Frequently Asked Questions

Who are we?

What is Philly Community Wireless?

Philly Community Wireless is a community organization developing community-owned networks in North Philadelphia. We are a working group of organizers, technologists, academics, teachers, and community members in Philadelphia. We seek to address the city’s digital divide with community-controlled mesh network technologies.

Mesh networks allow a single Internet connection to be shared among a broader group of users with very little cost or infrastructure required. With the help of PhillyWisper, a pro-net neutrality, wireless internet service provider, we have installed our wifi network in many areas throughout Norris Square, Fairhill, and Kensington and continue to expand.

We incorporate participatory design and technical training for the community that empowers self-maintenance and growth of this free network connection. In addition, we partner with organizations that help residents connect with digital resources, including no-cost or low-cost devices and digital skills classes.

For a condensed list of available digital resources, click here.

For more information on our partner, PhillyWisper, see their FAQ.

What areas of the Norris Square Park neighborhood currently have wifi?

The free public wifi network should be accessible in most areas of Norris Square Park and the surrounding streets, approximately in a half square mile area. For updates on upcoming installs and service expansions, see our map or sign up for our newsletter.

Grant funding is enabling us to grow the network around Norris Square to the north, especially Fairhill and Kensington. Our goal is to connect residents, in their homes and in public spaces, to high-speed, free internet, for at least the next decade (the length of the agreement with our bandwidth provider, PhillyWisper).

What is the public wifi network name?

Philly Community Wireless

How does it work?

PCW collaborated with Big Picture Alliance and Eli Laban to create this animated infographic overviewing the architecture of community networks and wireless mesh projects on YouTube.

Wireless mesh networks

PCW’s infrastructure depends on wireless broadband technologies—in particular, mesh networks, a distributed system of network routers which allow a single source of bandwidth to be shared among a broader group of users with very little cost or infrastructure required for connection.

Traditional internet service providers rely on a one-way, centralized hub that transmits network traffic to all users on the receiving end. But with mesh networks, every router both receives and transmits network traffic simultaneously, enabling the network to remain operational even when individual nodes go out of service.

The technical shape of mesh networks (interconnected, resilient) thus reflects the social connections that PCW seeks to amplify (democratic, participatory, decentralized).

For technical information on the project, please see our Docs page.

Is the wifi actually free?

Yes, as long as PCW exists, you will never be asked for your payment information to access our public network.

How fast/stable will the connection be?

We aim to provide at least 25 Mbps download speed in public and private spaces. We can’t promise consistent connection in any given area, but many areas of our network currently receive higher download speeds.

How secure is the network? Who can access our information?

We don’t track the websites you visit. We keep only the basic data necessary to keep the lights on, meaning what we need to run the network, keep it secure, and fix it when something breaks. We support net neutrality principles and believe that the Internet should be provided free of throttling, zero-rating, and the tracking and monetization of user behavior and data.

By joining our network you agree to share the available bandwidth with others. Please be mindful of downloading large amounts of media, especially when others may be using the network during the day.

When connecting to the public network, use the same standard precautions you would at a coffee shop or airport. Because our network is open, the wifi signal itself isn’t encrypted, which is covered in the Security Warning on our Terms of Service page. Most websites use https by default these days, which keeps what you send to them private, and you can use a VPN service to be extra safe. Our network also has the usual client device isolation, which makes it harder for another device on the network to reach yours.

Can I get hacked / is my personal information protected?

Nothing you do on the internet should be considered fully “private.” We don’t ask for any identifying information to log into our network, and you shouldn’t give that information to anyone who claims to be PCW.

Will my activity or data on the internet be tracked by a third party?

Not by us. We don’t track the websites you visit or sell data about what you do online, and neither does PhillyWisper, the internet service provider we work with. We can’t speak for the rest of the internet, though. The websites you visit do their own tracking, and so do the outside services we use to run things like our newsletter. Our Privacy Notice covers everything we run, and it explains that it doesn’t cover those third party sites and apps. Our Terms of Service covers what we do and don’t do on the network.

How do I get involved?

If you would like to host a rooftop antenna, please fill out the sign-up form. We will get back to you as soon as we can.

If you have any questions, or would like to volunteer with Philly Community Wireless, reach out via email at info@phillycommunitywireless.org and see our Volunteer page for more information.

What does a rooftop antenna installation involve?

A normal installation takes a few hours, and requires cabling power to the roof, and installing a non-penetrating roof mount with line of sight to a PhillyWisper “high site.” A router can be installed inside the house, and we often try to install one relay antenna on the roof or side of the building to share the signal around the area. See our Installations page for more info.

If I host an antenna on my roof, how does this affect the structural integrity of my house? Will extra drilling be involved?

Some homes will only need an indoor mesh antenna, plugged into a wall outlet. For homes that require a rooftop installation, an antenna will be attached to a chimney, existing pole, or secured between cement blocks etc. Whenever possible, we use non-penetrating roof mounts. Cables can be run into existing holes in your house. See our Installations page for more info.

How much will the electricity cost to keep the radio powered?

We estimate roughly 25 dollars a year for the electrical costs.

Who do I contact if things go down?

Please contact us via (215) 316-5761 or email at info@phillycommunitywireless.org.