SunShare WiFi™ - justindbilyeu/SunShare-Connect-Initiative- GitHub Wiki
🌐 SunShare WiFi™
Broadband from the Sky. Equity from the Ground.
Powered by solar. Built for dignity. Designed to scale.
🌟 Overview
SunShare WiFi™ is the broadband backbone of the SunShare Connect™ initiative—a solar-powered rural WiFi mesh network designed to deliver reliable, affordable internet to underserved communities.
We integrate rooftop solar, battery storage, and open-architecture WiFi nodes to offer critical connectivity where traditional telecoms refuse to build.
“WiFi is no longer a luxury—it’s a basic right. SunShare WiFi™ delivers digital dignity, powered by sunlight.”
🚨 The Problem
- Over 14 million rural Americans still lack access to reliable high-speed internet.
- Cable and fiber rollouts are slow, costly, and often avoid lower-income or rural areas.
- Remote education, telemedicine, and local economies are stifled by digital exclusion.
- Extreme weather and grid outages render many current networks unreliable in times of need.
🔧 Technology Stack
| Component | Description |
|---|---|
| ☀️ Solar Power | Provides energy independence and off-grid uptime |
| 🔋 Battery Storage | Ensures 24/7 service during low sunlight or grid failure |
| 📶 WiFi Mesh Nodes | Multi-hop coverage from rooftops to homes, parks, and public areas |
| 📡 Long-Range Backhaul | Ubiquiti AirFiber, 5GHz/60GHz mmWave PTP for up to 20 miles |
| 🛰️ Satellite Fallback | Starlink or other LEO options for remote deployments |
| 🧠 Edge Compute (Optional) | Local caching, CDN acceleration, or ML inference at the edge (school-based) |
Fully modular: Each node can scale from a single house to a regional mesh cluster.
💡 Core Features
- Free or subsidized tiers for schools, libraries, and public health clinics
- Community-managed relay nodes with cooperative ownership structures
- Disaster-resilient communications even during grid outages
- Edge cloud support for local data caching and speed boosts
- Integration with SunShare Volt™ (EV) and SunShare Water™ infrastructure
📍 Use Cases
- 🏫 Schools: Connect classrooms and students in rural districts with solar-powered mesh nodes
- 🏥 Clinics & Hospitals: Enable telemedicine and emergency communication
- ✈️ Airports: Provide WiFi at small airports with existing SunShare solar installs
- 🏘️ Rural Homes: Neighborhood mesh coverage from high-gain rooftop access points
- 🚜 Farms & Ranches: Agricultural IoT and drone telemetry integration
💰 Economic Model
| Metric | Estimate (per site) |
|---|---|
| Initial CapEx | $10,000–$20,000 (solar, battery, WiFi) |
| Annual OpEx | <$500 (maintenance, bandwidth) |
| Target ROI | 2–4 years (depending on grants/ISP deals) |
| Revenue Opportunities | ISP leasing, education funding, co-op models |
| Additional Value | Reduced broadband deserts, digital equity, disaster coverage |
Funding Sources:
- BEAD Program (NTIA Broadband Equity Access Deployment)
- USDA ReConnect and Distance Learning Grants
- FCC Rural Digital Opportunity Fund (RDOF)
- Municipal or Tribal Co-Investment
🛰️ Hardware Partners (Preferred)
- Mesh / WiFi: Ubiquiti Rocket M5, UniFi AC Mesh, MikroTik SXT
- Backhaul: Ubiquiti AirFiber AF-5XHD or AirMax
- Satellite Fallback: Starlink Residential Kit (RV or Business)
- Edge Compute: Raspberry Pi 5, NVIDIA Jetson Nano (for caching or local compute)
🔄 Pilot Initiatives Underway
- Travis, Bastrop, and Caldwell Counties – initial mesh deployments targeting underserved schools and airfields
- Starlink fallback integration with rooftop mesh to extend coverage to highly remote zones
- Cooperative WiFi node model under review for rural neighborhoods and tribal networks
- IoT telemetry nodes integrated into farms for crop and water monitoring via SunShare Scout™
📊 Example Site Model (30-node mesh network)
| Metric | Value |
|---|---|
| Coverage Area | ~0.75 square miles |
| Bandwidth | 100 Mbps uplink (shared) |
| Uptime Goal | 99.99% with battery and solar failover |
| Power Source | 4.5 kW rooftop PV + 15 kWh storage |
| Monthly Bandwidth Cost | ~$120/month (shared) via Starlink |
🌐 Integration with SunShare Stack
SunShare WiFi™ operates in full synergy with:
- SunShare Power™ — using shared solar arrays and storage
- SunShare Water™ — co-located water generation nodes also benefit from telemetry
- SunShare Volt™ — shared EV infrastructure includes WiFi-enabled charging hubs
- SunShare Scout™ — drone relays and data backhaul for AI-guided agriculture
🧭 Vision
We envision a future where every rooftop is a node, every child has access, and no one is left in a digital shadow.
📣 How to Get Involved
Interested in bringing SunShare WiFi™ to your school, airport, or community?
📬 Email: [email protected] 🔗 GitHub: SunShare Connect Wiki