510pen

Here's a use case for why a renter would want to participate in 510pen and how they might do so:

A renter would find it valuable to arrive at a new place where 510pen was already within range, and thus immediately have Internet access even before the phone service is activated. That access could be slow due to a relatively weak Wi-Fi signal (since it's from the house across the street), and yet it would still be useful and appreciated.

Perhaps that renter would soon tire of the slow speeds, and get her/his own DSL service from Sonic.net since that was the cheapest mesh-friendly ISP she could find in the area. S/he would then buy a $40 open-mesh unit pre-configured for use in 510pen, so as to take full advantage of the faster DSL (via stronger Wi-Fi signal strength) and be a part of the 510pen community. The fact that s/he is using an indoor mesh unit means that signal strength is strong enough to reach neighboring apartments, but not strong enough to give full speed to those neighboring apartments. This means the renter's DSL connection is almost never over-utilized by the neighbors.

One day, when a neighbor gets a fancy Wi-Fi antenna to boost the signal strength and then starts downloading large volumes of data over the renter's DSL connection, s/he notices the reduced speeds and browses through 510pen's support resources. S/he finds the relevant online tool (or support request form) to easily identify and lock out or intentionally slow down this inconsiderate neighbor's computer, thus resolving the problem without interpersonal conflict.

A month later, the renter's son's pet rabbit chews through the power cable for the DSL bridge. The household is still able to get on the Internet - albeit at reduced speeds - via the 510pen mesh, and thus the process of finding and ordering a new power cord isn't a big deal. The kids can still use the webcam built-in to the $300 netbook to video-chat with their grandma in Arizona.

Three years later, through frugality and persistence, the renter and her family have saved enough to buy into a cooperative housing complex across town. The fact that the 510pen mesh is functional and usable means that they can move the phone service - and its dependent DSL service - to the new condo without interrupting Internet access at the rental apartment, thus removing one point of logistical stress in the process.

So,

• the renter wins because a very important communications tool - the Internet - is available during times/situations when it wouldn't otherwise have been available,
• the community wins because this particular member of the community has reason to contribute to the mesh,
• the commercial ISPs (at least, the mesh-friendly ones) win because they still retain existing customers and get new ones, and
• 510pen wins because it helps to build and strengthen the community.