Wifi
I started working with wifi devices around 2001 and have since provided wifi support for numerous clients with various network environments. For quite some time the versatility of consumer wifi devices was somewhat limited. For example, if one wanted a wireless bridge instead of the common cable/DSL router with wifi, they would have to buy a unit specifically programmed to perform this function. The network setup of wifi devices were limited to whatever the manufacturer thought the average customer needed. While they did a pretty good job at this and most devices would meet most customer needs, inevitably there would arise a situation where the stock firmware just couldn't do what was needed and a different device would be required.
In 2006, Linksys released a version of the WRT54G which contained GPL code and subsequently released the open source code for the router. Since then several third party firmware projects have appeared, other wireless devices with similar hardware have become supported by these projects, and several device manufacturers have adopted open source firmware for their devices. With a GNU/Linux based firmware as the device Operating System all sorts of options become available for wireless devices which can run such a third party firmware. A device sold as a wifi Cable/DSL router, like the WRT54G, can be turned into strictly a wireless bridge, an access point, or serve practically any other wireless networking function (even a web server, or possibly with hardware modification - a print server) with the only real limitation being the amount of memory available on the device.
In 2007, I started a project which involved Meraki hardware and firmware. Their firmware is based on the OpenWRT project along with Meraki's own proprietary code. This project involved customizing the firmware to accomodate interface with a device attached to the serial port of the Meraki unit. The astute observer or those somewhat familiar with Meraki devices might say "What serial port? There's no serial port on those things." Like most wifi devices there is generally not a "user accessible" serial port like those found on the back of a computer. However, there normally are pins on the circuit board for making a serial connection. On the Meraki device, it required additional hardware (as I recall, they also sell an adapter for this) to make a serial port connection. The work I did involved some custom programming, scripting, and configuration modification to the open source release of the Meraki firmware resulting in a custom cross-compiled firmware which could be loaded onto the Meraki hardware for the client to utilize the device for their specific purpose.
Since the Meraki project, I have developed the firmware which runs on the wifi routers for dSpot, a free wifi hotspot provider. As of early 2009, there are over 1,500 people utilizing free internet access via dozens of dSpot wifi routers.
FREE Wifi
Do you already have a broadband connection, are in a location where people would use laptops and iPhones,
and would like to make money by offering FREE Wireless Internet access?
Contact Me
to get started today, or visit dSpot.com for more details.
Potential investors or advertisers interested in how they can benefit from the dSpot network are also welcome to contact me directly.
