• PersonalTelco

We are a volunteer group of Portlanders who believe that 802.11 (wireless networking, or Wi-Fi) technology is both cool and empowering. We started, in 2000, by turning our own houses and apartments into wireless hotspots (also referred to as "nodes"), and then set about building these nodes in public locations such as parks and coffee shops. Currently we have over 100 active nodes, and we eventually would like to cover the entire city of Portland, Oregon with even more.

We are here to promote and build public wireless networks through community support and education.

This site aims to help you find what you need in order to get connected to the community wireless network, or to participate in it. We thrive on feedback; if you have a question, comment, or suggestion, don't hesitate to let us know.

Personal Telco Project is a Federal tax-exempt 501(c)(3) and an Oregon non-profit organization. We want to facilitate partnerships with local businesses, and in doing so permit the raising of funds through tax-deductible contributions.

Right now, there are about 2500 access points per square mile in Portland, about 100 times the number that the Unwire Portland vendor, MetroFi, was ever going to install. We see this as a tremendous opportunity for the people of Portland to create their own ubiquitous free wifi, by joining with us in sharing our internet connections with our communities. It's not that hard. Personal Telco is here to help.

We hold fairly large monthly meetings and smaller weekly meetings, in addition to training days, "play days," and other gatherings. We welcome participation in any and all of these events, at any level, from everyone in the Portland area - or anyone at all interested in wireless! Join our mailing list, read the archives, join the live chat, ask questions, come to the meetings, put up your own node; it's easy, and we're here to help things go smoothly for you.

We welcome new members regardless of their level of knowledge. If help is needed setting up a node join the list, attend the meetings and someone will be glad to help out - getting up and running might be easier than you think! Personal Telco Project members volunteer to build wireless networks, in hopes of allowing access to everyone around the Portland area. The more nodes that can be sponsored by local businesses and individuals in high traffic areas, and in Portland's many neighborhoods, the more useful the network becomes to everyone.

If you are interested in hosting a node, or know of another person or business which might be willing to donate a little bandwidth and a window ledge for the good of the community, then please, let us know, and let them know about us! Personal Telco Project members are also working to assist and encourage local educational and community organizations to bring wireless networks to those who could not receive access otherwise. Please contact us if you are interested providing public wireless access through your organization.