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Small Company Promises SF Free WiFi

New idea could help startup succeed where Google failed

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(Newser) – A tiny startup has a plan to blanket San Francisco with free Internet access and revive the floundering municipal wireless concept. Meraki Networks hopes to enlist city residents to install free radio repeaters atop their homes, which would be simpler and cheaper than placing them on public property, as Google and EarthLink planned to do, the AP reports.

Assuming enough people donate their roofs, Meraki says it can cover the city for just $1 million—$16 million less than EarthLink had planned to spend. And unlike other plans, which aimed to sell high-speed connections or ads, Meraki is using San Francisco only to prove the technology works before selling it to developing countries looking for cheap wireless.

Katy Harper uses a wireless connection on her laptop at a Chicago cafe in this Feb. 17, 2006, file photo. Meraki Networks Inc., a Silicon Valley startup, is promising to blanket San Francisco with free wireless Internet service, reviving a crusade that crumbled last year after two much larger companies,...
Katy Harper uses a wireless connection on her laptop at a Chicago cafe in this Feb. 17, 2006, file photo. Meraki Networks Inc., a Silicon Valley startup, is promising to blanket San Francisco with free...   (Associated Press)
San Francisco start-up Meraki Networks Inc., whose financial backers include Google, hopes to complete the free wireless project within the next year.
San Francisco start-up Meraki Networks Inc., whose financial backers include Google, hopes to complete the free wireless project within the next year.   (Shutterstock.com)
So far, Meraki has given away about 500 repeaters, enough to provide Wi-Fi, access to about 40,000 people, covering a roughly 2-square-mile area.
So far, Meraki has given away about 500 repeaters, enough to provide Wi-Fi, access to about 40,000 people, covering a roughly 2-square-mile area.   (Shutterstock.com)
Wi-fi start-up Meraki is set to
Wi-fi start-up Meraki is set to "Free The Net" in San Francisco, according to their official website.   (meraki.com)
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