Guifi.net, users take control of the network

We introduce you to Guifi.net, the largest network in the world managed by its own users. Based in Catalonia, with it you can connect to the internet for very little money or even for free without depending on the big operators

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free internet and almost free is possible. It sounds like a utopia, but it is not. The proof is that in Catalonia there is the largest telecommunications network in the world created and managed by its own users. His name is guifi.net and allows internet connections for very little money to whoever needs it. In the countryside and in the city, through WiFi and also fiber optics.

The purpose of Guifi.net is actually to build a network that does not belong to anyone, or rather, a network that belongs to everyone. A simple network without a specific purpose that anyone can use for whatever they want. One of its applications may be, for example, that a group of neighbors share an Internet connection and thus pay less. Or connect to the world a small farmhouse that ADSL does not reach. There are no fixed or high fees, but normally the user must contribute to network maintenance.

Does it still sound like utopia? Lluis Dalmau, director of the Guifi.net Foundation, explains how they have already overcome the more than 20,000 users assets. So far they have come with a great collective work started in 2004 in Gurb, a small town with a science fiction name located in the province of Barcelona. First it began with WiFi wireless connections and for three years this small town of 2,500 inhabitants has had 1,000 Mb (1 Gb) fiber optic internet. The big operators would surely not have included Gurb in their fiber deployment plans.

How does it work?

The Guifi.net network is organized like a mesh. That is, all users are interconnected with each other. You put a small antenna on your roof (a node) that connects to a main antenna in the area (supernode). The main antenna is connected, in turn, to other main antennas nearby. And these, to others. In this way, small and large antennas are added to create a large network that, for example, crosses the province of Girona from top to bottom and reaches Valencia. There are also other separate groups, like in Asturias, Estremadura and other parts of Spain and the world. All on the initiative of its own users. Traditionally, the Guifi.net network has been created using WiFi antennas. Although since 2010 they have begun to use fiber optics.

In this network, what is shared by a user at one point can be received by anyone who is at another. So if you share your internet connection, others can use it too. And where does the internet come from? Guifi.net is the old infrastructure. Internet access is one of its uses. Sometimes it can be someone who offers their home ADSL connection for free. At other times, Guifi.net decides to go directly to the Internet. That is, you go to the building where the international operators that give access to the great Internet are located. In Barcelona, ​​for example, this point is in a building called Telvent Carrier House. From there, Guifi.net extends fiber optic cables through roads, train tracks or whatever is necessary to reach the points where the connection is needed. This has a cost and, for example, there are companies that through this network offer fiber connections with speeds of 150 Mb for only 20 euros per month (plus VAT).

How do I sign up?

if you need one connection punctuallyJust find out on the Guifi website if there is a network near your home. In the event that there is and you have good coverage, with an antenna for 70 euros you can access the internet for free, after registering on the web. They are Internet connections that users offer voluntarily, so do not expect great speeds or that it always works. It is also not intended for large downloads, for example. But it’s free.

If you want to get more involved, then you can participate directly in the management of the network. For example, through the groups of each zone. You can help, with knowledge or money, to improve the infrastructure. If, for example, you don’t have coverage near your home, you can install one of the large antennas that provide a connection to others. From Guifi.net they tell us that it would cost from 500 euros, which would have to be distributed among the different users involved. If you don’t have the knowledge, you can also pay an installer to do it.

Finally, there are also small companies that take advantage of this network to offer their own internet services. Since it is a free network, anyone can use it. These operators in return participate in maintenance and improvement. Their offers are usually more affordable than usual. And on the part of the user it does not require such personal involvement in the Guifi.net project. Although these companies are only present in some towns.

For whom it is?

Guifi.net is surely not the best option for the user from a big city who wants to call a telephone, have ADSL installed and not worry anymore. However, it is the option of the intrepid who do not want to wait for a big company to solve their problems and want to build an alternative. Like the case that Joan Dalmau tells us, of a school that had to survive with a tiny half-mega connection. And Guifi.net was able to provide them with a last generation connection via fiber optics. It is the internet of broadband quixotes.