Afghani city builds its own internet

  • With internet censorship sweeping the globe, one group in Afghanistan has the answer - build your own from cheap parts and trash.

    With a little outside funding from the US National Science Foundation and help from MIT's Fab Lab, a group of Jalalabad residents has used off-the-shelf electronics and scrap parts to create a wireless ethernet network that can transmit across several miles. It now covers most of the city.

    "The system works consistently through heavy rain, smog and a couple of good sized trees," say its builders.

    Many parts are home-made from scrap - FR reflectors, for example, are made from wood, plastic or clay with a metallic mesh attached.

    The FabFi network has been up and running for over a year, and is still expanding. Right now, its longest link is the 2.41 miles between its base, FabLab, and the local public hospital.

    It works at a real throughput of 11.5 Mbps - about half the ideal-case throughput for a standards-compliant off-the-shelf 802.11g router transitting at a distance of only a few feet.

    "As long as there’s pressure from those seeking a reasonable life where they can go about their business, there’s hope we can throw a lifeline with these so called undermining capabilities," says FabFi project director Amy Sun.
