Neighborhood Wi-Fi Sharing Returns

Community mesh Wi-Fi, experimented with in the early 2010s, is making a quiet comeback in dense neighborhood where broadband remains expensive.

Volunteers mount antennas on rooftops and share bandwidth with neighbors through encrypted channels. Monthly costs drop by half or more.

Legal frameworks have matured: mesh co-ops can now register as small nonprofit and negotiate bulk internet contracts directly with providers.

Skeptics worry about freeloaders and speed contention. Existing co-ops use fair-share algorithm that cap top users during peak hours. The model does not beat fiber, but it beats nothing at all.