About the network
Riverward covers about 38 blocks of Des Moines’s north side, mostly public housing towers and the walk-ups around them. The network was built by the tenants’ association after the only provider in the area was fined for advertising speeds it never delivered.
Schematic
Hover over or tap a node for its details, and click or tap again to open it. With a keyboard, move to the schematic and use the arrow keys.
Uptime
99.99% uptime over the last 90 days, with no days of degraded service or maintenance.
Governance
- Owned by
- Riverward Community Network Cooperative
- Legal home
- Cooperative corporation, owned by member households
- Members
- 990 households, one vote each
- Monthly assembly
- Last Wednesday of each month, 6:30 pm, at the recreation center
- Annual assembly
- Every April
- Maintenance fund
- $7 a month per household, suggested. No household is disconnected for not paying.
Stewards
Elected by the members. Listed by first name and initial.
- Hassan L.Network steward · since 2024
- Aaliyah H.Treasurer · since 2026
- Lakisha W.Membership steward · since 2025
- Alberto A.Training steward · since 2024
- Lucia R.Rooftops steward · since 2024
- Alberto W.Secretary · since 2021
- Wanda H.Network steward · since 2026
Backhaul
Links that carry the network’s traffic to the wider internet.
| Link | Medium | Capacity | Far end | Peak use yesterday |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| LT-50-BH1 | Fiber | 10 Gbps | Des Moines internet exchange | 18% |
| LT-50-BH2 | Licensed microwave, 11 GHz | 2 Gbps | Tower site, Des Moines | 25% |
| LT-50-BH3 | Fiber, donated by the library system | 1 Gbps | Public library network | 25% |
Maintenance log
Firmware 4.6.2 rollout. Staged firmware rollout to every node, one hub’s area at a time. Each node restarted once.
Steward training on monitoring and fault-finding: 8 attended.
Expansion: three new nodes in 2026, mostly in grids E1, E5 and F4.
Annual assembly: 90 members attended and elected two stewards.
Hardware build night: 18 Stoop nodes assembled from parts.
N-2298 replaced under warranty after its radio stopped associating.
Hardware refresh: 9 nodes upgraded to Stoop R6 over the year.
Rooftop agreements reviewed; 4 renewed with new building owners.
Dish on N-2805 re-aimed after a neighbor’s new extension blocked the path.
Annual assembly: 75 members attended and elected two stewards.
Storm damage: 7 dishes realigned and one mast replaced.
New hub on the senior center roof: N-3146.
Expansion: three new nodes in 2024, mostly in grids G5, H3 and H4.
N-2304 moved to the other side of the roof to clear a new air-conditioning unit.
Grounding on N-2443 redone after an inspection found a corroded lug.
Expansion: five new nodes in 2023, mostly in grids C1, D2 and E1.
Network switched on: 24 nodes installed by 76 volunteers over a weekend.
Founding assembly: the Riverward Community Network Cooperative adopts its charter and elects five stewards.