The community node

What it is

A phone, even an old one, left charging at school, at work or at home, that keeps the people around it connected.

Why it exists

Study and work communities spend many hours a day together. A fixed point sharing its connection makes everyone's network faster and stronger.

How it works for you

Turn on “Community node” in the Network tab and leave the phone charging. It acts as a relay and, when there's Wi-Fi, carries to the internet the messages of people passing by.

What you give

A phone you no longer use, the power to keep it charged, a share of the place's Wi-Fi.

What you get

A faster network for you and those around you: in simulations, with one node per building, a message arrives in about twenty seconds instead of tens of minutes.

What you choose

Whether to turn it on and when to turn it off.

Honest limits

The timings come from simulations with the real code, to be confirmed in the field. Phones and operating systems restrict background apps: continuous operation is completed by the native app.

Where it stands

Tested in simulation. Field testing: continuous background operation.