This announcement is yet another team of people who are capitalizing on the continuing evolution of wireless hardware and software capabilities. This team has created an almost "turn-key" solution for creating wireless mesh networking nodes from inexpensive, and possibly even older used, computer equipment. They claim to have completely automated the configuration of the mesh ... that is a big deal. Expect to see more and more of this ...

CUWiN Goes Public with Open-Source Mesh System. The Champaign-Urbana Community Wireless Network (CUWiN) released the fruit of their efforts at the end of the week: The project is an open-source effort to provide mesh networking with no center. The system is self configuring among nodes which need no non-volatile or permanent storage. To set up a CUWiN network, you burn a CD with the 0.5.5 software later this week and use it to boot a computer with a support wireless card. The system finds nearby nodes, creates tables, and establishes itself as part of the network. The software is free and open source. The full press release is after the jump.... [Wi-Fi Networking News]

November 29, 2004 - As of 8:00am this morning we have been having numerous problems with Qwest.  They have indicated they are having major problems with some of their gateways, and that it is effecting services across the state of Utah.

We apologize for the problems, and will continue to work with Qwest - and follow their progress - to get this resolved.

We apologize to ur Wasatch County, Utah customers as we had quite a week of storms ... and problems ... up here.  It turns out that some of out new outdoor wireless equipment was not as waterproof as they had hoped.  With the large storm system that came to the county a week ago Sunday, we lost a total of three new pieces of equipment due to water leaks.

The vendor was great about things.  We lost our main wireless tower at our headquaters on Monday morning, after the initial front hit us.  We exchanged this device with a spare that we had on hand.  The next night - Tuesday - we lost that spare, and the Wing Pointe apartments location.

On Wednesday, we were able to get the repairs completed with assistance from the great folks at Euclid Timber Frames.  The vendor has determined the problem and replaced our units.  We are back up and running, and continuing to upgrade the network.

80211.net will be at the upcoming wireless tradeshow - WISPCON VI which will be going on in Las Vegas from October 27 - 29, 2004.  We will be present at the show with two of our partners TenX Networks, and Renasis Engineered Products.

One of our most popular spots in town - A Cup of Joe - has changed owners in the last several weeks.  After several conversations with the new owner we were surprised to find out that he is installing his own Internet services.  He informed us early last week that we were welcome to remove our services at any time.  Instead of leaving our customers without access, we looked at what other businesses might be in the area.  As of Friday, we have moved ... across the hall!

We are glad to announce that we have now partnered with Mermaid Books, and are able to provide the same Internet services - at the same prices - at the same location.  Mermaid Books is a very cool shop offering a variety of books and other items ... and has a great owner!

Our Cafe PC is now in the sitting area at Mermaid Books, and we still have the same wireless access - 24x7 - that covers the same areas and upstairs.  If you want to, you ought to still be able to get access at A Cup of Joe ... so continue to buy your coffee, hang out, visit Mermaid Books, and enjoy your Internet.  If you have questions or comments about your service, please feel free to contact us!

Today there was a major Qwest backbone fiber cut by a backhoe just outside of Park City, Utah. That fiber happened to be our main Internet connection for the 80211.net data center. The fiber cut caused a complete network failure.  The outage started around 9:00am, and repair of the 144-fiber trunk was finally completed around 3:00pm. During that time a significant portion of the 80211.net network was down and without access.

We apologize for the outage, and will continue to explore ways to implement even more redundancy in our neworks. If you were impacted by this damage and unable to access the Internet, send us an e-mail and we'll add a day of credit to your account!

Now you can purchase your Internet Access using PayPal, or your credit card! As of last week, we have implemented a new payment system that allows you the flexibility of paying for your 80211.net Internet Access completely on-line. In the past, our 80211.net Internet Access Coupons were available at all of our locations. Some 80211.net locations have made the choice to no longer carry the cash coupons, but don't worry ... you will be able to continue to experience our cost effective service by paying on-line.

Access to the new payment system is through our login page, using the same payment link that you used in the past. Now, once you have entered your username and password, you have the option to click the PayPal link to pay with a PayPal account, or credit card. You will be automatically redirected to the secure PayPal web site to enter your payment information.  We are able to accept VISA, MasterCard, Discover, American Express, or eCheck. Upon completion of the PayPal transaction, your account will be updated and ready to use!

We hope this adds even more flexibility to our services, and let us know how we can continue to improve our services!

80211.net is happy to announce another Bad Ass Coffee location has joined our network! The Bad Ass Coffee in Salt Lake City, located at 3530 South State Street is now offering Internet Access to their customers. This location has high-speed 802.11b wireless, and also has a PC on-site for customers to use.

The Bad Ass Coffee Company was started on the Big Island of Hawaii in July of 1989 and has become one of the largest sellers of Kona coffee in the world. In 1995, Michael Bilanzich of Salt Lake City, Utah purchased Royal Aloha Coffee, Tea & Spice Company and the Bad Ass Coffee Company. They opened their first Bad Ass Coffee Company store in Salt Lake City in May 1995 at 3530 South State Street, their next location in Park City at 651 Park Avenue in July 1995. They are continuing to grow with numerous shops in Hawaii and throughout the continental United States and Canada. 

If you are in the area in Salt Lake City, stop in ... grab a coffee and something to eat .... cruise the net ... and enjoy!