About the network
Wheeler Row covers about 24 blocks of Washington’s north side, mostly brick rowhouses. The network was built by the public library’s branch staff and its regulars 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
99.98% uptime over the last 90 days, with no days of degraded service or maintenance.
Governance
- Owned by
- Wheeler Row Community Net
- Legal home
- Community land trust program
- Members
- 920 households, one vote each
- Monthly assembly
- Third Monday of each month, 7:00 pm, at the union hall
- Annual assembly
- Every May
- Maintenance fund
- $8 a month per household, suggested. No household is disconnected for not paying.
Stewards
Elected by the members. Listed by first name and initial.
- Duc L.Network steward · since 2025
- Hyun A.Treasurer · since 2024
- Deborah C.Membership steward · since 2026
- Yolanda L.Training steward · since 2025
- Fatima I.Rooftops steward · since 2026
- Anthony T.Secretary · since 2026
Backhaul
Links that carry the network’s traffic to the wider internet.
| Link | Medium | Capacity | Far end | Peak use yesterday |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| LT-59-BH1 | Fiber | 10 Gbps | Washington internet exchange | 16% |
| LT-59-BH2 | Licensed microwave, 11 GHz | 2 Gbps | Tower site, Washington | 22% |
Maintenance log
Firmware 4.6.2 rollout. Staged firmware rollout to every node, one hub’s area at a time. Each node restarted once.
Hardware refresh: 6 nodes upgraded to Stoop R6 over the year.
New hub on the mill building roof: N-3607.
Annual assembly: 100 members attended and elected two stewards.
Expansion: seven new nodes in 2026, mostly in grids A1, A3 and B1.
Dish on N-3059 re-aimed after a neighbor’s new extension blocked the path.
Tree trimming along two backbone paths, with the city’s parks crew.
High winds: 4 rooftop mounts checked and re-secured.
Steward training on monitoring and fault-finding: 20 attended.
Annual assembly: 51 members attended and elected three stewards.
Maintenance fund audit presented to members and approved.
N-3013 moved to the other side of the roof to clear a new air-conditioning unit.
Expansion: four new nodes in 2025, mostly in grids A1, C1 and F3.
Cable to N-2980 replaced; squirrels again.
Expansion: four new nodes in 2024, mostly in grids A1, B1 and B2.
Installer workshop: 13 residents trained and climbed their first roof.
Network switched on: 22 nodes installed by 65 volunteers over a weekend.
Founding assembly: the Wheeler Row Community Net adopts its charter and elects five stewards.