Broadmeadows has some of the lowest social economic indexes in Melbourne - some of the most disdvataged communities in Melbourne reside here. Within these pockets of disadvantage, you have the public housing estate which are even lower down the ladder. Information on Broadmeadows Neighbourhood Renewal can be accessed here . There is also a Wikipedia entry on Broadmeadows here.
Infoxchange Australia, a technology for social justice I consult for, is trialling as a first of its kind in Australia, a wireless mesh network within the Broadmeadows public housing area.
Bridging the Digital Divide : Given the low levels of access within Broadmeadows in general, and the public housing estate context in specific, low cost wireless connectivity will go a way towards addressing disadvantage
Low cost deployment : Meraki hardware and mesh wirless technology promises to lower infrastructure and installation costs. Initial choices of system hardware are based on low price point and ease of use specifically in having non-technical users connect to an existing mesh
Connecting the dots in Implementation :
• Pilot testing around Infoxchange Premises and Abbotsford Convent including dashboard & billing systems
• Initial drive around of Broadmeadows taking in the Hume Global Learning Centre, Campmeadows Schools { google map here }
• Wireless Site Survey to determine source of noise and create initial design
• Obtaining community buy in to be part of the pilot and eventual roll out
• Obtaining Points of Connection to the Internet (likely from the two primary schools in the area)
Some areas of concern : However, there have been some developments of recent which have caused us a some concern. Here’s a little background as to why.
Advertising : The ability to advertise was going to come in handy to bring in advertising revenue from local business and to promote local events and activities. Hardware units come in three flavours (Standard, Pro and Carrier) each with its own set of features. The company under question has recently announced that the capability to advertise which came bundled all its versions is now available only Pro version and above. Given that our business model was based around the standard version whose price points begins at $49 and $99 for the base and repeater units, we will have to reconsider the impact of the additional $100 per unit for the Pro version on the business case.
Billing : Another concern is the control over billing. Infoxchange, whether it partner with an ISP with a carrier license or otherwise, would like to maintain some control of its billing rather than have to be locked into using the hardware vendor’s built-in billing system especially if there is a per user management fee involved.
Putting it together : The funding model will need to be tweaked but potential partners include the Hume City Council, under whose legislation Broadmeadows falls, Neighbourhood Renewal (Broadmeadows), and local schools that will be our point of connection to the Internet.
System integrator will be handled by Infoxchange given our experiences with network building and deployment in the Atherton Gardens high rise housing estate with possibly a little outside help on antenna and outdoor repeater installations. Hardware options include repeaters with an optional solar panel and a Power over Ethernet (PoE) option where external installation is required.
Once pilot testing has been conducted to ensure hardware durability, signal stability, and functioning of the overall system through the Dashboard, deployment at Broadmeadows broadacre estate will begin in a phased rollout. Ultimately, we’re looking at connecting 200 households in a wireless mesh network. There will be multiple hops involved in connecting some households to the nearest router.
Things to look for include existing points of connection to the Internet, power points (for indoor units) and sources of noise which can be identified through a spectrometer; in line with this hiring a spectrometer for a day may be a worthwhile investment.
Stay tuned for more on this project.
