SAN FRANCISCO, Dec. 4 /PRNewswire/ -- Meraki, an award-winning provider of wireless networking solutions, today announced the availability of Meraki Solar, the world's first self-powered WiFi mesh device. The Meraki Solar is powered by its own solar panel and solar-charged battery and represents a quantum leap forward in enabling the rapid deployment of large outdoor networks.

Meraki Solar is completely energy independent, making it ideal for providing WiFi coverage in hard-to-wire areas without easy access to power supplies such as business districts, resorts, rural areas, parks, golf courses, and more. Each unit is completely self-contained and ready to mount on roofs, walls, poles and anywhere that receives sun exposure.

In many cases the single most expensive line item in an outdoor wireless network installation is the time and material required for electrical cabling to install an access point. Because Meraki Solar leverages a solar-powered battery, there is no need to touch the local electrical infrastructure. Outdoor wireless networks can be set up quickly in hard-to-wire areas and without support from third-party electricians, saving customers time and money, and making the Meraki Solar incredibly cost-effective.

"Traditional outdoor wireless solutions often require expensive and time-consuming installation and electrical cabling efforts," said Sanjit Biswas, Meraki CEO. "Meraki Solar is unique because it doesn't require special electrical cabling. Its power source is contained within the solution, so customers can deploy wireless in hard-to-wire areas quickly and without disrupting their businesses."

Meraki Solar runs on its own state-of-the-art lithium iron phosphate battery, providing for higher power density, faster recharging and increased safety. This is the same type of battery used to power the One-Laptop-Per-Child (OLPC) computer, and the Meraki Solar is the first product of its kind to leverage this cutting-edge technology. Battery charging is monitored and managed via Meraki's web-based management Dashboard, the same management tool included with all Meraki devices. To learn more about the advantages of solar-powered WiFi, read Meraki's latest whitepaper "WiFi Without Wires" at http://www.meraki.com/wifi_without_wires.

Meraki Solar in Harvard Square

The Harvard Square Business Association (HSBA) provides free outdoor WiFi access as an accommodation to the over 8 million visitors, students, and residents who populate Harvard Square in Cambridge, Massachusetts. The network, installed by Anaptyx (http://www.anaptyx.com), a Meraki certified reseller, has been a boon to local economic growth. So much so, the HSBA recently decided to expand the network by deploying Meraki Solar devices.

Anaptyx used Meraki Solar devices because they can be deployed on roofs quickly without disrupting local businesses during the installation. Said Ken Carnesi, CEO of Anaptyx: "We decided to deploy all of our wireless systems with Meraki because of the speed of deployment and the speed at which you can add new nodes to expand a network. The new solar units require even less set-up time and connect to the system almost immediately."

Anaptyx had the new Meraki Solar units up and running in time for this year's Sparklefest, Harvard Square's winter festival of celebrations and events. Said Denise Jillson, Executive Director of the HSBA: "There has not been a technical innovation spearheaded by the Harvard Square Business Association with as significant an impact to the collective community as Meraki."

Meraki offers powerful wireless gateways, access points and repeaters. Once plugged into a power source, Meraki devices immediately talk to each other over the Internet to form a network. Meraki's web-based management Dashboard ensures that connectivity across the network is optimized and reliable. Together, Meraki's hardware and web-based services deliver WiFi in a fraction of the deployment time, a fraction of the management time, and a fraction of the cost versus other solutions.

Pricing and additional details

Meraki Solar is priced from $848-$1,497 depending on size of solar panel required. The unit weighs approximately two pounds, making it easy to install in a variety of locations. Meraki Solar packages include the unique solar-powered WiFi device, a solar panel, and pole, wall or roof mounting hardware. For additional information on Meraki Solar visit http://www.meraki.com/solar.

About Meraki

Meraki began in 2006, from a Ph.D. research project at MIT, with the intent of helping to bring affordable Internet access to people around the world. Starting with a single network which covered Cambridge, Massachusetts, the technology quickly spread into over 120 countries around the world in less than a year. Today there are thousands of Meraki networks around the world, connecting people everywhere from San Francisco to villages in India. Meraki is based in San Francisco, California, and is funded in part by Sequoia Capital and Google. For more information, go to http://www.meraki.com. For information on becoming a Meraki certified reseller, go to http://www.meraki.com/partners.

SOURCE Meraki