Rice University's Networks Group has partnered with Technology For All (TFA) to deploy a multi-tier wireless network in an under-resourced community in Houston's East End. The project began in late 2003 and the first node was deployed in September of 2004. The network serves over 4,000 users as of November 2007. The deployment employs fully programmable network nodes and serves as a first-of-its-kind research testbed for large-scale urban wireless networks.
The architecture has three hierarchical wireless tiers: an access tier to connect homes, businesses, and mobile users to the infrastructure; a backhaul tier to forward traffic to and from gateways; and a capacity injection tier in which directional links aggregate to the fiber gateway.
Click here to see the splash page that users of the network see.10/2/08
ARS, Popping no-coverage bubbles in citywide WiFi networks (pdf)
9/30/08
Science Daily, Zeroing In On Wi-Fi 'Dead Zones' To Inexpensively Fill Gaps In Wireless Networks (pdf)
9/26/08
Daily India, Wi-Fi 'dead zones' may soon be history (pdf)
9/25/08
Science Daily, Zeroing In On Wi-Fi 'Dead Zones' To Inexpensively Fill Gaps In Wireless Networks (pdf)
6/5/2008
Rice Team Brings Wireless Internet to Houston Community
4/24/08:
Houston Public Radio: Federal Grant Funds Study on Wireless Health Monitoring (pdf)
4/11/08:
Rice News: Baker Institute digitally connected communities (pdf)
