings will be
**Africa mesh node (Multi radio node with customized hardware and specialized firmware)
** DIY mesh kit (Low cost single radio node available off the shelf with specialized firmware)
** WISP in a box (Bandwidth and user management tool which makes it simple for somebody to set up a wireless business)
* The third workshop, held on the '''14th of June''', was a follow up on the second workshop which tried to define the milestones needed to improve the functionality of each of these product offerings over a 3 year period (See link below for more detail).

The plan is to have a first draft of this road map by the '''end of July'''

More information can be found here: '''[[ Wireless Africa Roadmap ]]'''. ''We strongly urge other researchers in the field to comment on this roadmap''

 

== 10 December 2006 - Prototype 1 of fully self-contained solar powered SA mesh node ==

[[Image: Sa-mesh-node2.JPG|thumb|SA Mesh Node]]

The first prototype of a multi antenna self-contained mesh node was unveiled in December 2006. This nodes operates on a 45W solar panel to power the embedded computer and three 802.11 radios. The backhaul mesh is built in the 5GHz band using 2 radios which can be switched through a matrix of 4 antennas. This allows a full duplex connection on the backhaul. The Switachable antenna matrix consists of 4 5GHz panel antennas placed at 90 degrees to each other within a weather proof cylinder. An intelligent switching algorithm is used to switch through the four antennas and locate the other mesh nodes in the network. Switching happens as soon as traffic needs to be routed between mesh nodes. A 2.4GHz band radio connected to an omni is used to connect clients to the mesh node.

[[More Information on the SA mesh node]]

 

== 1 October 2006 - Tin can connects rural home to outside world ==

[[Image: Cantenna-peebles-small.jpg|thumb]]

The Meraka Institute's first Cantenna installed in a rural setting was successfully mounted onto the house of Agnes Mdluli, a health worker from Peebles valley, near White River in Mpumalanga. This can-antenna is made from a metal can, such as a coffee tin, and a section of bicycle spoke soldered into a special connector which can connect to another point with a similar antenna up to 5km away. The project in Peebles Valley is one of 10 sub-projects in the First Mile First Inch (FMFI) project being funded by the International Development Research Centre (IDRC).

These small, self-constructed antennas, which are made from locally available material, are connected to a low-cost WiFi card plugged into a computer. A small wireless router is placed in a weatherproof casing on a pole to which several community members could connect and form a community mesh network. This mesh networking technology allows the wireless installations to automatically configure themselves to find the optimal routes through the network and very little configuration is needed to set them up.

More information can be found here:
[[Mpumulanga Mesh]] and [http://www.fmfi.org.za/wiki/index.php/Mpumalanga_Mesh:Project_Overview FMFI Mpumalanga Mesh]

 

----

[[NEW: Quick getting started guide for setting up an outdoor mesh node]]

Please use the discussion tag above to comment and provide suggestions!
Please Email wa-admin(at)meraka.org.za if you wish to contribute or for further information.

[[Image:merakalogo_web.png|200px|Meraka Institute]]

Wireless Africa Home Page

2007-08-27T13:37:08Z

Kmatthee: /* 10 December 2006 - Prototype 1 of fully self-contained solar powered SA mesh node */

__NOTOC__
{| cellpadding="0px" cellspacing="0px" border="0px" width="100%"
|-
|align="left" width="100%" style="background-color:#5A1C10; border:0px solid #808080"| [[Image:tobar.jpg]]
|}
----
{| cellpadding="10px" cellspacing="0px" border="0px" width="100%"
|-
|align="left" width="100%" style="background-color:#B3E8FF; border:1px solid #808080"|'''The Wireless Africa group is researching ways and means to develop sustainable information and communications technology in developing countries. This will be achieved through community-owned decentralized mesh networks built on open source technology'''
|}

== 17 August 2007 - Meraka Institute signs MoU with LinkNet of Zambia ==

[[Image: Signing_of_MoU_between_Meraka_and_LinkNet.jpg |thumb]]

The signing of a memorandum of understanding (MoU) between LinkNet Multi-Purpose Co-operative Society Limited of Zambia and the Meraka Institute on 17 August 2007 is another significant step towards the creation of low-cost, wireless connectivity in Africa. LinkNet has as its objective to establish internet communication facilities in rural communities in Zambia to further holistic empowerment and capacity building of institutions and rural people. The Meraka Institute is a South African national research centre managed by the CSIR.

 

== 1 May 2007 - Wireless Africa roadmap process underway ==

[[Image: Rm-ws-small.jpg|thumb]]

A number of workshops were hold with staff at Meraka to understand our vision and what our research, development and product offerings will be.
* The first workshop, held on the '''18th of May 2007''', helped us to understand where we've come from and what our vision is for the future. Our current vision statement is:

{| cellpadding="10px" cellspacing="0px" border="0px""
|-
|align="left" style="background-color:#FFFEB8"|''''' Make a significant contribution to connecting 450 million people sustainably in rural Africa through wireless mesh and other technology with a community grown philosophy
'''''
|}

* The second workshop, held on the '''8th of June 2007''', helped us understand what our three main product offerings will be
**Africa mesh node (Multi radio node with customized hardware and specialized firmware)
** DIY mesh kit (Low cost single radio node available off the shelf with specialized firmware)
** WISP in a box (Bandwidth and user management tool which makes it simple for somebody to set up a wireless business)
* The third workshop, held on the '''14th of June''', was a follow up on the second workshop which tried to define the milestones needed to improve the functionality of each of these product offerings over a 3 year period (See link below for more detail).

The plan is to have a first draft of this road map by the '''end of July'''

More information can be found here: '''[[ Wireless Africa Roadmap ]]'''. ''We strongly urge other researchers in the field to comment on this roadmap''

 

== 10 December 2006 - Prototype 1 of fully self-contained solar powered SA mesh node ==

[[Image: Sa-mesh-node2.JPG|thumb|SA Mesh Node]]

The first prototype of a multi antenna self-contained mesh node was unveiled in December 2006. This nodes operates on a 45W solar panel to power the embedded computer and three 802.11 radios. The backhaul mesh is built in the 5GHz band using 2 radios which can be switched through a matrix of 4 antennas. This allows a full duplex connection on the backhaul. The Switachable antenna matrix consists of 4 5GHz panel antennas placed at 90 degrees to each other within a weather proof cylinder. An intelligent switching algorithm is used to switch through the four antennas and locate the other mesh nodes in the network. Switching happens as soon as traffic needs to be routed between mesh nodes. A 2.4GHz band radio connected to an omni is used to connect clients to the mesh node.

[[More Information on the SA mesh node]]

 

== 1 October 2006 - Tin can connects rural home to outside world ==

The Meraka Institute's first Cantenna installed in a rural setting was successfully mounted onto the house of Agnes Mdluli, a health worker from Peebles valley, near White River in Mpumalanga. This can-antenna is made from a metal can, such as a coffee tin, and a section of bicycle spoke soldered into a special connector which can connect to another point with a similar antenna up to 5km away. The project in Peebles Valley is one of 10 sub-projects in the First Mile First Inch (FMFI) project being funded by the International Development Research Centre (IDRC).

These small, self-constructed antennas, which are made from locally available material, are connected to a low-cost WiFi card plugged into a computer. A small wireless router is placed in a weatherproof casing on a pole to which several community members could connect and form a community mesh network. This mesh networking technology allows the wireless installations to automatically configure themselves to find the optimal routes through the network and very little configuration is needed to set them up.

More information can be found here:
[[Mpumulanga Mesh]] and [http://www.fmfi.org.za/wiki/index.php/Mpumalanga_Mesh:Project_Overview FMFI Mpumalanga Mesh]

[[Image: Cantenna-peebles-small.jpg|thumb]]

----

[[NEW: Quick getting started guide for setting up an outdoor mesh node]]

Please use the discussion tag above to comment and provide suggestions!
Please Email wa-admin(at)meraka.org.za if you wish to contribute or for further information.

[[Image:merakalogo_web.png|200px|Meraka Institute]]

Wireless Africa Home Page

2007-08-27T13:36:44Z

Kmatthee: /* 1 May 2007 - Wireless Africa roadmap process underway */

__NOTOC__
{| cellpadding="0px" cellspacing="0px" border="0px" width="100%"
|-
|align="left" width="100%" style="background-color:#5A1C10; border:0px solid #808080"| [[Image:tobar.jpg]]
|}
----
{| cellpadding="10px" cellspacing="0px" border="0px" width="100%"
|-
|align="left" width="100%" style="background-color:#B3E8FF; border:1px solid #808080"|'''The Wireless Africa group is researching ways and means to develop sustainable information and communications technology in developing countries. This will be achieved through community-owned decentralized mesh networks built on open source technology'''
|}

== 17 August 2007 - Meraka Institute signs MoU with LinkNet of Zambia ==

[[Image: Signing_of_MoU_between_Meraka_and_LinkNet.jpg |thumb]]

The signing of a memorandum of understanding (MoU) between LinkNet Multi-Purpose Co-operative Society Limited of Zambia and the Meraka Institute on 17 August 2007 is another significant step towards the creation of low-cost, wireless connectivity in Africa. LinkNet has as its objective to establish internet communication facilities in rural communities in Zambia to further holistic empowerment and capacity building of institutions and rural people. The Meraka Institute is a South African national research centre managed by the CSIR.

 

== 1 May 2007 - Wireless Africa roadmap process underway ==

[[Image: Rm-ws-small.jpg|thumb]]

A number of workshops were hold with staff at Meraka to understand our vision and what our research, development and product offerings will be.
* The first workshop, held on the '''18th of May 2007''', helped us to understand where we've come from and what our vision is for the future. Our current vision statement is:

{| cellpadding="10px" cellspacing="0px" border="0px""
|-
|align="left" style="background-color:#FFFEB8"|''''' Make a significant contribution to connecting 450 million people sustainably in rural Africa through wireless mesh and other technology with a community grown philosophy
'''''
|}

* The second workshop, held on the '''8th of June 2007''', helped us understand what our three main product offerings will be
**Africa mesh node (Multi radio node with customized hardware and specialized firmware)
** DIY mesh kit (Low cost single radio node available off the shelf with specialized firmware)
** WISP in a box (Bandwidth and user management tool which makes it simple for somebody to set up a wireless business)
* The third workshop, held on the '''14th of June''', was a follow up on the second workshop which tried to define the milestones needed to improve the functionality of each of these product offerings over a 3 year period (See link below for more detail).

The plan is to have a first draft of this road map by the '''end of July'''

More information can be found here: '''[[ Wireless Africa Roadmap ]]'''. ''We strongly urge other researchers in the field to comment on this roadmap''

 

== 10 December 2006 - Prototype 1 of fully self-contained solar powered SA mesh node ==

[[Image: Sa-mesh-node2.JPG|thumb|SA Mesh Node]]

The first prototype of a multi antenna self-contained mesh node was unveiled in December 2006. This nodes operates on a 45W solar panel to power the embedded computer and three 802.11 radios. The backhaul mesh is built in the 5GHz band using 2 radios which can be switched through a matrix of 4 antennas. This allows a full duplex connection on the backhaul. The Switachable antenna matrix consists of 4 5GHz panel antennas placed at 90 degrees to each other within a weather proof cylinder. An intelligent switching algorithm is used to switch through the four antennas and locate the other mesh nodes in the network. Switching happens as soon as traffic needs to be routed between mesh nodes. A 2.4GHz band radio connected to an omni is used to connect clients to the mesh node.

[[More Information on the SA mesh node]]
<br=clear all>

== 1 October 2006 - Tin can connects rural home to outside world ==

The Meraka Institute's first Cantenna installed in a rural setting was successfully mounted onto the house of Agnes Mdluli, a health worker from Peebles valley, near White River in Mpumalanga. This can-antenna is made from a metal can, such as a coffee tin, and a section of bicycle spoke soldered into a special connector which can connect to another point with a similar antenna up to 5km away. The project in Peebles Valley is one of 10 sub-projects in the First Mile First Inch (FMFI) project being funded by the International Development Research Centre (IDRC).

These small, self-constructed antennas, which are made from locally available material, are connected to a low-cost WiFi card plugged into a computer. A small wireless router is placed in a weatherproof casing on a pole to which several community members could connect and form a community mesh network. This mesh networking technology allows the wireless installations to automatically configure themselves to find the optimal routes through the network and very little configuration is needed to set them up.

More information can be found here:
[[Mpumulanga Mesh]] and [http://www.fmfi.org.za/wiki/index.php/Mpumalanga_Mesh:Project_Overview FMFI Mpumalanga Mesh]

[[Image: Cantenna-peebles-small.jpg|thumb]]

----

[[NEW: Quick getting started guide for setting up an outdoor mesh node]]

Please use the discussion tag above to comment and provide suggestions!
Please Email wa-admin(at)meraka.org.za if you wish to contribute or for further information.

[[Image:merakalogo_web.png|200px|Meraka Institute]]

Wireless Africa Home Page

2007-08-27T13:36:31Z

Kmatthee: /* 17 August 2007 - Meraka Institute signs MoU with LinkNet of Zambia */

__NOTOC__
{| cellpadding="0px" cellspacing="0px" border="0px" width="100%"
|-
|align="left" width="100%" style="background-color:#5A1C10; border:0px solid #808080"| [[Image:tobar.jpg]]
|}
----
{| cellpadding="10px" cellspacing="0px" border="0px" width="100%"
|-
|align="left" width="100%" style="background-color:#B3E8FF; border:1px solid #808080"|'''The Wireless Africa group is researching ways and means to develop sustainable information and communications technology in developing countries. This will be achieved through community-owned decentralized mesh networks built on open source technology'''
|}

== 17 August 2007 - Meraka Institute signs MoU with LinkNet of Zambia ==

[[Image: Signing_of_MoU_between_Meraka_and_LinkNet.jpg |thumb]]

The signing of a memorandum of understanding (MoU) between LinkNet Multi-Purpose Co-operative Society Limited of Zambia and the Meraka Institute on 17 August 2007 is another significant step towards the creation of low-cost, wireless connectivity in Africa. LinkNet has as its objective to establish internet communication facilities in rural communities in Zambia to further holistic empowerment and capacity building of institutions and rural people. The Meraka Institute is a South African national research centre managed by the CSIR.

 

== 1 May 2007 - Wireless Africa roadmap process underway ==

[[Image: Rm-ws-small.jpg|thumb]]

A number of workshops were hold with staff at Meraka to understand our vision and what our research, development and product offerings will be.
* The first workshop, held on the '''18th of May 2007''', helped us to understand where we've come from and what our vision is for the future. Our current vision statement is:

{| cellpadding="10px" cellspacing="0px" border="0px""
|-
|align="left" style="background-color:#FFFEB8"|''''' Make a significant contribution to connecting 450 million people sustainably in rural Africa through wireless mesh and other technology with a community grown philosophy
'''''
|}

* The second workshop, held on the '''8th of June 2007''', helped us understand what our three main product offerings will be
**Africa mesh node (Multi radio node with customized hardware and specialized firmware)
** DIY mesh kit (Low cost single radio node available off the shelf with specialized firmware)
** WISP in a box (Bandwidth and user management tool which makes it simple for somebody to set up a wireless business)
* The third workshop, held on the '''14th of June''', was a follow up on the second workshop which tried to define the milestones needed to improve the functionality of each of these product offerings over a 3 year period (See link below for more detail).

The plan is to have a first draft of this road map by the '''end of July'''

More information can be found here: '''[[ Wireless Africa Roadmap ]]'''. ''We strongly urge other researchers in the field to comment on this roadmap''

== 10 December 2006 - Prototype 1 of fully self-contained solar powered SA mesh node ==

[[Image: Sa-mesh-node2.JPG|thumb|SA Mesh Node]]

The first prototype of a multi antenna self-contained mesh node was unveiled in December 2006. This nodes operates on a 45W solar panel to power the embedded computer and three 802.11 radios. The backhaul mesh is built in the 5GHz band using 2 radios which can be switched through a matrix of 4 antennas. This allows a full duplex connection on the backhaul. The Switachable antenna matrix consists of 4 5GHz panel antennas placed at 90 degrees to each other within a weather proof cylinder. An intelligent switching algorithm is used to switch through the four antennas and locate the other mesh nodes in the network. Switching happens as soon as traffic needs to be routed between mesh nodes. A 2.4GHz band radio connected to an omni is used to connect clients to the mesh node.

[[More Information on the SA mesh node]]
<br=clear all>

== 1 October 2006 - Tin can connects rural home to outside world ==

The Meraka Institute's first Cantenna installed in a rural setting was successfully mounted onto the house of Agnes Mdluli, a health worker from Peebles valley, near White River in Mpumalanga. This can-antenna is made from a metal can, such as a coffee tin, and a section of bicycle spoke soldered into a special connector which can connect to another point with a similar antenna up to 5km away. The project in Peebles Valley is one of 10 sub-projects in the First Mile First Inch (FMFI) project being funded by the International Development Research Centre (IDRC).

These small, self-constructed antennas, which are made from locally available material, are connected to a low-cost WiFi card plugged into a computer. A small wireless router is placed in a weatherproof casing on a pole to which several community members could connect and form a community mesh network. This mesh networking technology allows the wireless installations to automatically configure themselves to find the optimal routes through the network and very little configuration is needed to set them up.

More information can be found here:
[[Mpumulanga Mesh]] and [http://www.fmfi.org.za/wiki/index.php/Mpumalanga_Mesh:Project_Overview FMFI Mpumalanga Mesh]

[[Image: Cantenna-peebles-small.jpg|thumb]]

----

[[NEW: Quick getting started guide for setting up an outdoor mesh node]]

Please use the discussion tag above to comment and provide suggestions!
Please Email wa-admin(at)meraka.org.za if you wish to contribute or for further information.

[[Image:merakalogo_web.png|200px|Meraka Institute]]

Wireless Africa Home Page

2007-08-27T13:35:46Z

Kmatthee: /* 10 December 2006 - Prototype 1 of fully self-contained solar powered SA mesh node */

__NOTOC__
{| cellpadding="0px" cellspacing="0px" border="0px" width="100%"
|-
|align="left" width="100%" style="background-color:#5A1C10; border:0px solid #808080"| [[Image:tobar.jpg]]
|}
----
{| cellpadding="10px" cellspacing="0px" border="0px" width="100%"
|-
|align="left" width="100%" style="background-color:#B3E8FF; border:1px solid #808080"|'''The Wireless Africa group is researching ways and means to develop sustainable information and communications technology in developing countries. This will be achieved through community-owned decentralized mesh networks built on open source technology'''
|}

== 17 August 2007 - Meraka Institute signs MoU with LinkNet of Zambia ==

[[Image: Signing_of_MoU_between_Meraka_and_LinkNet.jpg |thumb]]

The signing of a memorandum of understanding (MoU) between LinkNet Multi-Purpose Co-operative Society Limited of Zambia and the Meraka Institute on 17 August 2007 is another significant step towards the creation of low-cost, wireless connectivity in Africa. LinkNet has as its objective to establish internet communication facilities in rural communities in Zambia to further holistic empowerment and capacity building of institutions and rural people. The Meraka Institute is a South African national research centre managed by the CSIR.

== 1 May 2007 - Wireless Africa roadmap process underway ==

[[Image: Rm-ws-small.jpg|thumb]]

A number of workshops were hold with staff at Meraka to understand our vision and what our research, development and product offerings will be.
* The first workshop, held on the '''18th of May 2007''', helped us to understand where we've come from and what our vision is for the future. Our current vision statement is:

{| cellpadding="10px" cellspacing="0px" border="0px""
|-
|align="left" style="background-color:#FFFEB8"|''''' Make a significant contribution to connecting 450 million people sustainably in rural Africa through wireless mesh and other technology with a community grown philosophy
'''''
|}

* The second workshop, held on the '''8th of June 2007''', helped us understand what our three main product offerings will be
**Africa mesh node (Multi radio node with customized hardware and specialized firmware)
** DIY mesh kit (Low cost single radio node available off the shelf with specialized firmware)
** WISP in a box (Bandwidth and user management tool which makes it simple for somebody to set up a wireless business)
* The third workshop, held on the '''14th of June''', was a follow up on the second workshop which tried to define the milestones needed to improve the functionality of each of these product offerings over a 3 year period (See link below for more detail).

The plan is to have a first draft of this road map by the '''end of July'''

More information can be found here: '''[[ Wireless Africa Roadmap ]]'''. ''We strongly urge other researchers in the field to comment on this roadmap''

== 10 December 2006 - Prototype 1 of fully self-contained solar powered SA mesh node ==

[[Image: Sa-mesh-node2.JPG|thumb|SA Mesh Node]]

The first prototype of a multi antenna self-contained mesh node was unveiled in December 2006. This nodes operates on a 45W solar panel to power the embedded computer and three 802.11 radios. The backhaul mesh is built in the 5GHz band using 2 radios which can be switched through a matrix of 4 antennas. This allows a full duplex connection on the backhaul. The Switachable antenna matrix consists of 4 5GHz panel antennas placed at 90 degrees to each other within a weather proof cylinder. An intelligent switching algorithm is used to switch through the four antennas and locate the other mesh nodes in the network. Switching happens as soon as traffic needs to be routed between mesh nodes. A 2.4GHz band radio connected to an omni is used to connect clients to the mesh node.

[[More Information on the SA mesh node]]
<br=clear all>

== 1 October 2006 - Tin can connects rural home to outside world ==

The Meraka Institute's first Cantenna installed in a rural setting was successfully mounted onto the house of Agnes Mdluli, a health worker from Peebles valley, near White River in Mpumalanga. This can-antenna is made from a metal can, such as a coffee tin, and a section of bicycle spoke soldered into a special connector which can connect to another point with a similar antenna up to 5km away. The project in Peebles Valley is one of 10 sub-projects in the First Mile First Inch (FMFI) project being funded by the International Development Research Centre (IDRC).

These small, self-constructed antennas, which are made from locally available material, are connected to a low-cost WiFi card plugged into a computer. A small wireless router is placed in a weatherproof casing on a pole to which several community members could connect and form a community mesh network. This mesh networking technology allows the wireless installations to automatically configure themselves to find the optimal routes through the network and very little configuration is needed to set them up.

More information can be found here:
[[Mpumulanga Mesh]] and [http://www.fmfi.org.za/wiki/index.php/Mpumalanga_Mesh:Project_Overview FMFI Mpumalanga Mesh]

[[Image: Cantenna-peebles-small.jpg|thumb]]

----

[[NEW: Quick getting started guide for setting up an outdoor mesh node]]

Please use the discussion tag above to comment and provide suggestions!
Please Email wa-admin(at)meraka.org.za if you wish to contribute or for further information.

[[Image:merakalogo_web.png|200px|Meraka Institute]]

Wireless Africa Home Page

2007-08-27T13:34:37Z

Kmatthee: /* 1 October 2006 Tin can connects rural home to outside world */

__NOTOC__
{| cellpadding="0px" cellspacing="0px" border="0px" width="100%"
|-
|align="left" width="100%" style="background-color:#5A1C10; border:0px solid #808080"| [[Image:tobar.jpg]]
|}
----
{| cellpadding="10px" cellspacing="0px" border="0px" width="100%"
|-
|align="left" width="100%" style="background-color:#B3E8FF; border:1px solid #808080"|'''The Wireless Africa group is researching ways and means to develop sustainable information and communications technology in developing countries. This will be achieved through community-owned decentralized mesh networks built on open source technology'''
|}

== 17 August 2007 - Meraka Institute signs MoU with LinkNet of Zambia ==

[[Image: Signing_of_MoU_between_Meraka_and_LinkNet.jpg |thumb]]

The signing of a memorandum of understanding (MoU) between LinkNet Multi-Purpose Co-operative Society Limited of Zambia and the Meraka Institute on 17 August 2007 is another significant step towards the creation of low-cost, wireless connectivity in Africa. LinkNet has as its objective to establish internet communication facilities in rural communities in Zambia to further holistic empowerment and capacity building of institutions and rural people. The Meraka Institute is a South African national research centre managed by the CSIR.

== 1 May 2007 - Wireless Africa roadmap process underway ==

[[Image: Rm-ws-small.jpg|thumb]]

A number of workshops were hold with staff at Meraka to understand our vision and what our research, development and product offerings will be.
* The first workshop, held on the '''18th of May 2007''', helped us to understand where we've come from and what our vision is for the future. Our current vision statement is:

{| cellpadding="10px" cellspacing="0px" border="0px""
|-
|align="left" style="background-color:#FFFEB8"|''''' Make a significant contribution to connecting 450 million people sustainably in rural Africa through wireless mesh and other technology with a community grown philosophy
'''''
|}

* The second workshop, held on the '''8th of June 2007''', helped us understand what our three main product offerings will be
**Africa mesh node (Multi radio node with customized hardware and specialized firmware)
** DIY mesh kit (Low cost single radio node available off the shelf with specialized firmware)
** WISP in a box (Bandwidth and user management tool which makes it simple for somebody to set up a wireless business)
* The third workshop, held on the '''14th of June''', was a follow up on the second workshop which tried to define the milestones needed to improve the functionality of each of these product offerings over a 3 year period (See link below for more detail).

The plan is to have a first draft of this road map by the '''end of July'''

More information can be found here: '''[[ Wireless Africa Roadmap ]]'''. ''We strongly urge other researchers in the field to comment on this roadmap''

== 10 December 2006 - Prototype 1 of fully self-contained solar powered SA mesh node ==

[[Image: Sa-mesh-node2.JPG|thumb|SA Mesh Node]]

The first prototype of a multi antenna self-contained mesh node was unveiled in December 2006. This nodes operates on a 45W solar panel to power the embedded computer and three 802.11 radios. The backhaul mesh is built in the 5GHz band using 2 radios which can be switched through a matrix of 4 antennas. This allows a full duplex connection on the backhaul. The Switachable antenna matrix consists of 4 5GHz panel antennas placed at 90 degrees to each other within a weather proof cylinder. An intelligent switching algorithm is used to switch through the four antennas and locate the other mesh nodes in the network. Switching happens as soon as traffic needs to be routed between mesh nodes. A 2.4GHz band radio connected to an omni is used to connect clients to the mesh node.

[[More Information on the SA mesh node]]

== 1 October 2006 - Tin can connects rural home to outside world ==

The Meraka Institute's first Cantenna installed in a rural setting was successfully mounted onto the house of Agnes Mdluli, a health worker from Peebles valley, near White River in Mpumalanga. This can-antenna is made from a metal can, such as a coffee tin, and a section of bicycle spoke soldered into a special connector which can connect to another point with a similar antenna up to 5km away. The project in Peebles Valley is one of 10 sub-projects in the First Mile First Inch (FMFI) project being funded by the International Development Research Centre (IDRC).

These small, self-constructed antennas, which are made from locally available material, are connected to a low-cost WiFi card plugged into a computer. A small wireless router is placed in a weatherproof casing on a pole to which several community members could connect and form a community mesh network. This mesh networking technology allows the wireless installations to automatically configure themselves to find the optimal routes through the network and very little configuration is needed to set them up.

More information can be found here:
[[Mpumulanga Mesh]] and [http://www.fmfi.org.za/wiki/index.php/Mpumalanga_Mesh:Project_Overview FMFI Mpumalanga Mesh]

[[Image: Cantenna-peebles-small.jpg|thumb]]

----

[[NEW: Quick getting started guide for setting up an outdoor mesh node]]

Please use the discussion tag above to comment and provide suggestions!
Please Email wa-admin(at)meraka.org.za if you wish to contribute or for further information.

[[Image:merakalogo_web.png|200px|Meraka Institute]]

Wireless Africa Home Page

2007-08-27T13:34:15Z

Kmatthee: /* 10 December 2006 Prototype 1 of fully self-contained solar powered SA mesh node */

__NOTOC__
{| cellpadding="0px" cellspacing="0px" border="0px" width="100%"
|-
|align="left" width="100%" style="background-color:#5A1C10; border:0px solid #808080"| [[Image:tobar.jpg]]
|}
----
{| cellpadding="10px" cellspacing="0px" border="0px" width="100%"
|-
|align="left" width="100%" style="background-color:#B3E8FF; border:1px solid #808080"|'''The Wireless Africa group is researching ways and means to develop sustainable information and communications technology in developing countries. This will be achieved through community-owned decentralized mesh networks built on open source technology'''
|}

== 17 August 2007 - Meraka Institute signs MoU with LinkNet of Zambia ==

[[Image: Signing_of_MoU_between_Meraka_and_LinkNet.jpg |thumb]]

The signing of a memorandum of understanding (MoU) between LinkNet Multi-Purpose Co-operative Society Limited of Zambia and the Meraka Institute on 17 August 2007 is another significant step towards the creation of low-cost, wireless connectivity in Africa. LinkNet has as its objective to establish internet communication facilities in rural communities in Zambia to further holistic empowerment and capacity building of institutions and rural people. The Meraka Institute is a South African national research centre managed by the CSIR.

== 1 May 2007 - Wireless Africa roadmap process underway ==

[[Image: Rm-ws-small.jpg|thumb]]

A number of workshops were hold with staff at Meraka to understand our vision and what our research, development and product offerings will be.
* The first workshop, held on the '''18th of May 2007''', helped us to understand where we've come from and what our vision is for the future. Our current vision statement is:

{| cellpadding="10px" cellspacing="0px" border="0px""
|-
|align="left" style="background-color:#FFFEB8"|''''' Make a significant contribution to connecting 450 million people sustainably in rural Africa through wireless mesh and other technology with a community grown philosophy
'''''
|}

* The second workshop, held on the '''8th of June 2007''', helped us understand what our three main product offerings will be
**Africa mesh node (Multi radio node with customized hardware and specialized firmware)
** DIY mesh kit (Low cost single radio node available off the shelf with specialized firmware)
** WISP in a box (Bandwidth and user management tool which makes it simple for somebody to set up a wireless business)
* The third workshop, held on the '''14th of June''', was a follow up on the second workshop which tried to define the milestones needed to improve the functionality of each of these product offerings over a 3 year period (See link below for more detail).

The plan is to have a first draft of this road map by the '''end of July'''

More information can be found here: '''[[ Wireless Africa Roadmap ]]'''. ''We strongly urge other researchers in the field to comment on this roadmap''

== 10 December 2006 - Prototype 1 of fully self-contained solar powered SA mesh node ==

[[Image: Sa-mesh-node2.JPG|thumb|SA Mesh Node]]

The first prototype of a multi antenna self-contained mesh node was unveiled in December 2006. This nodes operates on a 45W solar panel to power the embedded computer and three 802.11 radios. The backhaul mesh is built in the 5GHz band using 2 radios which can be switched through a matrix of 4 antennas. This allows a full duplex connection on the backhaul. The Switachable antenna matrix consists of 4 5GHz panel antennas placed at 90 degrees to each other within a weather proof cylinder. An intelligent switching algorithm is used to switch through the four antennas and locate the other mesh nodes in the network. Switching happens as soon as traffic needs to be routed between mesh nodes. A 2.4GHz band radio connected to an omni is used to connect clients to the mesh node.

[[More Information on the SA mesh node]]

== 1 October 2006 Tin can connects rural home to outside world ==

The Meraka Institute's first Cantenna installed in a rural setting was successfully mounted onto the house of Agnes Mdluli, a health worker from Peebles valley, near White River in Mpumalanga. This can-antenna is made from a metal can, such as a coffee tin, and a section of bicycle spoke soldered into a special connector which can connect to another point with a similar antenna up to 5km away. The project in Peebles Valley is one of 10 sub-projects in the First Mile First Inch (FMFI) project being funded by the International Development Research Centre (IDRC).

These small, self-constructed antennas, which are made from locally available material, are connected to a low-cost WiFi card plugged into a computer. A small wireless router is placed in a weatherproof casing on a pole to which several community members could connect and form a community mesh network. This mesh networking technology allows the wireless installations to automatically configure themselves to find the optimal routes through the network and very little configuration is needed to set them up.

More information can be found here:
[[Mpumulanga Mesh]] and [http://www.fmfi.org.za/wiki/index.php/Mpumalanga_Mesh:Project_Overview FMFI Mpumalanga Mesh]

[[Image: Cantenna-peebles-small.jpg|thumb]]

----

[[NEW: Quick getting started guide for setting up an outdoor mesh node]]

Please use the discussion tag above to comment and provide suggestions!
Please Email wa-admin(at)meraka.org.za if you wish to contribute or for further information.

[[Image:merakalogo_web.png|200px|Meraka Institute]]

Wireless Africa Home Page

2007-08-27T13:33:57Z

Kmatthee: /* 1 May 2007 Wireless Africa roadmap process underway */

__NOTOC__
{| cellpadding="0px" cellspacing="0px" border="0px" width="100%"
|-
|align="left" width="100%" style="background-color:#5A1C10; border:0px solid #808080"| [[Image:tobar.jpg]]
|}
----
{| cellpadding="10px" cellspacing="0px" border="0px" width="100%"
|-
|align="left" width="100%" style="background-color:#B3E8FF; border:1px solid #808080"|'''The Wireless Africa group is researching ways and means to develop sustainable information and communications technology in developing countries. This will be achieved through community-owned decentralized mesh networks built on open source technology'''
|}

== 17 August 2007 - Meraka Institute signs MoU with LinkNet of Zambia ==

[[Image: Signing_of_MoU_between_Meraka_and_LinkNet.jpg |thumb]]

The signing of a memorandum of understanding (MoU) between LinkNet Multi-Purpose Co-operative Society Limited of Zambia and the Meraka Institute on 17 August 2007 is another significant step towards the creation of low-cost, wireless connectivity in Africa. LinkNet has as its objective to establish internet communication facilities in rural communities in Zambia to further holistic empowerment and capacity building of institutions and rural people. The Meraka Institute is a South African national research centre managed by the CSIR.

== 1 May 2007 - Wireless Africa roadmap process underway ==

[[Image: Rm-ws-small.jpg|thumb]]

A number of workshops were hold with staff at Meraka to understand our vision and what our research, development and product offerings will be.
* The first workshop, held on the '''18th of May 2007''', helped us to understand where we've come from and what our vision is for the future. Our current vision statement is:

{| cellpadding="10px" cellspacing="0px" border="0px""
|-
|align="left" style="background-color:#FFFEB8"|''''' Make a significant contribution to connecting 450 million people sustainably in rural Africa through wireless mesh and other technology with a community grown philosophy
'''''
|}

* The second workshop, held on the '''8th of June 2007''', helped us understand what our three main product offerings will be
**Africa mesh node (Multi radio node with customized hardware and specialized firmware)
** DIY mesh kit (Low cost single radio node available off the shelf with specialized firmware)
** WISP in a box (Bandwidth and user management tool which makes it simple for somebody to set up a wireless business)
* The third workshop, held on the '''14th of June''', was a follow up on the second workshop which tried to define the milestones needed to improve the functionality of each of these product offerings over a 3 year period (See link below for more detail).

The plan is to have a first draft of this road map by the '''end of July'''

More information can be found here: '''[[ Wireless Africa Roadmap ]]'''. ''We strongly urge other researchers in the field to comment on this roadmap''

== 10 December 2006 Prototype 1 of fully self-contained solar powered SA mesh node ==

[[Image: Sa-mesh-node2.JPG|thumb|SA Mesh Node]]

The first prototype of a multi antenna self-contained mesh node was unveiled in December 2006. This nodes operates on a 45W solar panel to power the embedded computer and three 802.11 radios. The backhaul mesh is built in the 5GHz band using 2 radios which can be switched through a matrix of 4 antennas. This allows a full duplex connection on the backhaul. The Switachable antenna matrix consists of 4 5GHz panel antennas placed at 90 degrees to each other within a weather proof cylinder. An intelligent switching algorithm is used to switch through the four antennas and locate the other mesh nodes in the network. Switching happens as soon as traffic needs to be routed between mesh nodes. A 2.4GHz band radio connected to an omni is used to connect clients to the mesh node.

[[More Information on the SA mesh node]]

== 1 October 2006 Tin can connects rural home to outside world ==

The Meraka Institute's first Cantenna installed in a rural setting was successfully mounted onto the house of Agnes Mdluli, a health worker from Peebles valley, near White River in Mpumalanga. This can-antenna is made from a metal can, such as a coffee tin, and a section of bicycle spoke soldered into a special connector which can connect to another point with a similar antenna up to 5km away. The project in Peebles Valley is one of 10 sub-projects in the First Mile First Inch (FMFI) project being funded by the International Development Research Centre (IDRC).

These small, self-constructed antennas, which are made from locally available material, are connected to a low-cost WiFi card plugged into a computer. A small wireless router is placed in a weatherproof casing on a pole to which several community members could connect and form a community mesh network. This mesh networking technology allows the wireless installations to automatically configure themselves to find the optimal routes through the network and very little configuration is needed to set them up.

More information can be found here:
[[Mpumulanga Mesh]] and [http://www.fmfi.org.za/wiki/index.php/Mpumalanga_Mesh:Project_Overview FMFI Mpumalanga Mesh]

[[Image: Cantenna-peebles-small.jpg|thumb]]

----

[[NEW: Quick getting started guide for setting up an outdoor mesh node]]

Please use the discussion tag above to comment and provide suggestions!
Please Email wa-admin(at)meraka.org.za if you wish to contribute or for further information.

[[Image:merakalogo_web.png|200px|Meraka Institute]]

Mamelodi Mesh

2007-08-27T13:32:37Z

Kmatthee: /* 20 August 2007 - Power restored to Gatang School */

== Location ==

[[Image:Mamelodi-map.jpg|thumb|right|300px|Map of Mamelodi relative to the City of Tshwane (Pretoria)]]
Mamelodi is situated about 20 km east of the centre of the City of Tshwane (Pretoria). It is bordered by the Magaliesburg ridge in the north, Pretoria's northern suburbs such as Silverton (industrial area) and "the Willows" (residential area) in the south, another township called Eersterus in the west and another large Magaliesburg ridge running north-south in the east. The total area is approximately 25 square kilometres and the unofficial population of Mamelodi is now close to one million. It is a fairly flat area other than the northern and eastern ridges that form the boundary around the township.

== History ==

Mamelodi was established in 1953, and started with a mere 16 houses built for black people which were removed from other areas according to the Group Areas Act. The first residents worked at bottle-making and brick factories. The name "Mamelodi", which means "mother of melodies", derives from the name given to president Paul Kruger (the first president of the Transvaal) by black people because of his unusual ability to whistle and imitate birds.

== Living conditions ==

There is a diverse set of living standards in Mamelodi, ranging from well built brick houses to small informal dwellings made out of sheet metal known as shacks. On the whole the areas in the west mostly consist of brick houses and low cost RDP (Reconstruction and Development) houses made out of large cement bricks. There is an increasing number of informal shack dwellings in the east of Mamelodi.

== Existing work with schools in the area ==

The Mamelodi Broadband E-Learning Pilot Project aims to explore educational opportunities between five schools in the Pretoria area using a Motorola Canopy Radio Network. The initial phase of the project has been made possible by a small grant from the Department of Communications.

It's widely recognised that South Africa lags behind in effective Maths, Science and Technology teaching. Too few teachers and too few resources compound the problem. The result is learners leaving school without the ICT skills essential in today's marketplace.

Given the strength of South Africa's ICT sector and the potential of many of its learners, it's an irony that needs attention.

St Alban's College in Pretoria is one of the schools in this country that is determined to share its resources, assist with Science education and change the lives of those learning in under-resourced schools. Led by Ron Beyers, the Ulwazi E-learning Project harnesses ICT and brings it directly to those who need it.

The Mamelodi Broadband E-Learning Pilot Project, sponsored by the Department of Communications, has just completed its first three months. Key partners include Motorola and OMEGA Digital Technologies. According to Beyers, 'It's a huge success. The kids are hungry for it and because it's totally interactive and the learners are actively involved, it highlights the difference between theoretical or book learning and real time visual, practical learning.'

The project demonstrates a practical and effective application of technology for learning. It links St Alban's College with Mamelodi schools - Gatang High, Mamelodi College, Mamelodi High and Modiri Technical High. The link is a high-speed, broadband wireless network capable of data rates of several megabites per second, which is maintained by Motorola.

Using Motorola's 5GHz Canopy technology, which, once installed, runs at zero cost, the network allows the teacher to use his computer, microphone, web cam and interactive whiteboards (SMART boards). Whatever he writes on the SMART board appears virtually simultaneously on the linked SMART board in Gatang High. At the same time, the learners in the Mamelodi schools can take control of the computer in St Alban's (15 km away) and interact with the software in real time.

Beyers uses Microsoft Netmeeting software, available on most PCs and the learners in the connected schools are not only connected but totally immersed in the learning process in a virtual classroom.

Given the success of the pilot project, Beyers is now seeking further sponsorship and partners to expand the concept and bring real time interactive ICT learning to more schools.

[http://www.ulwaziproject.co.za Ulwazi project home page]

== Work with CUWiN ==

The Champaign-Urbana Community Wireless Network (CUWiN) is a world-renowned coalition of wireless developers with a mission to “connect more people to Internet and broadband services; develop open-source hardware and software for use by wireless projects world-wide; and, build and support community-owned, not-for-profit broadband networks in cities and towns around the globe.” CUWiN is a non-profit 501(c)(3) organization head quartered in the small town of Urbana, Illinois; yet it has received considerable national and international attention during its half-decade of successful open-source development.

The Mamelodi mesh network is the first of three networks that will be implemented using CUWiN's wireless mesh technology as part of the OSI funded project. Two others in Mpumalanga – Bushbuckridge and Barbeton - are also scheduled for completion during 2006. The Mamelodi network which is only 10 km from the CSIR is an ideal network to test run the technology as the network is close by and problem solving can be done quickly.

Other work with CUWiN includes the following

1.Porting their HSLS protocol to Linksys WRT54G
2.Development of a bandwidth management tool for mesh networks

== What problem is being addressed ==

The main problem being addressed is the issue of affordable broadband connectivity in the area. Most community members in Mamelodi cannot afford the extremely high cost of broadband connectivity for their houses. Currently the most affordable broadband solutions are in the region of R600 per month.

The key driver for this network is going to be the expansion of the already established Ulwazi education network to more people such as teachers and learners. We would also like to use the Mamelodi mesh to connect CSIR staff living in Mamelodi to the CSIR.

== Social challenges ==

We have already encountered some entrenched power bases at the Gatang High School where we did our first installation. By giving the teacher who is in charge of the computer centre a link to his house and not the principal, we were affirming his importance to the project. The principal was not happy and wanted all the equipment removed. We managed to diffuse the situation by explaining the experimental nature of the wireless mesh network. In spite of getting permission from the principal for the project before we started, it was an important “red flag”. When installing a network like this, all decision makers in the community should be involved an agreed on the way forward.

Another key social challenge is going to be to train a community member who will take ownership of the network and be able to provide technical support to all the participating members. Ideally this person should also provide training to interested members who want to become part of the mesh network.

== Backhaul Connectivity ==

Currently we are seeing this mesh network as an extension of the existing Ulwazi educational network which is solely for educational purposes such as tele-education using SMART boards, or linking learners with the “Fab-lab”, a facility to allow young learners to prototype their own mechanical or electronic inventions. There will be a learning portal with open content such as Wikipedia and free books available. We will also look for potential sponsors of their internet connectivity. The issue of free internet connectivity is however a controversial topic which needs further investigation.

== Network Topology ==

[[Image:Mamelodi installations-links-small.jpg]]

The above diagram shows the identified sites with links and potential links between them.

1. A Green placemarker: Installed site
2. A Red placemarker: Future installations as part of the Ulwazi network extension
3. A Yellow flag: Possible installations of people linked to CSIR (either staff
or friends of staff)
4. Thick red line: Backhaul link
5. Thin green line: Installed link – tested and working
6. Thin pink line: Potential link based LOS prediction

== Progress Report ==

=== 26 May 2006 - Site surveys ===

This trip by John, Johann and Karel was used to survey some the potential installation sites and understand what sort of structures were in place for mounting equipment and to check for line of sight issues etc.

[[Image:Mamelodipcanopy-system.jpg|thumb|388px|left|Motorola Canopy system installed at Gatang High School as part of the Ulwazi network]]
 
[[Image:Mamelodi-computer lab.jpg|thumb|518px|left|Computer centre at Gatang High School - all terminals are using MS Windows but haven't been activated for a year - lab should be converted to Linux thin client
]]
 
[[Image:Mamelodi-prison.jpg|thumb|388px|left|The sad reality of theft in South Africa make the computer lab look like a maximum security prison]]
 
[[Image:Mamelodi-john-johann-measure.jpg|thumb|388px|left|John and Johann checking for exisiting Wi-Fi signals in the area from balcony of Gatang High School]]
 
[[Image:Mamelodi-high.jpg|thumb|518px|left|Mamelodi High School - another potential node in the mesh]]
 
[[Image:Mamelodi-high-canopy.jpg|thumb|518px|left|Motorola Canopy system at Mamelodi High School]]
 
[[Image:Mamelodi-lesley-house.jpg|thumb|518px|left|Leslie's house - science teacher at Gatang High school - a priority node to install in the mesh]]
 
[[Image:Mamelodi-sos-childrens-village.jpg|thumb|518px|left|SOS Children's Village - another potential site to connect children onto the network]]
 
[http://www.sosvillages.org.za/childrensvillages/mamelodi.htm Mamelodi SOS Children's Village home page]

=== 8 June 2006 - Installation at Gatang High School and Leslie's house survey ===

We took most of the staff in the Wireless Africa team at Meraka Institute with to carry out this installation as part of a training excercise. It was a great day. Soloshni provided snack packs and there was a good team spirit amongst all the students and staff. It took much longer than we thought because of the height of the installation - the attachment point for the equipment was about 10m high. We prebuilt the system on the ground with a short mast, CUWiN box, antenna and u-bolts. Dare Sokoya, one of our PhD students on using MIMO in mesh networks, was the first to brave the 10m high ladder to try and attach the CUWiN equipment onto the exising mast. After struggling for about 40 minutes and eventually getting the u-bolts secure he handed over to David Johnson to finish off the installation. David finished tightening all the bolts and cable-tied the CAT-5 Ethernet cable along the exisiting RF cable of the Motorola Canopy system running along the wall. Grant Cabridge in the meantime drilled through the wall with a drillbit that looked large enough to drill a bore hole. After feeding the Ethernet cable through the computer lab wall, John and Johann finished off connecting the system into the switch and checked that the system was live. We finally ended the day by visiting Leslie's house and checking the signal strength with a laptop and a Cantenna. The gain on the cantenna proved to be weak due to the 6km distance between the school and Leslie's house or the home made cantenna was possibly not well built.

[[Image:Mamelodi-pre-assembly.jpg|thumb|518px|left|Pre-assembling the CUWiN equipment on the ground]]
 
[[Image:Mamelodi-ladder.jpg|thumb|388px|left|Dare braving the 10m high ladder]]
 
[[Image:Mamelodi-david-ladder.jpg|thumb|388px|left|David finishing off the installation]]
 
[[Image:Mamelodi-the-team.jpg|thumb|518px|left|Some of the installation team at Gatang High School eating Saloshni's nice snack packs]]
 
[[Image:Mamelodi-cantenna-lesley.jpg|thumb|388px|left|Testing the signal at Leslie's house using a cantenna]]
 

=== 25 July 2006 - Installation at Leslie's house ===

John, Johann and Karel went out to setup Leslie's link. Everything went well and a good quality link was established with Gatang High School where Leslie is a science teacher and also runs the computer lab.

[[Image:Mamelodi-lesley-pre-assembly.jpg|thumb|518px|left|Pre-assembling the CUWiN equipment for Leslie's house]]
 
[[Image:Mamelodi-lesley-installed.jpg|thumb|388px|left|Equipment installed and working]]
 
[[Image:Mamelodi-lesley-study.jpg|thumb|518px|left|John and Johann checking the connection in Leslie's study]]
 

=== 23 August 2006 - Installation at Patricia's house ===

Accompanied by a TV crew who filmed our installation, we installed the next node at the house of Patricia, a teacher at Gatang Comprehensive School. Lawrence braved the roof to install the cantenna on top of the TV antenna mast which was already in place. Vusi and Pragasen assisted with preparations on the ground. Karel took the pictures.

[[Image:filming_patricia_installation.jpg|thumb|518px|left|Filming the installation at Patricia's house]]
 
[[Image:patricia_installation_completed.jpg|thumb|518px|left|The CUWiN node with a cantenna at Patricia's house]]
 

=== 20 August 2007 - Power restored to Gatang High School ===

Today the power supply to this high school in Mamelodi was restored. It had been cut during December 2006. Our mesh network project can now continue.

Mamelodi Mesh

2007-08-27T13:31:08Z

Kmatthee: /* 23 August 2006 - Installation at Patricia's house */

== Location ==

[[Image:Mamelodi-map.jpg|thumb|right|300px|Map of Mamelodi relative to the City of Tshwane (Pretoria)]]
Mamelodi is situated about 20 km east of the centre of the City of Tshwane (Pretoria). It is bordered by the Magaliesburg ridge in the north, Pretoria's northern suburbs such as Silverton (industrial area) and "the Willows" (residential area) in the south, another township called Eersterus in the west and another large Magaliesburg ridge running north-south in the east. The total area is approximately 25 square kilometres and the unofficial population of Mamelodi is now close to one million. It is a fairly flat area other than the northern and eastern ridges that form the boundary around the township.

== History ==

Mamelodi was established in 1953, and started with a mere 16 houses built for black people which were removed from other areas according to the Group Areas Act. The first residents worked at bottle-making and brick factories. The name "Mamelodi", which means "mother of melodies", derives from the name given to president Paul Kruger (the first president of the Transvaal) by black people because of his unusual ability to whistle and imitate birds.

== Living conditions ==

There is a diverse set of living standards in Mamelodi, ranging from well built brick houses to small informal dwellings made out of sheet metal known as shacks. On the whole the areas in the west mostly consist of brick houses and low cost RDP (Reconstruction and Development) houses made out of large cement bricks. There is an increasing number of informal shack dwellings in the east of Mamelodi.

== Existing work with schools in the area ==

The Mamelodi Broadband E-Learning Pilot Project aims to explore educational opportunities between five schools in the Pretoria area using a Motorola Canopy Radio Network. The initial phase of the project has been made possible by a small grant from the Department of Communications.

It's widely recognised that South Africa lags behind in effective Maths, Science and Technology teaching. Too few teachers and too few resources compound the problem. The result is learners leaving school without the ICT skills essential in today's marketplace.

Given the strength of South Africa's ICT sector and the potential of many of its learners, it's an irony that needs attention.

St Alban's College in Pretoria is one of the schools in this country that is determined to share its resources, assist with Science education and change the lives of those learning in under-resourced schools. Led by Ron Beyers, the Ulwazi E-learning Project harnesses ICT and brings it directly to those who need it.

The Mamelodi Broadband E-Learning Pilot Project, sponsored by the Department of Communications, has just completed its first three months. Key partners include Motorola and OMEGA Digital Technologies. According to Beyers, 'It's a huge success. The kids are hungry for it and because it's totally interactive and the learners are actively involved, it highlights the difference between theoretical or book learning and real time visual, practical learning.'

The project demonstrates a practical and effective application of technology for learning. It links St Alban's College with Mamelodi schools - Gatang High, Mamelodi College, Mamelodi High and Modiri Technical High. The link is a high-speed, broadband wireless network capable of data rates of several megabites per second, which is maintained by Motorola.

Using Motorola's 5GHz Canopy technology, which, once installed, runs at zero cost, the network allows the teacher to use his computer, microphone, web cam and interactive whiteboards (SMART boards). Whatever he writes on the SMART board appears virtually simultaneously on the linked SMART board in Gatang High. At the same time, the learners in the Mamelodi schools can take control of the computer in St Alban's (15 km away) and interact with the software in real time.

Beyers uses Microsoft Netmeeting software, available on most PCs and the learners in the connected schools are not only connected but totally immersed in the learning process in a virtual classroom.

Given the success of the pilot project, Beyers is now seeking further sponsorship and partners to expand the concept and bring real time interactive ICT learning to more schools.

[http://www.ulwaziproject.co.za Ulwazi project home page]

== Work with CUWiN ==

The Champaign-Urbana Community Wireless Network (CUWiN) is a world-renowned coalition of wireless developers with a mission to “connect more people to Internet and broadband services; develop open-source hardware and software for use by wireless projects world-wide; and, build and support community-owned, not-for-profit broadband networks in cities and towns around the globe.” CUWiN is a non-profit 501(c)(3) organization head quartered in the small town of Urbana, Illinois; yet it has received considerable national and international attention during its half-decade of successful open-source development.

The Mamelodi mesh network is the first of three networks that will be implemented using CUWiN's wireless mesh technology as part of the OSI funded project. Two others in Mpumalanga – Bushbuckridge and Barbeton - are also scheduled for completion during 2006. The Mamelodi network which is only 10 km from the CSIR is an ideal network to test run the technology as the network is close by and problem solving can be done quickly.

Other work with CUWiN includes the following

1.Porting their HSLS protocol to Linksys WRT54G
2.Development of a bandwidth management tool for mesh networks

== What problem is being addressed ==

The main problem being addressed is the issue of affordable broadband connectivity in the area. Most community members in Mamelodi cannot afford the extremely high cost of broadband connectivity for their houses. Currently the most affordable broadband solutions are in the region of R600 per month.

The key driver for this network is going to be the expansion of the already established Ulwazi education network to more people such as teachers and learners. We would also like to use the Mamelodi mesh to connect CSIR staff living in Mamelodi to the CSIR.

== Social challenges ==

We have already encountered some entrenched power bases at the Gatang High School where we did our first installation. By giving the teacher who is in charge of the computer centre a link to his house and not the principal, we were affirming his importance to the project. The principal was not happy and wanted all the equipment removed. We managed to diffuse the situation by explaining the experimental nature of the wireless mesh network. In spite of getting permission from the principal for the project before we started, it was an important “red flag”. When installing a network like this, all decision makers in the community should be involved an agreed on the way forward.

Another key social challenge is going to be to train a community member who will take ownership of the network and be able to provide technical support to all the participating members. Ideally this person should also provide training to interested members who want to become part of the mesh network.

== Backhaul Connectivity ==

Currently we are seeing this mesh network as an extension of the existing Ulwazi educational network which is solely for educational purposes such as tele-education using SMART boards, or linking learners with the “Fab-lab”, a facility to allow young learners to prototype their own mechanical or electronic inventions. There will be a learning portal with open content such as Wikipedia and free books available. We will also look for potential sponsors of their internet connectivity. The issue of free internet connectivity is however a controversial topic which needs further investigation.

== Network Topology ==

[[Image:Mamelodi installations-links-small.jpg]]

The above diagram shows the identified sites with links and potential links between them.

1. A Green placemarker: Installed site
2. A Red placemarker: Future installations as part of the Ulwazi network extension
3. A Yellow flag: Possible installations of people linked to CSIR (either staff
or friends of staff)
4. Thick red line: Backhaul link
5. Thin green line: Installed link – tested and working
6. Thin pink line: Potential link based LOS prediction

== Progress Report ==

=== 26 May 2006 - Site surveys ===

This trip by John, Johann and Karel was used to survey some the potential installation sites and understand what sort of structures were in place for mounting equipment and to check for line of sight issues etc.

[[Image:Mamelodipcanopy-system.jpg|thumb|388px|left|Motorola Canopy system installed at Gatang High School as part of the Ulwazi network]]
 
[[Image:Mamelodi-computer lab.jpg|thumb|518px|left|Computer centre at Gatang High School - all terminals are using MS Windows but haven't been activated for a year - lab should be converted to Linux thin client
]]
 
[[Image:Mamelodi-prison.jpg|thumb|388px|left|The sad reality of theft in South Africa make the computer lab look like a maximum security prison]]
 
[[Image:Mamelodi-john-johann-measure.jpg|thumb|388px|left|John and Johann checking for exisiting Wi-Fi signals in the area from balcony of Gatang High School]]
 
[[Image:Mamelodi-high.jpg|thumb|518px|left|Mamelodi High School - another potential node in the mesh]]
 
[[Image:Mamelodi-high-canopy.jpg|thumb|518px|left|Motorola Canopy system at Mamelodi High School]]
 
[[Image:Mamelodi-lesley-house.jpg|thumb|518px|left|Leslie's house - science teacher at Gatang High school - a priority node to install in the mesh]]
 
[[Image:Mamelodi-sos-childrens-village.jpg|thumb|518px|left|SOS Children's Village - another potential site to connect children onto the network]]
 
[http://www.sosvillages.org.za/childrensvillages/mamelodi.htm Mamelodi SOS Children's Village home page]

=== 8 June 2006 - Installation at Gatang High School and Leslie's house survey ===

We took most of the staff in the Wireless Africa team at Meraka Institute with to carry out this installation as part of a training excercise. It was a great day. Soloshni provided snack packs and there was a good team spirit amongst all the students and staff. It took much longer than we thought because of the height of the installation - the attachment point for the equipment was about 10m high. We prebuilt the system on the ground with a short mast, CUWiN box, antenna and u-bolts. Dare Sokoya, one of our PhD students on using MIMO in mesh networks, was the first to brave the 10m high ladder to try and attach the CUWiN equipment onto the exising mast. After struggling for about 40 minutes and eventually getting the u-bolts secure he handed over to David Johnson to finish off the installation. David finished tightening all the bolts and cable-tied the CAT-5 Ethernet cable along the exisiting RF cable of the Motorola Canopy system running along the wall. Grant Cabridge in the meantime drilled through the wall with a drillbit that looked large enough to drill a bore hole. After feeding the Ethernet cable through the computer lab wall, John and Johann finished off connecting the system into the switch and checked that the system was live. We finally ended the day by visiting Leslie's house and checking the signal strength with a laptop and a Cantenna. The gain on the cantenna proved to be weak due to the 6km distance between the school and Leslie's house or the home made cantenna was possibly not well built.

[[Image:Mamelodi-pre-assembly.jpg|thumb|518px|left|Pre-assembling the CUWiN equipment on the ground]]
 
[[Image:Mamelodi-ladder.jpg|thumb|388px|left|Dare braving the 10m high ladder]]
 
[[Image:Mamelodi-david-ladder.jpg|thumb|388px|left|David finishing off the installation]]
 
[[Image:Mamelodi-the-team.jpg|thumb|518px|left|Some of the installation team at Gatang High School eating Saloshni's nice snack packs]]
 
[[Image:Mamelodi-cantenna-lesley.jpg|thumb|388px|left|Testing the signal at Leslie's house using a cantenna]]
 

=== 25 July 2006 - Installation at Leslie's house ===

John, Johann and Karel went out to setup Leslie's link. Everything went well and a good quality link was established with Gatang High School where Leslie is a science teacher and also runs the computer lab.

[[Image:Mamelodi-lesley-pre-assembly.jpg|thumb|518px|left|Pre-assembling the CUWiN equipment for Leslie's house]]
 
[[Image:Mamelodi-lesley-installed.jpg|thumb|388px|left|Equipment installed and working]]
 
[[Image:Mamelodi-lesley-study.jpg|thumb|518px|left|John and Johann checking the connection in Leslie's study]]
 

=== 23 August 2006 - Installation at Patricia's house ===

Accompanied by a TV crew who filmed our installation, we installed the next node at the house of Patricia, a teacher at Gatang Comprehensive School. Lawrence braved the roof to install the cantenna on top of the TV antenna mast which was already in place. Vusi and Pragasen assisted with preparations on the ground. Karel took the pictures.

[[Image:filming_patricia_installation.jpg|thumb|518px|left|Filming the installation at Patricia's house]]
 
[[Image:patricia_installation_completed.jpg|thumb|518px|left|The CUWiN node with a cantenna at Patricia's house]]
 

=== 20 August 2007 - Power restored to Gatang School ===

Today the power supply to this high school in Mamelodi was restored. It had been cut during December 2006. Our mesh network project can now continue.

File:Signing of MoU between Meraka and LinkNet.jpg

2007-08-27T13:22:47Z

Kmatthee: Signing of MoU between Meraka and LinkNet

Signing of MoU between Meraka and LinkNet

Wireless Africa Home Page

2007-08-27T13:12:03Z

Kmatthee: /* 1 May 2007 Wireless Africa road map process underway */

__NOTOC__
{| cellpadding="0px" cellspacing="0px" border="0px" width="100%"
|-
|align="left" width="100%" style="background-color:#5A1C10; border:0px solid #808080"| [[Image:tobar.jpg]]
|}
----
{| cellpadding="10px" cellspacing="0px" border="0px" width="100%"
|-
|align="left" width="100%" style="background-color:#B3E8FF; border:1px solid #808080"|'''The Wireless Africa group is researching ways and means to develop sustainable information and communications technology in developing countries. This will be achieved through community-owned decentralized mesh networks built on open source technology'''
|}

== 1 May 2007 Wireless Africa roadmap process underway ==

[[Image: Rm-ws-small.jpg|thumb]]

A number of workshops were hold with staff at Meraka to understand our vision and what our research, development and product offerings will be.
* The first workshop, held on the '''18th of May 2007''', helped us to understand where we've come from and what our vision is for the future. Our current vision statement is:

{| cellpadding="10px" cellspacing="0px" border="0px""
|-
|align="left" style="background-color:#FFFEB8"|''''' Make a significant contribution to connecting 450 million people sustainably in rural Africa through wireless mesh and other technology with a community grown philosophy
'''''
|}

* The second workshop, held on the '''8th of June 2007''', helped us understand what our three main product offerings will be
**Africa mesh node (Multi radio node with customized hardware and specialized firmware)
** DIY mesh kit (Low cost single radio node available off the shelf with specialized firmware)
** WISP in a box (Bandwidth and user management tool which makes it simple for somebody to set up a wireless business)
* The third workshop, held on the '''14th of June''', was a follow up on the second workshop which tried to define the milestones needed to improve the functionality of each of these product offerings over a 3 year period (See link below for more detail).

The plan is to have a first draft of this road map by the '''end of July'''

More information can be found here: '''[[ Wireless Africa Roadmap ]]'''. ''We strongly urge other researchers in the field to comment on this roadmap''

== 10 December 2006 Prototype 1 of fully self-contained solar powered SA mesh node ==

[[Image: Sa-mesh-node2.JPG|thumb|SA Mesh Node]]

The first prototype of a multi antenna self-contained mesh node was unveiled in December 2006. This nodes operates on a 45W solar panel to power the embedded computer and three 802.11 radios. The backhaul mesh is built in the 5GHz band using 2 radios which can be switched through a matrix of 4 antennas. This allows a full duplex connection on the backhaul. The Switachable antenna matrix consists of 4 5GHz panel antennas placed at 90 degrees to each other within a weather proof cylinder. An intelligent switching algorithm is used to switch through the four antennas and locate the other mesh nodes in the network. Switching happens as soon as traffic needs to be routed between mesh nodes. A 2.4GHz band radio connected to an omni is used to connect clients to the mesh node.

[[More Information on the SA mesh node]]

== 1 October 2006 Tin can connects rural home to outside world ==

The Meraka Institute's first Cantenna installed in a rural setting was successfully mounted onto the house of Agnes Mdluli, a health worker from Peebles valley, near White River in Mpumalanga. This can-antenna is made from a metal can, such as a coffee tin, and a section of bicycle spoke soldered into a special connector which can connect to another point with a similar antenna up to 5km away. The project in Peebles Valley is one of 10 sub-projects in the First Mile First Inch (FMFI) project being funded by the International Development Research Centre (IDRC).

These small, self-constructed antennas, which are made from locally available material, are connected to a low-cost WiFi card plugged into a computer. A small wireless router is placed in a weatherproof casing on a pole to which several community members could connect and form a community mesh network. This mesh networking technology allows the wireless installations to automatically configure themselves to find the optimal routes through the network and very little configuration is needed to set them up.

More information can be found here:
[[Mpumulanga Mesh]] and [http://www.fmfi.org.za/wiki/index.php/Mpumalanga_Mesh:Project_Overview FMFI Mpumalanga Mesh]

[[Image: Cantenna-peebles-small.jpg|thumb]]

----

[[NEW: Quick getting started guide for setting up an outdoor mesh node]]

Please use the discussion tag above to comment and provide suggestions!
Please Email wa-admin(at)meraka.org.za if you wish to contribute or for further information.

[[Image:merakalogo_web.png|200px|Meraka Institute]]

MediaWiki:Sidebar

2007-05-30T14:25:57Z

Kmatthee: Removed areas not populated before

Mamelodi Mesh

2006-10-19T11:24:39Z

Kmatthee: /* 23 August 2006 - Installation at Patricia's house */

Mamelodi Mesh

2006-10-19T11:21:40Z

Kmatthee:

== Location ==

[[Image:Mamelodi-map.jpg|thumb|right|300px|Map of Mamelodi relative to the City of Tshwane (Pretoria)]]
Mamelodi is situated about 20 km east of the centre of the City of Tshwane (Pretoria). It is bordered by the Magaliesburg ridge in the north, Pretoria's northern suburbs such as Silverton (industrial area) and "the Willows" (residential area) in the south, another township called Eersterus in the west and another large Magaliesburg ridge running north-south in the east. The total area is approximately 25 square kilometres and the unofficial population of Mamelodi is now close to one million. It is a fairly flat area other than the northern and eastern ridges that form the boundary around the township.

== History ==

Mamelodi was established in 1953, and started with a mere 16 houses built for black people which were removed from other areas according to the Group Areas Act. The first residents worked at bottle-making and brick factories. The name "Mamelodi", which means "mother of melodies", derives from the name given to president Paul Kruger (the first president of the Transvaal) by black people because of his unusual ability to whistle and imitate birds.

== Living conditions ==

There is a diverse set of living standards in Mamelodi, ranging from well built brick houses to small informal dwellings made out of sheet metal known as shacks. On the whole the areas in the west mostly consist of brick houses and low cost RDP (Reconstruction and Development) houses made out of large cement bricks. There is an increasing number of informal shack dwellings in the east of Mamelodi.

== Existing work with schools in the area ==

The Mamelodi Broadband E-Learning Pilot Project aims to explore educational opportunities between five schools in the Pretoria area using a Motorola Canopy Radio Network. The initial phase of the project has been made possible by a small grant from the Department of Communications.

It's widely recognised that South Africa lags behind in effective Maths, Science and Technology teaching. Too few teachers and too few resources compound the problem. The result is learners leaving school without the ICT skills essential in today's marketplace.

Given the strength of South Africa's ICT sector and the potential of many of its learners, it's an irony that needs attention.

St Alban's College in Pretoria is one of the schools in this country that is determined to share its resources, assist with Science education and change the lives of those learning in under-resourced schools. Led by Ron Beyers, the Ulwazi E-learning Project harnesses ICT and brings it directly to those who need it.

The Mamelodi Broadband E-Learning Pilot Project, sponsored by the Department of Communications, has just completed its first three months. Key partners include Motorola and OMEGA Digital Technologies. According to Beyers, 'It's a huge success. The kids are hungry for it and because it's totally interactive and the learners are actively involved, it highlights the difference between theoretical or book learning and real time visual, practical learning.'

The project demonstrates a practical and effective application of technology for learning. It links St Alban's College with Mamelodi schools - Gatang High, Mamelodi College, Mamelodi High and Modiri Technical High. The link is a high-speed, broadband wireless network capable of data rates of several megabites per second, which is maintained by Motorola.

Using Motorola's 5GHz Canopy technology, which, once installed, runs at zero cost, the network allows the teacher to use his computer, microphone, web cam and interactive whiteboards (SMART boards). Whatever he writes on the SMART board appears virtually simultaneously on the linked SMART board in Gatang High. At the same time, the learners in the Mamelodi schools can take control of the computer in St Alban's (15 km away) and interact with the software in real time.

Beyers uses Microsoft Netmeeting software, available on most PCs and the learners in the connected schools are not only connected but totally immersed in the learning process in a virtual classroom.

Given the success of the pilot project, Beyers is now seeking further sponsorship and partners to expand the concept and bring real time interactive ICT learning to more schools.

[http://www.ulwaziproject.co.za Ulwazi project home page]

== Work with CUWiN ==

The Champaign-Urbana Community Wireless Network (CUWiN) is a world-renowned coalition of wireless developers with a mission to “connect more people to Internet and broadband services; develop open-source hardware and software for use by wireless projects world-wide; and, build and support community-owned, not-for-profit broadband networks in cities and towns around the globe.” CUWiN is a non-profit 501(c)(3) organization head quartered in the small town of Urbana, Illinois; yet it has received considerable national and international attention during its half-decade of successful open-source development.

The Mamelodi mesh network is the first of three networks that will be implemented using CUWiN's wireless mesh technology as part of the OSI funded project. Two others in Mpumalanga – Bushbuckridge and Barbeton - are also scheduled for completion during 2006. The Mamelodi network which is only 10 km from the CSIR is an ideal network to test run the technology as the network is close by and problem solving can be done quickly.

Other work with CUWiN includes the following

1.Porting their HSLS protocol to Linksys WRT54G
2.Development of a bandwidth management tool for mesh networks

== What problem is being addressed ==

The main problem being addressed is the issue of affordable broadband connectivity in the area. Most community members in Mamelodi cannot afford the extremely high cost of broadband connectivity for their houses. Currently the most affordable broadband solutions are in the region of R600 per month.

The key driver for this network is going to be the expansion of the already established Ulwazi education network to more people such as teachers and learners. We would also like to use the Mamelodi mesh to connect CSIR staff living in Mamelodi to the CSIR.

== Social challenges ==

We have already encountered some entrenched power bases at the Gatang High School where we did our first installation. By giving the teacher who is in charge of the computer centre a link to his house and not the principal, we were affirming his importance to the project. The principal was not happy and wanted all the equipment removed. We managed to diffuse the situation by explaining the experimental nature of the wireless mesh network. In spite of getting permission from the principal for the project before we started, it was an important “red flag”. When installing a network like this, all decision makers in the community should be involved an agreed on the way forward.

Another key social challenge is going to be to train a community member who will take ownership of the network and be able to provide technical support to all the participating members. Ideally this person should also provide training to interested members who want to become part of the mesh network.

== Backhaul Connectivity ==

Currently we are seeing this mesh network as an extension of the existing Ulwazi educational network which is solely for educational purposes such as tele-education using SMART boards, or linking learners with the “Fab-lab”, a facility to allow young learners to prototype their own mechanical or electronic inventions. There will be a learning portal with open content such as Wikipedia and free books available. We will also look for potential sponsors of their internet connectivity. The issue of free internet connectivity is however a controversial topic which needs further investigation.

== Network Topology ==

[[Image:Mamelodi installations-links-small.jpg]]

The above diagram shows the identified sites with links and potential links between them.

1. A Green placemarker: Installed site
2. A Red placemarker: Future installations as part of the Ulwazi network extension
3. A Yellow flag: Possible installations of people linked to CSIR (either staff
or friends of staff)
4. Thick red line: Backhaul link
5. Thin green line: Installed link – tested and working
6. Thin pink line: Potential link based LOS prediction

== Progress Report ==

=== 26 May 2006 - Site surveys ===

This trip by John, Johann and Karel was used to survey some the potential installation sites and understand what sort of structures were in place for mounting equipment and to check for line of sight issues etc.

[[Image:Mamelodipcanopy-system.jpg|thumb|388px|left|Motorola Canopy system installed at Gatang High School as part of the Ulwazi network]]
 
[[Image:Mamelodi-computer lab.jpg|thumb|518px|left|Computer centre at Gatang High School - all terminals are using MS Windows but haven't been activated for a year - lab should be converted to Linux thin client
]]
 
[[Image:Mamelodi-prison.jpg|thumb|388px|left|The sad reality of theft in South Africa make the computer lab look like a maximum security prison]]
 
[[Image:Mamelodi-john-johann-measure.jpg|thumb|388px|left|John and Johann checking for exisiting Wi-Fi signals in the area from balcony of Gatang High School]]
 
[[Image:Mamelodi-high.jpg|thumb|518px|left|Mamelodi High School - another potential node in the mesh]]
 
[[Image:Mamelodi-high-canopy.jpg|thumb|518px|left|Motorola Canopy system at Mamelodi High School]]
 
[[Image:Mamelodi-lesley-house.jpg|thumb|518px|left|Leslie's house - science teacher at Gatang High school - a priority node to install in the mesh]]
 
[[Image:Mamelodi-sos-childrens-village.jpg|thumb|518px|left|SOS Children's Village - another potential site to connect children onto the network]]
 
[http://www.sosvillages.org.za/childrensvillages/mamelodi.htm Mamelodi SOS Children's Village home page]

=== 8 June 2006 - Installation at Gatang High School and Leslie's house survey ===

We took most of the staff in the Wireless Africa team at Meraka Institute with to carry out this installation as part of a training excercise. It was a great day. Soloshni provided snack packs and there was a good team spirit amongst all the students and staff. It took much longer than we thought because of the height of the installation - the attachment point for the equipment was about 10m high. We prebuilt the system on the ground with a short mast, CUWiN box, antenna and u-bolts. Dare Sokoya, one of our PhD students on using MIMO in mesh networks, was the first to brave the 10m high ladder to try and attach the CUWiN equipment onto the exising mast. After struggling for about 40 minutes and eventually getting the u-bolts secure he handed over to David Johnson to finish off the installation. David finished tightening all the bolts and cable-tied the CAT-5 Ethernet cable along the exisiting RF cable of the Motorola Canopy system running along the wall. Grant Cabridge in the meantime drilled through the wall with a drillbit that looked large enough to drill a bore hole. After feeding the Ethernet cable through the computer lab wall, John and Johann finished off connecting the system into the switch and checked that the system was live. We finally ended the day by visiting Leslie's house and checking the signal strength with a laptop and a Cantenna. The gain on the cantenna proved to be weak due to the 6km distance between the school and Leslie's house or the home made cantenna was possibly not well built.

[[Image:Mamelodi-pre-assembly.jpg|thumb|518px|left|Pre-assembling the CUWiN equipment on the ground]]
 
[[Image:Mamelodi-ladder.jpg|thumb|388px|left|Dare braving the 10m high ladder]]
 
[[Image:Mamelodi-david-ladder.jpg|thumb|388px|left|David finishing off the installation]]
 
[[Image:Mamelodi-the-team.jpg|thumb|518px|left|Some of the installation team at Gatang High School eating Saloshni's nice snack packs]]
 
[[Image:Mamelodi-cantenna-lesley.jpg|thumb|388px|left|Testing the signal at Leslie's house using a cantenna]]
 

=== 25 July 2006 - Installation at Leslie's house ===

John, Johann and Karel went out to setup Leslie's link. Everything went well and a good quality link was established with Gatang High School where Leslie is a science teacher and also runs the computer lab.

[[Image:Mamelodi-lesley-pre-assembly.jpg|thumb|518px|left|Pre-assembling the CUWiN equipment for Leslie's house]]
 
[[Image:Mamelodi-lesley-installed.jpg|thumb|388px|left|Equipment installed and working]]
 
[[Image:Mamelodi-lesley-study.jpg|thumb|518px|left|John and Johann checking the connection in Leslie's study]]
 

=== 23 August 2006 - Installation at Patricia's house ===

Accompanied by a TV crew who filmed our installation, we installed the next node at the house of Patricia, a teacher at Gatang Comprehensive School. Lawrence braved the roof to install the cantenna on top of the TV antenna mast which was already in place. Vusi and Pragasen assisted with preparations on the ground. Karel took the pictures.

[[Image:filming_patricia_installation.jpg|thumb|518px|left|Filming the installation at Patricia's house]]
 
[[Image:patricia_installation_completed.jpg|thumb|388px|left|The CUWiN node with a cantenna at Patricia's house]]

File:Filming patricia installation.jpg

2006-10-19T11:18:34Z

Kmatthee: A view of the installation at Patricia's house through the viewfinder of the TV camera.

A view of the installation at Patricia's house through the viewfinder of the TV camera.

File:Patricia installation completed.jpg

2006-10-19T11:17:34Z

Kmatthee: The CUWiN mesh node installed on the roof of Patricia's house.

The CUWiN mesh node installed on the roof of Patricia's house.

Mamelodi Mesh

2006-10-19T11:12:55Z

Kmatthee: /* 23 August 2006 - Installation at Patricia's house */

Mamelodi Mesh

2006-10-19T11:11:57Z

Kmatthee: /* 23 August 2006 - Installation at Patricia's house */

Mamelodi Mesh

2006-10-19T11:04:07Z

Kmatthee: /* 23 August 2006 - Installation at Patricia's house */

== Location ==

[[Image:Mamelodi-map.jpg|thumb|right|300px|Map of Mamelodi relative to the City of Tshwane (Pretoria)]]
Mamelodi is situated about 20 km east of the centre of the City of Tshwane (Pretoria). It is bordered by the Magaliesburg ridge in the north, Pretoria's northern suburbs such as Silverton (industrial area) and "the Willows" (residential area) in the south, another township called Eersterus in the west and another large Magaliesburg ridge running north-south in the east. The total area is approximately 25 square kilometres and the unofficial population of Mamelodi is now close to one million. It is a fairly flat area other than the northern and eastern ridges that form the boundary around the township.

== History ==

Mamelodi was established in 1953, and started with a mere 16 houses built for black people which were removed from other areas according to the Group Areas Act. The first residents worked at bottle-making and brick factories. The name "Mamelodi", which means "mother of melodies", derives from the name given to president Paul Kruger (the first president of the Transvaal) by black people because of his unusual ability to whistle and imitate birds.

== Living conditions ==

There is a diverse set of living standards in Mamelodi, ranging from well built brick houses to small informal dwellings made out of sheet metal known as shacks. On the whole the areas in the west mostly consist of brick houses and low cost RDP (Reconstruction and Development) houses made out of large cement bricks. There is an increasing number of informal shack dwellings in the east of Mamelodi.

== Existing work with schools in the area ==

The Mamelodi Broadband E-Learning Pilot Project aims to explore educational opportunities between five schools in the Pretoria area using a Motorola Canopy Radio Network. The initial phase of the project has been made possible by a small grant from the Department of Communications.

It's widely recognised that South Africa lags behind in effective Maths, Science and Technology teaching. Too few teachers and too few resources compound the problem. The result is learners leaving school without the ICT skills essential in today's marketplace.

Given the strength of South Africa's ICT sector and the potential of many of its learners, it's an irony that needs attention.

St Alban's College in Pretoria is one of the schools in this country that is determined to share its resources, assist with Science education and change the lives of those learning in under-resourced schools. Led by Ron Beyers, the Ulwazi E-learning Project harnesses ICT and brings it directly to those who need it.

The Mamelodi Broadband E-Learning Pilot Project, sponsored by the Department of Communications, has just completed its first three months. Key partners include Motorola and OMEGA Digital Technologies. According to Beyers, 'It's a huge success. The kids are hungry for it and because it's totally interactive and the learners are actively involved, it highlights the difference between theoretical or book learning and real time visual, practical learning.'

The project demonstrates a practical and effective application of technology for learning. It links St Alban's College with Mamelodi schools - Gatang High, Mamelodi College, Mamelodi High and Modiri Technical High. The link is a high-speed, broadband wireless network capable of data rates of several megabites per second, which is maintained by Motorola.

Using Motorola's 5GHz Canopy technology, which, once installed, runs at zero cost, the network allows the teacher to use his computer, microphone, web cam and interactive whiteboards (SMART boards). Whatever he writes on the SMART board appears virtually simultaneously on the linked SMART board in Gatang High. At the same time, the learners in the Mamelodi schools can take control of the computer in St Alban's (15 km away) and interact with the software in real time.

Beyers uses Microsoft Netmeeting software, available on most PCs and the learners in the connected schools are not only connected but totally immersed in the learning process in a virtual classroom.

Given the success of the pilot project, Beyers is now seeking further sponsorship and partners to expand the concept and bring real time interactive ICT learning to more schools.

[http://www.ulwaziproject.co.za Ulwazi project home page]

== Work with CUWiN ==

The Champaign-Urbana Community Wireless Network (CUWiN) is a world-renowned coalition of wireless developers with a mission to “connect more people to Internet and broadband services; develop open-source hardware and software for use by wireless projects world-wide; and, build and support community-owned, not-for-profit broadband networks in cities and towns around the globe.” CUWiN is a non-profit 501(c)(3) organization head quartered in the small town of Urbana, Illinois; yet it has received considerable national and international attention during its half-decade of successful open-source development.

The Mamelodi mesh network is the first of three networks that will be implemented using CUWiN's wireless mesh technology as part of the OSI funded project. Two others in Mpumalanga – Bushbuckridge and Barbeton - are also scheduled for completion during 2006. The Mamelodi network which is only 10 km from the CSIR is an ideal network to test run the technology as the network is close by and problem solving can be done quickly.

Other work with CUWiN includes the following

1.Porting their HSLS protocol to Linksys WRT54G
2.Development of a bandwidth management tool for mesh networks

== What problem is being addressed ==

The main problem being addressed is the issue of affordable broadband connectivity in the area. Most community members in Mamelodi cannot afford the extremely high cost of broadband connectivity for their houses. Currently the most affordable broadband solutions are in the region of R600 per month.

The key driver for this network is going to be the expansion of the already established Ulwazi education network to more people such as teachers and learners. We would also like to use the Mamelodi mesh to connect CSIR staff living in Mamelodi to the CSIR.

== Social challenges ==

We have already encountered some entrenched power bases at the Gatang High School where we did our first installation. By giving the teacher who is in charge of the computer centre a link to his house and not the principal, we were affirming his importance to the project. The principal was not happy and wanted all the equipment removed. We managed to diffuse the situation by explaining the experimental nature of the wireless mesh network. In spite of getting permission from the principal for the project before we started, it was an important “red flag”. When installing a network like this, all decision makers in the community should be involved an agreed on the way forward.

Another key social challenge is going to be to train a community member who will take ownership of the network and be able to provide technical support to all the participating members. Ideally this person should also provide training to interested members who want to become part of the mesh network.

== Backhaul Connectivity ==

Currently we are seeing this mesh network as an extension of the existing Ulwazi educational network which is solely for educational purposes such as tele-education using SMART boards, or linking learners with the “Fab-lab”, a facility to allow young learners to prototype their own mechanical or electronic inventions. There will be a learning portal with open content such as Wikipedia and free books available. We will also look for potential sponsors of their internet connectivity. The issue of free internet connectivity is however a controversial topic which needs further investigation.

== Network Topology ==

[[Image:Mamelodi installations-links-small.jpg]]

The above diagram shows the identified sites with links and potential links between them.

1. A Green placemarker: Installed site
2. A Red placemarker: Future installations as part of the Ulwazi network extension
3. A Yellow flag: Possible installations of people linked to CSIR (either staff
or friends of staff)
4. Thick red line: Backhaul link
5. Thin green line: Installed link – tested and working
6. Thin pink line: Potential link based LOS prediction

== Progress Report ==

=== 26 May 2006 - Site surveys ===

This trip by John, Johann and Karel was used to survey some the potential installation sites and understand what sort of structures were in place for mounting equipment and to check for line of sight issues etc.

[[Image:Mamelodipcanopy-system.jpg|thumb|388px|left|Motorola Canopy system installed at Gatang High School as part of the Ulwazi network]]
 
[[Image:Mamelodi-computer lab.jpg|thumb|518px|left|Computer centre at Gatang High School - all terminals are using MS Windows but haven't been activated for a year - lab should be converted to Linux thin client
]]
 
[[Image:Mamelodi-prison.jpg|thumb|388px|left|The sad reality of theft in South Africa make the computer lab look like a maximum security prison]]
 
[[Image:Mamelodi-john-johann-measure.jpg|thumb|388px|left|John and Johann checking for exisiting Wi-Fi signals in the area from balcony of Gatang High School]]
 
[[Image:Mamelodi-high.jpg|thumb|518px|left|Mamelodi High School - another potential node in the mesh]]
 
[[Image:Mamelodi-high-canopy.jpg|thumb|518px|left|Motorola Canopy system at Mamelodi High School]]
 
[[Image:Mamelodi-lesley-house.jpg|thumb|518px|left|Leslie's house - science teacher at Gatang High school - a priority node to install in the mesh]]
 
[[Image:Mamelodi-sos-childrens-village.jpg|thumb|518px|left|SOS Children's Village - another potential site to connect children onto the network]]
 
[http://www.sosvillages.org.za/childrensvillages/mamelodi.htm Mamelodi SOS Children's Village home page]

=== 8 June 2006 - Installation at Gatang High School and Leslie's house survey ===

We took most of the staff in the Wireless Africa team at Meraka Institute with to carry out this installation as part of a training excercise. It was a great day. Soloshni provided snack packs and there was a good team spirit amongst all the students and staff. It took much longer than we thought because of the height of the installation - the attachment point for the equipment was about 10m high. We prebuilt the system on the ground with a short mast, CUWiN box, antenna and u-bolts. Dare Sokoya, one of our PhD students on using MIMO in mesh networks, was the first to brave the 10m high ladder to try and attach the CUWiN equipment onto the exising mast. After struggling for about 40 minutes and eventually getting the u-bolts secure he handed over to David Johnson to finish off the installation. David finished tightening all the bolts and cable-tied the CAT-5 Ethernet cable along the exisiting RF cable of the Motorola Canopy system running along the wall. Grant Cabridge in the meantime drilled through the wall with a drillbit that looked large enough to drill a bore hole. After feeding the Ethernet cable through the computer lab wall, John and Johann finished off connecting the system into the switch and checked that the system was live. We finally ended the day by visiting Leslie's house and checking the signal strength with a laptop and a Cantenna. The gain on the cantenna proved to be weak due to the 6km distance between the school and Leslie's house or the home made cantenna was possibly not well built.

[[Image:Mamelodi-pre-assembly.jpg|thumb|518px|left|Pre-assembling the CUWiN equipment on the ground]]
 
[[Image:Mamelodi-ladder.jpg|thumb|388px|left|Dare braving the 10m high ladder]]
 
[[Image:Mamelodi-david-ladder.jpg|thumb|388px|left|David finishing off the installation]]
 
[[Image:Mamelodi-the-team.jpg|thumb|518px|left|Some of the installation team at Gatang High School eating Saloshni's nice snack packs]]
 
[[Image:Mamelodi-cantenna-lesley.jpg|thumb|388px|left|Testing the signal at Leslie's house using a cantenna]]
 

=== 25 July 2006 - Installation at Leslie's house ===

John, Johann and Karel went out to setup Leslie's link. Everything went well and a good quality link was established with Gatang High School where Leslie is a science teacher and also runs the computer lab.

[[Image:Mamelodi-lesley-pre-assembly.jpg|thumb|518px|left|Pre-assembling the CUWiN equipment for Leslie's house]]
 
[[Image:Mamelodi-lesley-installed.jpg|thumb|388px|left|Equipment installed and working]]
 
[[Image:Mamelodi-lesley-study.jpg|thumb|518px|left|John and Johann checking the connection in Leslie's study]]
 

=== 23 August 2006 - Installation at Patricia's house ===

Accompanied by a TV crew, who filmed our installation, we installed the next node at the house of Patricia, a teacher at Gatang Comprehensive School. Lawrence braved the roof to install the cantenna on top of the TV antenna mast which was already in place.

Mamelodi Mesh

2006-10-19T11:01:16Z

Kmatthee: /* 25 July 2006 - Installation at Leslie's house */

Mamelodi Mesh

2006-10-19T11:00:48Z

Kmatthee: /* 23 August 2006 - Installation at Patricia's house */

Mamelodi Mesh

2006-10-19T11:00:23Z

Kmatthee: /* 8 June 2006 - Installation at Gatang High School and Leslie's house survey */

== Location ==

[[Image:Mamelodi-map.jpg|thumb|right|300px|Map of Mamelodi relative to the City of Tshwane (Pretoria)]]
Mamelodi is situated about 20 km east of the centre of the City of Tshwane (Pretoria). It is bordered by the Magaliesburg ridge in the north, Pretoria's northern suburbs such as Silverton (industrial area) and "the Willows" (residential area) in the south, another township called Eersterus in the west and another large Magaliesburg ridge running north-south in the east. The total area is approximately 25 square kilometres and the unofficial population of Mamelodi is now close to one million. It is a fairly flat area other than the northern and eastern ridges that form the boundary around the township.

== History ==

Mamelodi was established in 1953, and started with a mere 16 houses built for black people which were removed from other areas according to the Group Areas Act. The first residents worked at bottle-making and brick factories. The name "Mamelodi", which means "mother of melodies", derives from the name given to president Paul Kruger (the first president of the Transvaal) by black people because of his unusual ability to whistle and imitate birds.

== Living conditions ==

There is a diverse set of living standards in Mamelodi, ranging from well built brick houses to small informal dwellings made out of sheet metal known as shacks. On the whole the areas in the west mostly consist of brick houses and low cost RDP (Reconstruction and Development) houses made out of large cement bricks. There is an increasing number of informal shack dwellings in the east of Mamelodi.

== Existing work with schools in the area ==

The Mamelodi Broadband E-Learning Pilot Project aims to explore educational opportunities between five schools in the Pretoria area using a Motorola Canopy Radio Network. The initial phase of the project has been made possible by a small grant from the Department of Communications.

It's widely recognised that South Africa lags behind in effective Maths, Science and Technology teaching. Too few teachers and too few resources compound the problem. The result is learners leaving school without the ICT skills essential in today's marketplace.

Given the strength of South Africa's ICT sector and the potential of many of its learners, it's an irony that needs attention.

St Alban's College in Pretoria is one of the schools in this country that is determined to share its resources, assist with Science education and change the lives of those learning in under-resourced schools. Led by Ron Beyers, the Ulwazi E-learning Project harnesses ICT and brings it directly to those who need it.

The Mamelodi Broadband E-Learning Pilot Project, sponsored by the Department of Communications, has just completed its first three months. Key partners include Motorola and OMEGA Digital Technologies. According to Beyers, 'It's a huge success. The kids are hungry for it and because it's totally interactive and the learners are actively involved, it highlights the difference between theoretical or book learning and real time visual, practical learning.'

The project demonstrates a practical and effective application of technology for learning. It links St Alban's College with Mamelodi schools - Gatang High, Mamelodi College, Mamelodi High and Modiri Technical High. The link is a high-speed, broadband wireless network capable of data rates of several megabites per second, which is maintained by Motorola.

Using Motorola's 5GHz Canopy technology, which, once installed, runs at zero cost, the network allows the teacher to use his computer, microphone, web cam and interactive whiteboards (SMART boards). Whatever he writes on the SMART board appears virtually simultaneously on the linked SMART board in Gatang High. At the same time, the learners in the Mamelodi schools can take control of the computer in St Alban's (15 km away) and interact with the software in real time.

Beyers uses Microsoft Netmeeting software, available on most PCs and the learners in the connected schools are not only connected but totally immersed in the learning process in a virtual classroom.

Given the success of the pilot project, Beyers is now seeking further sponsorship and partners to expand the concept and bring real time interactive ICT learning to more schools.

[http://www.ulwaziproject.co.za Ulwazi project home page]

== Work with CUWiN ==

The Champaign-Urbana Community Wireless Network (CUWiN) is a world-renowned coalition of wireless developers with a mission to “connect more people to Internet and broadband services; develop open-source hardware and software for use by wireless projects world-wide; and, build and support community-owned, not-for-profit broadband networks in cities and towns around the globe.” CUWiN is a non-profit 501(c)(3) organization head quartered in the small town of Urbana, Illinois; yet it has received considerable national and international attention during its half-decade of successful open-source development.

The Mamelodi mesh network is the first of three networks that will be implemented using CUWiN's wireless mesh technology as part of the OSI funded project. Two others in Mpumalanga – Bushbuckridge and Barbeton - are also scheduled for completion during 2006. The Mamelodi network which is only 10 km from the CSIR is an ideal network to test run the technology as the network is close by and problem solving can be done quickly.

Other work with CUWiN includes the following

1.Porting their HSLS protocol to Linksys WRT54G
2.Development of a bandwidth management tool for mesh networks

== What problem is being addressed ==

The main problem being addressed is the issue of affordable broadband connectivity in the area. Most community members in Mamelodi cannot afford the extremely high cost of broadband connectivity for their houses. Currently the most affordable broadband solutions are in the region of R600 per month.

The key driver for this network is going to be the expansion of the already established Ulwazi education network to more people such as teachers and learners. We would also like to use the Mamelodi mesh to connect CSIR staff living in Mamelodi to the CSIR.

== Social challenges ==

We have already encountered some entrenched power bases at the Gatang High School where we did our first installation. By giving the teacher who is in charge of the computer centre a link to his house and not the principal, we were affirming his importance to the project. The principal was not happy and wanted all the equipment removed. We managed to diffuse the situation by explaining the experimental nature of the wireless mesh network. In spite of getting permission from the principal for the project before we started, it was an important “red flag”. When installing a network like this, all decision makers in the community should be involved an agreed on the way forward.

Another key social challenge is going to be to train a community member who will take ownership of the network and be able to provide technical support to all the participating members. Ideally this person should also provide training to interested members who want to become part of the mesh network.

== Backhaul Connectivity ==

Currently we are seeing this mesh network as an extension of the existing Ulwazi educational network which is solely for educational purposes such as tele-education using SMART boards, or linking learners with the “Fab-lab”, a facility to allow young learners to prototype their own mechanical or electronic inventions. There will be a learning portal with open content such as Wikipedia and free books available. We will also look for potential sponsors of their internet connectivity. The issue of free internet connectivity is however a controversial topic which needs further investigation.

== Network Topology ==

[[Image:Mamelodi installations-links-small.jpg]]

The above diagram shows the identified sites with links and potential links between them.

1. A Green placemarker: Installed site
2. A Red placemarker: Future installations as part of the Ulwazi network extension
3. A Yellow flag: Possible installations of people linked to CSIR (either staff
or friends of staff)
4. Thick red line: Backhaul link
5. Thin green line: Installed link – tested and working
6. Thin pink line: Potential link based LOS prediction

== Progress Report ==

=== 26 May 2006 - Site surveys ===

This trip by John, Johann and Karel was used to survey some the potential installation sites and understand what sort of structures were in place for mounting equipment and to check for line of sight issues etc.

[[Image:Mamelodipcanopy-system.jpg|thumb|388px|left|Motorola Canopy system installed at Gatang High School as part of the Ulwazi network]]
 
[[Image:Mamelodi-computer lab.jpg|thumb|518px|left|Computer centre at Gatang High School - all terminals are using MS Windows but haven't been activated for a year - lab should be converted to Linux thin client
]]
 
[[Image:Mamelodi-prison.jpg|thumb|388px|left|The sad reality of theft in South Africa make the computer lab look like a maximum security prison]]
 
[[Image:Mamelodi-john-johann-measure.jpg|thumb|388px|left|John and Johann checking for exisiting Wi-Fi signals in the area from balcony of Gatang High School]]
 
[[Image:Mamelodi-high.jpg|thumb|518px|left|Mamelodi High School - another potential node in the mesh]]
 
[[Image:Mamelodi-high-canopy.jpg|thumb|518px|left|Motorola Canopy system at Mamelodi High School]]
 
[[Image:Mamelodi-lesley-house.jpg|thumb|518px|left|Leslie's house - science teacher at Gatang High school - a priority node to install in the mesh]]
 
[[Image:Mamelodi-sos-childrens-village.jpg|thumb|518px|left|SOS Children's Village - another potential site to connect children onto the network]]
 
[http://www.sosvillages.org.za/childrensvillages/mamelodi.htm Mamelodi SOS Children's Village home page]

=== 8 June 2006 - Installation at Gatang High School and Leslie's house survey ===

We took most of the staff in the Wireless Africa team at Meraka Institute with to carry out this installation as part of a training excercise. It was a great day. Soloshni provided snack packs and there was a good team spirit amongst all the students and staff. It took much longer than we thought because of the height of the installation - the attachment point for the equipment was about 10m high. We prebuilt the system on the ground with a short mast, CUWiN box, antenna and u-bolts. Dare Sokoya, one of our PhD students on using MIMO in mesh networks, was the first to brave the 10m high ladder to try and attach the CUWiN equipment onto the exising mast. After struggling for about 40 minutes and eventually getting the u-bolts secure he handed over to David Johnson to finish off the installation. David finished tightening all the bolts and cable-tied the CAT-5 Ethernet cable along the exisiting RF cable of the Motorola Canopy system running along the wall. Grant Cabridge in the meantime drilled through the wall with a drillbit that looked large enough to drill a bore hole. After feeding the Ethernet cable through the computer lab wall, John and Johann finished off connecting the system into the switch and checked that the system was live. We finally ended the day by visiting Leslie's house and checking the signal strength with a laptop and a Cantenna. The gain on the cantenna proved to be weak due to the 6km distance between the school and Leslie's house or the home made cantenna was possibly not well built.

[[Image:Mamelodi-pre-assembly.jpg|thumb|518px|left|Pre-assembling the CUWiN equipment on the ground]]
 
[[Image:Mamelodi-ladder.jpg|thumb|388px|left|Dare braving the 10m high ladder]]
 
[[Image:Mamelodi-david-ladder.jpg|thumb|388px|left|David finishing off the installation]]
 
[[Image:Mamelodi-the-team.jpg|thumb|518px|left|Some of the installation team at Gatang High School eating Saloshni's nice snack packs]]
 
[[Image:Mamelodi-cantenna-lesley.jpg|thumb|388px|left|Testing the signal at Leslie's house using a cantenna]]
 

=== 23 August 2006 - Installation at Patricia's house ===

=== 25 July 2006 - Installation at Leslie's house ===

John, Johann and Karel went out to setup Leslie's link. Everything went well and a good quality link was established with Gatang High School where Leslie is a science teacher and also runs the computer lab.

[[Image:Mamelodi-lesley-pre-assembly.jpg|thumb|518px|left|Pre-assembling the CUWiN equipment for Leslie's house]]
 
[[Image:Mamelodi-lesley-installed.jpg|thumb|388px|left|Equipment installed and working]]
 
[[Image:Mamelodi-lesley-study.jpg|thumb|518px|left|John and Johann checking the connection in Leslie's study]]

Mamelodi Mesh

2006-10-19T10:57:03Z

Kmatthee: /* Social challenges */

Mamelodi Mesh

2006-10-19T10:49:03Z

Kmatthee: /* Backhaul Connectivity */

== Location ==

[[Image:Mamelodi-map.jpg|thumb|right|300px|Map of Mamelodi relative to the City of Tshwane (Pretoria)]]
Mamelodi is situated about 20 km east of the centre of the City of Tshwane (Pretoria). It is bordered by the Magaliesburg ridge in the north, Pretoria's northern suburbs such as Silverton (industrial area) and "the Willows" (residential area) in the south, another township called Eersterus in the west and another large Magaliesburg ridge running north-south in the east. The total area is approximately 25 square kilometres and the unofficial population of Mamelodi is now close to one million. It is a fairly flat area other than the northern and eastern ridges that form the boundary around the township.

== History ==

Mamelodi was established in 1953, and started with a mere 16 houses built for black people which were removed from other areas according to the Group Areas Act. The first residents worked at bottle-making and brick factories. The name "Mamelodi", which means "mother of melodies", derives from the name given to president Paul Kruger (the first president of the Transvaal) by black people because of his unusual ability to whistle and imitate birds.

== Living conditions ==

There is a diverse set of living standards in Mamelodi, ranging from well built brick houses to small informal dwellings made out of sheet metal known as shacks. On the whole the areas in the west mostly consist of brick houses and low cost RDP (Reconstruction and Development) houses made out of large cement bricks. There is an increasing number of informal shack dwellings in the east of Mamelodi.

== Existing work with schools in the area ==

The Mamelodi Broadband E-Learning Pilot Project aims to explore educational opportunities between five schools in the Pretoria area using a Motorola Canopy Radio Network. The initial phase of the project has been made possible by a small grant from the Department of Communications.

It's widely recognised that South Africa lags behind in effective Maths, Science and Technology teaching. Too few teachers and too few resources compound the problem. The result is learners leaving school without the ICT skills essential in today's marketplace.

Given the strength of South Africa's ICT sector and the potential of many of its learners, it's an irony that needs attention.

St Alban's College in Pretoria is one of the schools in this country that is determined to share its resources, assist with Science education and change the lives of those learning in under-resourced schools. Led by Ron Beyers, the Ulwazi E-learning Project harnesses ICT and brings it directly to those who need it.

The Mamelodi Broadband E-Learning Pilot Project, sponsored by the Department of Communications, has just completed its first three months. Key partners include Motorola and OMEGA Digital Technologies. According to Beyers, 'It's a huge success. The kids are hungry for it and because it's totally interactive and the learners are actively involved, it highlights the difference between theoretical or book learning and real time visual, practical learning.'

The project demonstrates a practical and effective application of technology for learning. It links St Alban's College with Mamelodi schools - Gatang High, Mamelodi College, Mamelodi High and Modiri Technical High. The link is a high-speed, broadband wireless network capable of data rates of several megabites per second, which is maintained by Motorola.

Using Motorola's 5GHz Canopy technology, which, once installed, runs at zero cost, the network allows the teacher to use his computer, microphone, web cam and interactive whiteboards (SMART boards). Whatever he writes on the SMART board appears virtually simultaneously on the linked SMART board in Gatang High. At the same time, the learners in the Mamelodi schools can take control of the computer in St Alban's (15 km away) and interact with the software in real time.

Beyers uses Microsoft Netmeeting software, available on most PCs and the learners in the connected schools are not only connected but totally immersed in the learning process in a virtual classroom.

Given the success of the pilot project, Beyers is now seeking further sponsorship and partners to expand the concept and bring real time interactive ICT learning to more schools.

[http://www.ulwaziproject.co.za Ulwazi project home page]

== Work with CUWiN ==

The Champaign-Urbana Community Wireless Network (CUWiN) is a world-renowned coalition of wireless developers with a mission to “connect more people to Internet and broadband services; develop open-source hardware and software for use by wireless projects world-wide; and, build and support community-owned, not-for-profit broadband networks in cities and towns around the globe.” CUWiN is a non-profit 501(c)(3) organization head quartered in the small town of Urbana, Illinois; yet it has received considerable national and international attention during its half-decade of successful open-source development.

The Mamelodi mesh network is the first of three networks that will be implemented using CUWiN's wireless mesh technology as part of the OSI funded project. Two others in Mpumalanga – Bushbuckridge and Barbeton - are also scheduled for completion during 2006. The Mamelodi network which is only 10 km from the CSIR is an ideal network to test run the technology as the network is close by and problem solving can be done quickly.

Other work with CUWiN includes the following

1.Porting their HSLS protocol to Linksys WRT54G
2.Development of a bandwidth management tool for mesh networks

== What problem is being addressed ==

The main problem being addressed is the issue of affordable broadband connectivity in the area. Most community members in Mamelodi cannot afford the extremely high cost of broadband connectivity for their houses. Currently the most affordable broadband solutions are in the region of R600 per month.

The key driver for this network is going to be the expansion of the already established Ulwazi education network to more people such as teachers and learners. We would also like to use the Mamelodi mesh to connect CSIR staff living in Mamelodi to the CSIR.

== Social challenges ==

We have already encountered some entrenched power bases at the Gatang High School where we did our first installation. By giving the teacher who is in charge of the computer centre a link to his house and not the principal, we were affirming his importance above that of the principal. The principal was furious and wanted all the equipment removed. We managed to diffuse the situation by explaining the purpose of the wireless network but it was an important “red flag” when installing a network like this to involve all the decision makers in the community.

Another key social challenge is going to be to train a community member who will take ownership of the network and be able to provide technical support to all the participating members. Ideally this person should also provide training to interested members who want to become part of the mesh network.

== Backhaul Connectivity ==

Currently we are seeing this mesh network as an extension of the existing Ulwazi educational network which is solely for educational purposes such as tele-education using SMART boards, or linking learners with the “Fab-lab”, a facility to allow young learners to prototype their own mechanical or electronic inventions. There will be a learning portal with open content such as Wikipedia and free books available. We will also look for potential sponsors of their internet connectivity. The issue of free internet connectivity is however a controversial topic which needs further investigation.

== Network Topology ==

[[Image:Mamelodi installations-links-small.jpg]]

The above diagram shows the identified sites with links and potential links between them.

1. A Green placemarker: Installed site
2. A Red placemarker: Future installations as part of the Ulwazi network extension
3. A Yellow flag: Possible installations of people linked to CSIR (either staff
or friends of staff)
4. Thick red line: Backhaul link
5. Thin green line: Installed link – tested and working
6. Thin pink line: Potential link based LOS prediction

== Progress Report ==

=== 26 May 2006 - Site surveys ===

This trip by John, Johann and Karel was used to survey some the potential installation sites and understand what sort of structures were in place for mounting equipment and to check for line of sight issues etc.

[[Image:Mamelodipcanopy-system.jpg|thumb|388px|left|Motorola Canopy system installed at Gatang High School as part of the Ulwazi network]]
 
[[Image:Mamelodi-computer lab.jpg|thumb|518px|left|Computer centre at Gatang High School - all terminals are using MS Windows but haven't been activated for a year - lab should be converted to Linux thin client
]]
 
[[Image:Mamelodi-prison.jpg|thumb|388px|left|The sad reality of theft in South Africa make the computer lab look like a maximum security prison]]
 
[[Image:Mamelodi-john-johann-measure.jpg|thumb|388px|left|John and Johann checking for exisiting Wi-Fi signals in the area from balcony of Gatang High School]]
 
[[Image:Mamelodi-high.jpg|thumb|518px|left|Mamelodi High School - another potential node in the mesh]]
 
[[Image:Mamelodi-high-canopy.jpg|thumb|518px|left|Motorola Canopy system at Mamelodi High School]]
 
[[Image:Mamelodi-lesley-house.jpg|thumb|518px|left|Leslie's house - science teacher at Gatang High school - a priority node to install in the mesh]]
 
[[Image:Mamelodi-sos-childrens-village.jpg|thumb|518px|left|SOS Children's Village - another potential site to connect children onto the network]]
 
[http://www.sosvillages.org.za/childrensvillages/mamelodi.htm Mamelodi SOS Children's Village home page]

=== 8 June 2006 - Installation at Gatang High School and Leslie's house survey ===

We took most of the staff in the Wireless Africa team at Meraka Institute with to carry out this installation as part of a training excercise. It was a great day. Soloshni provided snack packs and there was a good team spirit amongst all the students and staff. It took much longer than we thought because of the height of the installation - the attachment point for the equipment was about 10m high. We prebuilt the system on the ground with a short mast, CUWiN box, antenna and u-bolts. Dare Sokoya, one of our PhD students on using MIMO in mesh networks, was the first to brave the 10m high ladder to try and attach the CUWiN equipment onto the exising mast. After struggling for about 40 minutes and eventually getting the u-bolts secure he handed over to David Johnson to finish off the installation. David finished tightening all the bolts and cable-tied the CAT-5 Ethernet cable along the exisiting RF cable of the Motorola Canopy system running along the wall. Grant Cabridge in the meantime drilled through the wall with a drillbit that looked large enough to drill a bore hole. After feeding the Ethernet cable through the computer lab wall, John and Johann finished off connecting the system into the switch and checked that the system was live. We finally ended the day by visiting Leslie's house and checking the signal strength with a laptop and a Cantenna. The gain on the cantenna proved to be weak due to the 6km distance between the school and Leslie's house or the home made cantenna was possibly not well built.

[[Image:Mamelodi-pre-assembly.jpg|thumb|518px|left|Pre-assembling the CUWiN equipment on the ground]]
 
[[Image:Mamelodi-ladder.jpg|thumb|388px|left|Dare braving the 10m high ladder]]
 
[[Image:Mamelodi-david-ladder.jpg|thumb|388px|left|David finishing off the installation]]
 
[[Image:Mamelodi-the-team.jpg|thumb|518px|left|Some of the installation team at Gatang High School eating Saloshni's nice snack packs]]
 
[[Image:Mamelodi-cantenna-lesley.jpg|thumb|388px|left|Testing the signal at Leslie's house using a cantenna]]
 

=== 25 July 2006 - Installation at Leslie's house ===

John, Johann and Karel went out to setup Leslie's link. Everything went well and a good quality link was established with Gatang High School where Leslie is a science teacher and also runs the computer lab.

[[Image:Mamelodi-lesley-pre-assembly.jpg|thumb|518px|left|Pre-assembling the CUWiN equipment for Leslie's house]]
 
[[Image:Mamelodi-lesley-installed.jpg|thumb|388px|left|Equipment installed and working]]
 
[[Image:Mamelodi-lesley-study.jpg|thumb|518px|left|John and Johann checking the connection in Leslie's study]]