Active Antenna
This page is about the Active Antenna, which is a standalone version of the XO laptop's wireless mesh network interface.
Description
The Active Antenna is a standalone version of the wireless mesh network interface used in the XO laptop. It connects to a host or power source through a 5m (16ft) USB cable. As a mesh networking interface, it both serves as network interface for any host connected through USB and as a repeater node in the mesh. Two or three Active Antenna are used with each School server, one may be connected to an XO or other laptop to allow mesh networking, or they may simply be connected to a wall brick providing power.
A similar device is the Solar Repeater, where an Active Antenna is integrated with a solar cell and battery unit.
Obtaining one
If you have a need for one or more Active Antenna for a project that OLPC might be interested in supporting, please apply through the developers program. Currently, our supply is very limited, but we hope to have enough to provide them to qualified developers.
Versions
There are different version of Active Antennas, with different availability dates: Production, Pre-Build, and Prototype.
Production
Pre-Build
A version of the Active