Only Milliwatts instead of Watts

Over the past year the Elizabeth Amateur Radio Club (EARC) call sign VK5LZ have been helping to expand community wireless networks for use by not-for-profit community groups, disability organisations, the open source community and local people on the licence free public park spectrum 2.4 GHz and 5.8 GHz.

Although the Amateur Radio Club is licensed to transmit at much higher power levels at these frequencies they have choosen to run low power 802.11a & b wireless LAN equipment, enabling the club to participate as an Access Point Node at their site on the Elizabeth Water Tower.

The aim of the community network is empower communities and help bridge the digital divide, by providing very low cost non-profit wireless networks where people can easily share IT resources and communicate.