{"id":"network-el-segundo-mesh-commons-004","name":"Mesh Commons","publishedAt":"2026-07-23T19:15:00.000Z","status":"physical-network-plan-published","canonicalUrl":"https://network-el-segundo.mhoydich.chatgpt.site/mesh-commons","pointcastUrl":"https://pointcast.xyz/network-el-segundo/mesh-commons","machineUrl":"https://network-el-segundo.mhoydich.chatgpt.site/mesh-commons.json","planningHorizon":{"origin":"El Segundo, California","radiusMiles":25,"durationMonths":24,"meaning":"A direction-of-travel for linked rooftop clusters, not a promise of blanket service or a claim that any candidate path has line of sight."},"thesis":"Make a useful local network before trying to become an internet provider: three consented rooftops, three directional paths, one donated service computer, and things neighbors can use even when the upstream internet is unavailable.","cashFloor":{"firstLinkUsd":{"low":295,"high":395},"firstMeshTriangleUsd":{"low":950,"high":1500},"yearOneHardwareUsd":{"low":3000,"high":5000},"twoYearHardwareUsd":{"low":9500,"high":15000},"assumptions":["Volunteer planning, installation, documentation, and support.","Donated roof access, power, home Wi-Fi, and at least one reused service computer.","Member-owned edge radios wherever possible.","No paid tower lease or commercial internet backhaul in the cash floor."],"exclusions":["Professional roof, electrical, grounding, engineering, permitting, insurance, and accessibility work.","Masts or structural work required by an individual site.","An internet transit circuit; local-only services work without one."]},"minimumBillOfMaterials":[{"item":"Directional 5 GHz radios","example":"2 × Ubiquiti LiteBeam 5AC or MikroTik SXTsq 5 ac","quantity":2,"cashUsd":130,"note":"Current manufacturer pricing begins around $65 each. Use US-certified hardware and settings."},{"item":"Outdoor cable and weatherproofing","example":"Shielded outdoor Ethernet, boots, drip loops","quantity":2,"cashUsd":50,"note":"Planning allowance; exact length depends on the legal cable path."},{"item":"Surge protection and grounding","example":"Site-appropriate protectors and bonding materials","quantity":2,"cashUsd":50,"note":"Planning allowance only; a qualified installer determines the safe method."},{"item":"Small router","example":"MikroTik hEX lite or donated OpenWrt-capable router","quantity":1,"cashUsd":40,"note":"The manufacturer lists hEX lite at $39.95."},{"item":"Mounting contingency","example":"Reuse an approved mast or pay for light mounting hardware","quantity":1,"cashUsd":25,"note":"Never improvise an unsafe roof attachment."},{"item":"Local service computer","example":"Donated mini PC or laptop running Linux","quantity":1,"cashUsd":0,"note":"The mesh should begin with donated compute and a replaceable SSD backup."}],"phases":[{"id":1,"window":"Months 0–3","name":"Find the triangle","cash":"$0–$200","target":"25 interested hosts · 10 safe panoramas · 3 candidate rooftops","actions":["Publish a join form that asks for neighborhood, roof or balcony access, a panorama, and permission status—not a public street address.","Score line of sight before buying radios. Reuse NYC Mesh’s potential-node → panorama → viability → install rhythm.","Run the local service cabinet on one donated computer over an ordinary room Wi-Fi network."],"exit":"Three consented sites can see one another well enough to justify a field test."},{"id":2,"window":"Months 4–6","name":"Prove one link","cash":"$295–$395","target":"2 roofs · 1 measured directional link · 3 local services","actions":["Bench-configure and label every device before roof work.","Install one short, clear, legal path; record signal, throughput, uptime, channel, and a rollback photo.","Serve hello.mesh, map.mesh, and play.mesh locally, then unplug the upstream internet and prove they still work."],"exit":"The link survives a two-hour local-only drill and both hosts can restore it from the runbook."},{"id":3,"window":"Months 7–12","name":"Close the loop","cash":"$950–$1,500 total","target":"3–5 roofs · 3 independent paths · 10–25 people · 5 services","actions":["Add the third site and route with OSPF so the first cluster has a second path.","Hold one open install clinic each month and publish every configuration with secrets removed.","Start a spare shelf: one radio, one injector, cable, boots, labels, and a printed recovery card."],"exit":"One failed radio no longer takes the mature cluster offline."},{"id":4,"window":"Months 13–18","name":"Make two clusters","cash":"$3,000–$5,000 year-one floor","target":"6–10 roofs · 2 neighborhood hubs · 8 local services","actions":["Extend only toward verified panoramas in the South Bay and Westside.","Use narrow directional links for backbone paths and sectors only where several visible clients justify them.","Add a second DNS and service replica; collect link health, never browsing history or message content."],"exit":"Each cluster remains useful by itself and reconnects automatically when its inter-cluster path returns."},{"id":5,"window":"Months 19–24","name":"Touch the horizon","cash":"$9,500–$15,000 two-year hardware floor","target":"12–20 roofs · 4–6 hubs · 50+ neighbors · 12 services","actions":["Attempt one 15–25 mile engineered proof link only if rooftop height, Fresnel clearance, spectrum survey, and permissions support it.","Keep optional internet gateways separate from the commons; confirm the upstream provider permits sharing.","Publish an annual hardware ledger, outage review, coverage gaps, and the next two neighborhood-led chapters."],"exit":"The network passes a half-day upstream-outage festival with games, radio, library, bulletin, map, and status all reachable locally."}],"services":[{"host":"hello.mesh","name":"Front porch","use":"Start page, rules, status, and a printable how-to-join card."},{"host":"map.mesh","name":"Living map","use":"Opt-in nodes, link health, outages, and no public home addresses."},{"host":"play.mesh","name":"Local arcade","use":"Chess, word games, scoreboards, and tiny multiplayer rooms that stay on the LAN."},{"host":"bbs.mesh","name":"Block board","use":"Events, offers, needs, lost-and-found, and neighborhood notes."},{"host":"radio.mesh","name":"Mesh radio","use":"Live community audio, archives, and scheduled listening rooms—not an emergency channel."},{"host":"library.mesh","name":"Local library","use":"Zines, oral histories, maps, manuals, and public-domain media."},{"host":"drop.mesh","name":"File bench","use":"Temporary local file exchange with quotas, expiry, and clear moderation."},{"host":"garden.mesh","name":"Small weather","use":"Opt-in air, wind, garden, surf, and rooftop sensor pages."},{"host":"atelier.mesh","name":"Art wall","use":"Local exhibitions, collaborative drawing, music tools, and field-kit rehearsals."}],"operatingRules":["No mandatory monthly price. Suggest $5–$20 or volunteer time; nobody is denied for inability to pay.","Participants may use the network, understand it, offer services, and extend it to others under the same conditions.","Hosts choose what equipment enters their property and can revoke access with an orderly handoff.","No traffic-content logging, ad tracking, open microphones, public residential addresses, or location history.","Health metrics are limited to link state, signal, throughput, errors, uptime, and aggregate service load.","Internet access is optional and best-effort. The local commons is the product; an upstream gateway is a separately permitted service.","Certified radios, legal power levels, safe mounting, grounding, weatherproofing, and owner permission are non-negotiable."],"technicalShape":{"access":"Member Wi-Fi or Ethernet at each site","localCluster":"Short 5 GHz links; at least two directional uplinks in every mature cluster","hubs":"Sector radios only after line-of-sight demand exists","routing":"OSPF on the small network; consider BGP only between mature regional hubs","dns":"Replicated local DNS for .mesh names; use a public domain with split DNS before a service needs browser-trusted HTTPS","monitoring":"SNMP or exporters into Prometheus/Grafana; no payload inspection","internet":"Optional gateway routes with explicit provider permission; local services never depend on it"},"sources":[{"label":"NYC Mesh — typical installs","url":"https://wiki.nycmesh.net/books/2-install-maintenance-guides/page/typical-installs","note":"LiteBeam plus OmniTik nodes, nearby omni-only nodes, and two-uplink redundancy per cluster."},{"label":"NYC Mesh — new member workflow","url":"https://wiki.nycmesh.net/books/4-organization-mission/page/new-member-workflow-overview","note":"Potential install, map, panorama, line-of-sight viability, scheduling, and installation."},{"label":"NYC Mesh — internal services and DNS","url":"https://wiki.nycmesh.net/books/6-services-software/page/overview","note":"Local DNS, NTP, files, social services, video chat, and member-hosted tools."},{"label":"NYC Mesh — Network Commons License","url":"https://www.nycmesh.net/ncl.pdf","note":"Freedom to use, understand, offer services, and extend the network under the same conditions."},{"label":"NYC Mesh — current rate card","url":"https://www.nycmesh.net/rate-card","note":"DIY install at $0, optional monthly donation, and best-effort service."},{"label":"Ubiquiti — 5 GHz airMAX store","url":"https://store.ui.com/us/en/category/wireless-airmax-5ghz","note":"Current manufacturer pricing for LiteBeam and LiteAP examples."},{"label":"MikroTik — SXTsq 5 ac","url":"https://mikrotik.com/product/sxtsq_5_ac","note":"Outdoor 5 GHz CPE/backbone radio, suggested price, power, and included PoE parts."}],"disclosure":"This is a public planning artifact, not an active mesh, coverage guarantee, internet service offering, emergency network, certified design, site survey, engineering opinion, municipal program, or authorization to install on any property."}