[…] much of the equipment is homemade, it encourages learning and hacking, and it embodies the spirit of Freedom 2 of the Free Software definition – the freedom to share so you can help your neighbour.
Their first piece of equipment was a series of ‘cantennas’. These ingenious devices, otherwise known as ‘tin can waveguide antennas’, can significantly extend the range of a Wi-Fi connection for virtually no cost.
This all took place in Bristol Wireless’s first few years and now the project is rapidly approaching its 10th birthday, so what’s happened in between?
http://www.techradar.com/news/networking/wi-fi/bristol-s-community-built-wireless-network-1046824