Solar powered WiFi routers are nothing new, but a new company is offering for the first time a commercial option at a low enough cost as to be effective in developing nations.

Meraki Networks has come out with a pretty slick looking solar powered Wireless router system powered by the sun. Meraki (Greek for doing something with soul) yesterday announced the new Meraki Outdoor repeater and the Meraki Solar accessory, that together can cover entire neighborhoods with Wi-Fi access.

Priced at just $99, Meraki Outdoor can send a signal up to 700 feet. Paired with Meraki’s existing indoor $49 Mini, the Meraki Outdoor repeater can power access for dozens of households sharing one high speed connection. Meraki Outdoor can be easily installed on a wall or even a pole outside the house. Meraki hopes to change the economics of Wi-Fi access, by driving the cost per household of high speed connections to $1 to $2 a month.

Adding the Meraki Solar accessory kit will allow the repeater to broadcast a signal without being connected to any electrical source, making it an ideal solution for any community, even emerging markets where electricity is scant or unreliable. Once connected, Meraki Solar’s power usage can be distributed throughout the day and managed by the Meraki Dashboard service ensuring the repeater is powered during peak usage times. The Meraki Dashboard is a web-hosted management tool designed to make monitoring, configuring, and monetizing a Meraki Network easy and is included with all Meraki products for no additional charge. The solar kit includes a solar panel, battery pack and an outdoor Ethernet cable.

“To change the economics of Wi-Fi access across the globe, there’s got to be a simple, efficient and inexpensive method for sending the signal long distances outdoors,” said Sanjit Biswas, CEO and a co-founder of Meraki. “The Meraki Solar and Meraki Outdoor will play an important role in our efforts to bring the next billion people online in the coming years.”

Formally launched just months ago, Meraki is already enabling Internet access around the globe. Today, more than 1,000 Meraki networks are up and running in more than 35 countries, providing access to about 40,000 users. Networks exist in a variety of economic and geographical landscapes – from urban networks in San Francisco, Portland and Caracas to rural networks in Alaska, Ecuador, and Brazil.

Some of the technical specifics of the Meraki Outdoor and Meraki Solar kit:

The Meraki Outdoor is an indoor/outdoor repeater that supports high gain and directional antennas and works with other Meraki repeaters to create robust networks. Features include:

* – Unique industrial design (weatherproof plastics, easy to mount)
* – Dual SSID supports public and private networks on the same connection
* – Long-range support (400-700 ft; 6-18 miles with antenna)
* – 2 x 100Mbit Ethernet ports
* – Low-cost: $99

The Meraki Solar accessory kit enables consumers to power their outdoor Wi-Fi with solar energy and is ideal for rural or urban settings.

* – First solar repeater for the consumer market
* – Regulates its own energy usage, providing up to 3x energy efficiency
* – Pricing will be set this summer but the Meraki Solar will clearly be the most affordable option on the market

Both Meraki Solar and the Meraki Outdoor are expected to ship late this summer.

Meraki’s mesh networking enables anyone to easily and affordably install wireless networks in their home, apartment building, or across a city. The mesh topology enables multiple people to share one Internet connection, significantly changing the cost of Internet access (read some case studies). The Meraki system includes inexpensive hardware, network management tools, and online billing services. Incidentally these are the same people who have put in place the San Francisco free net, and have backing by Google. This could be the way we all get our (almost free) internet access in the future.