Wireless Africa published at the end of october a guide to install a rural network based on the mesh technology.

This guide helps to planify and create a wireless mesh network based on Freifunk, well known in the wireless community for its performances and its many qualities tested in real life. Freifunk is being used in different countries around the world : Berlin (Germany), Dharamsala (India), Peebles Valley (South Africa), Vaour (France), …

Wi-Fi is very helpful when the telecom infrastructure is inexistant, just like in Africa most of the time.

Version 0.7_65 covers different topics, such as the equipment and software necessary, services used on the network, planning and installation, …

Saxnet will be soon commercializing it’s new mesh router based on a Debian : the Meshnode III.

The german company has created a system integrating four 802.11a/b/g Wi-Fi modules. The E.I.R.P. for each module is 600 mW maximum.

The Meshnode works in temperatures ranging from -40 to +70 degrees Celsius.

WEP, WPA and WPA2 are supported. The product will be available in january 2008 for around $1,152 with the 4 modules.

Mesh networks continue their growth. OLPC, the cheap computers for emerging countries, integrates a draft version of the 802.11s (IEEE standard for mesh networking) to repeate wireless signals. Meraki sells small routers which extend networks using mesh techniques.

via Linux Devices