Building a Wireless Community Network in the Netherlands

With the development of low cost hardware based on IEEE 802.11b, wireless networks are an emerging technology. Using these wireless techniques outdoors it is possible to build a community network not dependent on any provider. In the Netherlands such a network is being set up in and around Leiden. Using low cost network interfaces, home-built antennas and open source software the volunteers of the Wireless Leiden Foundation were able to lay out an infrastructure for the inhabitants of Leiden at a very low cost. All kinds of applications (for-profit and not-for-profit) are using this wireless network.