ZAP Sherbrooke
Encyclopedia
ZAP Sherbrooke is a non-profit
community wireless network which provides free wireless Internet access to mobile users in public spaces throughout the city of Sherbrooke, Quebec
, Canada
. The network was built using Open-source software
and inexpensive off-the-shelf Wi-Fi
hardware to share broadband Internet connections. The initiative was created by a consortium of Sherbrooke University and Bishop's University
along with hospitals and other colleges in the area. In 2008 the project received the OCTAS Award for "Technologies at the Service of Communities".
ZAP Sherbrooke is available throughout Sherbrooke city in public areas (public parks, arenas, library, city buildings) as well as universities (Sherbrooke University and Bishop's University) and hospitals. It is also available in cafés, restaurants, bars, stores, and community organizations which pay a $150 fee the first year and $50 each subsequent year to join the network. As of March 2010, the network has over 35,000 registered users and over 240 live hotspots.
Non-profit organization
Nonprofit organization is neither a legal nor technical definition but generally refers to an organization that uses surplus revenues to achieve its goals, rather than distributing them as profit or dividends...
community wireless network which provides free wireless Internet access to mobile users in public spaces throughout the city of Sherbrooke, Quebec
Quebec
Quebec or is a province in east-central Canada. It is the only Canadian province with a predominantly French-speaking population and the only one whose sole official language is French at the provincial level....
, Canada
Canada
Canada is a North American country consisting of ten provinces and three territories. Located in the northern part of the continent, it extends from the Atlantic Ocean in the east to the Pacific Ocean in the west, and northward into the Arctic Ocean...
. The network was built using Open-source software
Open-source software
Open-source software is computer software that is available in source code form: the source code and certain other rights normally reserved for copyright holders are provided under a software license that permits users to study, change, improve and at times also to distribute the software.Open...
and inexpensive off-the-shelf Wi-Fi
Wi-Fi
Wi-Fi or Wifi, is a mechanism for wirelessly connecting electronic devices. A device enabled with Wi-Fi, such as a personal computer, video game console, smartphone, or digital audio player, can connect to the Internet via a wireless network access point. An access point has a range of about 20...
hardware to share broadband Internet connections. The initiative was created by a consortium of Sherbrooke University and Bishop's University
Bishop's University
Bishop's University is a predominantly undergraduate university in Lennoxville, Sherbrooke, Quebec, Canada. Bishop's is one of three universities in the province of Quebec that teach primarily in the English language...
along with hospitals and other colleges in the area. In 2008 the project received the OCTAS Award for "Technologies at the Service of Communities".
ZAP Sherbrooke is available throughout Sherbrooke city in public areas (public parks, arenas, library, city buildings) as well as universities (Sherbrooke University and Bishop's University) and hospitals. It is also available in cafés, restaurants, bars, stores, and community organizations which pay a $150 fee the first year and $50 each subsequent year to join the network. As of March 2010, the network has over 35,000 registered users and over 240 live hotspots.