Meraki's Solar-Powered Outdoor Wi-Fi Rig

Extending a wireless network beyond the confines of a home or business is certainly more than a dream nowadays. With low-priced products such as those from Meraki, we should be seeing free internet access become more and more common. Meraki Networks has released the new Meraki Outdoor repeater and solar accessory. Meraki says that together, they can cover entire neighborhoods with Wi-Fi access.

Priced at just $99, Meraki Outdoor can send a signal up to 700 feet. Paired with Meraki’s existing indoor $49 Mini, the Meraki Outdoor repeater can power access for dozens of households sharing one high-speed connection. Meraki Outdoor can be easily installed on a wall or even a pole outside the house. It marks another step forward in Meraki’s efforts to change the economics of Wi-Fi access, driving the cost per household of high speed connections to $1 to $2 a month.

Meraki says that adding its solar accessory kit will allow the repeater to broadcast a signal without being connected to any electrical source, making it an ideal solution for any community, even emerging markets where electricity is scant or unreliable. Once connected, Meraki Solar’s power usage can be distributed throughout the day and managed by the Meraki Dashboard service ensuring that the repeater is powered during peak use times. The Meraki Dashboard is a web-hosted management tool for monitoring, configuring, and monetizing a Meraki Network. It’s included with all Meraki products for no additional charge. The solar kit includes a solar panel, battery pack and an outdoor Ethernet cable.

Though Meraki was formally launched just months ago, more than 1,000 Meraki networks are up and running in more than 35 countries, providing access to about 40,000 homes. Networks exist in a variety of economic and geographical landscapes, from urban networks in San Francisco, Portland and Caracas to rural networks in Alaska, Ecuador and Brazil. The Meraki Outdoor is priced at $99.