Meraki announces solar-powered WiFi kit

Solar-powered WiFi isn't exactly anything new, but upstart Meraki looks to be doing its best to make it more accessible to the general public, today announcing a new outdoor wireless repeater with a solar panel to keep it running. Designed to be used with Meraki's existing Mini WiFi router, the repeater will let you beam a signal up to 700 feet away which, at just $99 a pop, would make a neighborhood-wide WiFi network a relatively low-cost affair. Unfortunately, there's no word just yet on what the solar panel accessory will cost, although Meraki says it'll "clearly be the most affordable option on the market." We shouldn't have to wait too much longer for that key detail, however, as the entire kit's set to ship sometime late this summer.

[StrangeBum @ Jun 4th 2007 7:08PM]

Oooh...I want one. This would be perfect to run in my attic to get more range out of my network. I live on two acres of land and this would be so kick-ass to be able to take my laptop and just sit outside away from the house.

[nikster @ Jun 4th 2007 7:53PM]

StrangeBum, all you'd need is a router with a detachable antenna and a 8dbi or 10dbi outdoors antenna. Strategically placed, this should cover 2 acres relatively easily - depending on tree coverage maybe not the last bits, but a fair amount. Or a big directional antenna at one corner of the land. $100 - $200. I run a network of 4 routers, largest distance between them 1km which is covered by a 19dbi directional.

I am very interested in that solar solution though, I hope it's truly affordable.

[tlyon @ Jun 5th 2007 8:12PM]

Would this make it possible to beam high-speed internet a couple miles so that I could get off of dial-up.

[Steve Ambruzs @ Jun 5th 2007 9:03PM]

@tylon: you can do that already using WDS and high gain antennas. Or even better, forget the WDS and use a point to point network. You can get miles of range as long as you have LOS.

[tlyon @ Jun 5th 2007 9:12PM]

but there is a huge hill in between my house and the nearest access point

[Steve Ambruzs @ Jun 5th 2007 9:59PM]

These Meraki units will need LOS too, but the solar units can be placed up and over your hilltop, so it should work great! Keep in mind though that you will lose bandwith with every hop.

[PetRiLJoe @ Jun 8th 2007 3:40AM]

So would this make it so that only your WiFi is broadcasted out at a 700 feet range and that it is solar powered?

I was hoping one could use it to retrieve WiFi from their laptop within their car, and that I could attach the solar panel to the top of my car to power it lol. MOBILE-SUN-POWERED WIFI!

Could anyone tell me if this device could be used for what I am looking for?

-Joseph L

[G$ @ Jun 11th 2007 11:59AM]

> I was hoping one could use it to retrieve WiFi from their laptop within their car, and that I could attach the solar panel to the top of my car to power it lol. MOBILE-SUN-POWERED WIFI!

No, that's not what this is for.

This is a great solution for rural deployments, or where the cost of running an electrical line to the roof is more than the cost of this solar powered unit. Also in the picture is the new Meraki indoor unit, which adds status LEDs for signal strength/link status and has 2 Ethernet ports.

[G$ @ Jul 19th 2007 11:51AM]

In a community wireless network, such as DFWFreeNet (http://www.dfwfreenet.org), a solar node can be very useful. Often power isn't available on rooftops and the cost of having a line run is expensive. Some locations have no power at all, or the property owner would rather you not use their power. In these situations, I think the solar powered Meraki would be a good solution.

[Aryn Nakaoka @ Oct 6th 2007 9:20PM]

Meraki is in the middle of an important decision... they have recently announced that they will be taking over ad control of ALL merakis people have purchased @ $50. They are also tripling the price of the product if you would like to remain in control of your hardware. http://forums.meraki.com/viewtopic.php?t=1841