How Does the Seattle Community Network Work?

The Seattle Community Network partners with the University of Washington to share free or low-cost internet access with areas of higher need.

The Seattle Community Network (SCN) is a wireless Internet access network using 4G LTE and WiFi technologies, providing public access from partner locations such as libraries, schools, businesses, and community centers. The Internet connection at these sites is shared wirelessly to nearby devices using the 4G LTE (cell-phone) data standard, which can be used by certain phones and hotspots (also known as Customer Premises Equipment or CPE). Individual users can connect to this signal using SCN-provided (or other compatible) devices to create a local WiFi network in their home. Some of our installed sites utilize a portion of the University of Washington's internet bandwidth, sharing it out to further neighborhoods via point-to-point wireless links. Some sites use other upstream internet service providers (ISPs) such as Lumen.

The network is completely created, managed, and maintained by volunteers with a range of diverse skills in information technology and beyond. All infrastructure is paid for by generous donations from sponsors and the public. Speaking of which, why not volunteer or donate?