Inveneo Hardware Archives
- Posted by Jana Melpolder on June 18, 2018 in the categories: Publications
This post was originally published on Engineering for Change’s website and written by E4C’s Contributor Rob Goodier. View the original post here.
Bob Marsh installs WiFi antennas on the roof of a microfinance institution in the Democratic Republic of the Congo.
Bob Marsh is a household name and the subject of dinner party conversations in a certain kind of household and select dinner parties. The kind populated that are popular among computer scientists and engineers. In the 1970s, Marsh was an early member of the Homebrew Computer Club, where members traded tech and tips, and Apple co-founder Stephen Wozniak went to people’s homes to help them build their own Apple I. Together with Lee Felsenstein, also a member of the club, Marsh designed and built the popular Sol-20 personal computer and began sales in 1976.
Now Marsh’s work reflects the club’s theme, “Give to help others.” He is the co-founder and executive director of Inveneo, traveling to underserved communities around the world to install computer and Internet connectivity hardware. He recently helped to put 100 youth centers in Palestine online, and trained technicians to operate a Network Operations Center in Accra, Ghana, as part of the Ebola Response Connectivity Initiative (ERCI) project that serves Ebola medical centers and NGOs in Sierra Leone, Guinea, and Liberia. In all, he has worked in 15 African countries, Bangladesh, Haiti and Nepal.
We asked Bob Marsh five questions.
E4C: You once said that a key difference between rural Africa and rural America is Google. Have you seen an example of the Google advantage at work after you’ve provided Internet access?
BM: Unfortunately, Inveneo staff rarely get a chance to return to project sites after completion. This is because we are usually sub-contractors for larger NGOs that are responsible for the M&E phases. Anecdotally, I personally have seen people in rural Kenya, Burkina Faso and Botswana using Google at project sites. However, I don’t remember what they were searching for.
My point was that it’s quite difficult to get information from outside one’s own rural community without Internet access, but that we here in the rich countries now take for granted (and hardly think twice about it) access to a vast array of information on any subject.
E4C: Would you tell us a little about the hardware that you’re installing in developing countries?
BM: Originally, back in 2005, we were building our own low power consumption 12VDC battery-powered computers using VIA motherboards. These had rather low CPU horsepower, but enough to run a Linux desktop and server. We found a number of 12VDC LCD monitors to pair with the VIA PCs.
The next year we found a thin-client PC made by Wyse that was very small and inexpensive and we created our own Linux distro to run in just 128MB of memory.
By late 2007, low power computing had become somewhat mainstream, and we found an AMD-powered unit made in Taiwan that would run either Linux or Windows XP or 7. This unit was considerably more powerful than the Wyse and could include a 16GB 2.5” hard drive or 4GB SSD storage.
By 2009, Taiwan’s Asus began making very low power complete systems that included Windows 7 for reasonable prices (as low as $255). Inveneo used various models of the Asus eeeBox series for several years after that, plus some very low power LED/LCD monitors from Asus.
However, for the past two years, we’ve been more involved with tablet-based projects, primarily using the Google Nexus 7 series, also made by Asus.
E4C: What are some of the obstacles in hardware installations that you face now?
BM: Printers remain a challenge. While laser printers have the lowest cost per page, they use a lot of power. Inkjet printers can use very little power, but often use a lot of expensive ink cartridges.
The main challenges in rural IT installations are:
- Either complete lack of electricity, or poor quality electricity from the national grid.
- High heat and humidity, or even worse in many cases, lots of dust.
- Lack of knowledgeable technical support people outside of the capital city.
- Lack of broadband Internet access at an affordable price.
E4C: What are some of the improvements that you’d like to see in the technology that you work with in developing countries?
BM: Needed are:
- Cheaper and simpler solar power systems, longer life battery energy storage
- Cheaper broadband mobile infrastructure (I believe Facebook is working on this, as are others)
Frankly, a lot of the challenges are more software related, e.g. more comprehensive materials that follow a country’s curricula, software to track pupils progress and attendance, as well as teacher performance.
E4C: Do you have a story from your work that gives a glimpse of a day in your life on the road?
BM: Local knowledge is always valuable, but we learned early on to remain skeptical. In Western Uganda, we did a project to connect houses in 5 villages to an Community Center office near the highway (a very dusty dirt road) that had an Internet connection. Each house would have a low power computer, solar panel and battery, with a long range wifi radio to access Internet and a local VoIP service.
We only had a hand drawn map showing the various neighboring villages, as they were not shown on any other paper or online maps. One targeted village was 1000ft up on the slopes of the Ruwenzori Mountains nearby, but there were a number of similar looking villages that could be seen with the naked eye or binoculars. So we asked three different local people to point out which village was the correct one, and received three different answers. Ultimately we sent people up to the village, who had to walk up steep path, as there was no road. Even with binoculars from the They used a mirror to flash their location to some of us at the bottom of the hill, and we found that the correct mountain-side village was none of the three that the locals had pointed out! Worse, that target village could not be seen from the Community Center, and as the radio links needed direct Line-of-Sight, we had to completely re-configure the whole network to find a way to reach the mountain-side village.
This post was originally published on Engineering for Change’s website and written by E4C’s Contributor Rob Goodier. View the original post here.
- Posted by Inveneo on February 16, 2016 in the categories: Projects
We’re extremely grateful for all of our Generosity campaign supporters! As of February 16, 2016, nearly 60 people had donated approximately $14,200 to our campaign. We’re excited to begin assembling the Solar Libraries this month to send to Haiti.
In particular, we’d like to give a big shout out to our three Solar Library Champion supporters!
- Ann Cude
- Alexandra Grill-Childers
- Sharon Penley
Thank you to our Solar Library Champions and to all of our donors for your help and support!
- Posted by Inveneo on November 23, 2015 in the categories: News
Inveneo is proud to announce the launch of its Generosity (by Indiegogo) campaign, which aims to raise $50,000 to deliver Solar Powered Digital Libraries to 15 remote, rural schools in Haiti. We are grateful to craigslist’s Craig Newmark for his generous contribution of $10,000!
The Problem
Throughout the developing world, millions of schoolchildren lack (or only have limited access to) books and basic learning resources, much less computers or the Internet. Transporting volumes of books or computers to schools can be expensive and logistically daunting. Digital libraries – tablets or computers (PCs) loaded with thousands of e-books and other educational resources – have begun to enhance learning opportunities in the developing world. However, many existing digital library solutions require Internet or power.
The Solution
Inveneo’s Solar Powered Digital Library (Solar Library) is ruggedly designed for schools lacking educational resources, Internet, and power. It includes thousands of e-books, lectures, and other educational resources (e.g. Wikipedia) that can be accessed completely off-the grid.
Call to Action
Inveneo is no longer fundraising for this project. Thank you very much to everyone who donated to Inveneo to support the Solar Powered Digital Library in the past!
- Posted by Jana Melpolder on September 14, 2015 in the categories: Events, News
Are you interested in digital content for both hardware and software? Do you live in San Francisco or the Bay Area? Inveneo could be looking for YOU!
Inveneo is investigating new and innovative technologies to deliver digital content to rural schools in developing regions which are off-the-power grid and have no Internet connection. Two technologies we would like hands-on help with include Outernet and Rachel Pi.
The work would entail:
- setting up the hardware and software of these systems
- testing their approach, benefits, and limitations
- investigating (from a software approach) how to integrate these systems together to work in a rural school
We ask the volunteer to work a minimum of five (5) hours per week, primarily in the San Francisco office. The individual would work directly under the Engineering Department, and additional comprehensive work may be requested for ICT support. This position could continue after the initial research is completed.
Please send your resume and a brief cover letter to Jana Melpolder if you would like to apply. Applicants will be accepted on a rolling basis.
- Posted by Jana Melpolder on July 21, 2014 in the categories: Publications
Inveneo has teamed up with USAID and ARM Limited to publish our newest White Paper, “Emerging Markets: Top ICT Hardware Challenges”. Led by researcher Dr. Laura Hosman, formerly of the Illinois Institute of Technology, this publication has been created to educate engineers, designers, and manufacturers. Our report is to make ICT practitioners keenly aware of developing world hardware technology requirements and realities.
The top five ICT hardware challenges are:
- Electricity/Power/Energy
- Cost
- Environment-Related Issues
- Connectivity
- Maintenance & Support
Inveneo has been happy to partner with ARM, USAID, Dr. Hosman, and ICTworks to conduct this research and release this White Paper. Read the full report here.
The infograph was created by Eric Zan. Check out his website at http://www.ericzan.info
- Posted by Jana Melpolder on May 13, 2014 in the categories: Publications
Recently United Methodist Communications (UMCom) asked Inveneo to test, rate, and recommend IT equipment suitable for the diverse environments that ICT4D practitioners work in. Inveneo staff conducted several tests on laptops, tablets, desktops, and monitors/projectors. During the testing stage, the engineers rated each piece of equipment in terms of battery life, power consumption, performance, and several other components.
To share the results and offer recommendations, the team published the “ShopUMC Product Evaluation Report” for UMCom’s audience and the larger ICT community.
The “ShopUMC Product Evaluation Report” was commissioned by UMCom. The equipment is available at the Shop UMC store.
- Posted by Inveneo on January 18, 2012 in the categories: News, Publications
The Inveneo Buyers Guide to Sustainable ICT Infrastructure in Low Resource Settings is intended to serve as a planning tool for deploying information and communications technologies (ICTs) in low resource settings – i.e., communities lacking basic support infrastructure, such as grid power and broadband connectivity, and where computer skills among users and facilities managers are often limited.
It highlights the most important considerations in the selection, design, deployment and support of general facilities, ICT tools and supporting power systems. We have intentionally not addressed the complicated issue of mobile computing devices, opting instead to focus on the challenges facing those planning to deploy and operate shared access computing facilities such as school computer labs, community knowledge centers (CKCs), process outsourcing facilities, etc.
The ICT Buyers Guide is divided into two sections. Part 1 covers the key factors to consider in selecting major infrastructure components, from buildings and facilities to computers, peripherals, software and connectivity. Part 2 discusses infrastructure support and logistical issues around deployment.
Because there are many topics to cover, and to keep this resource as short and accessible as possible, each section starts with a brief introduction, followed, where appropriate, by a simple bullet list of key points to consider.
We invite you to provide your feedback on this document and ideas for improving it via email at info@inveneo.org.
- Posted by Inveneo on March 30, 2011 in the categories: News
With rural ICT implementations in over 23 countries, Inveneo gets some interesting support calls as all manner of issues come about. Today from Kenya, we bring you the lizard that blew up the inverter.
Apparently a little green lizard thought an electrical inverter at one of our project sites would be a nice warm place to take a nap. ZAP! He became a fried lizard and took out the AC power system when he shorted out the inverter motherboard. Here’s a close-up.
Now this was an easy fix for our local partner, Winafrique. But not all of our support calls are so simple to diagnose and rectify. Here is one we received from Nepal:
A monkey is relocating the WiFi antenna on the roof. Please suggest the best troubleshooting steps for that.
Not having a wild monkey troop in San Francisco to test solutions with, the best we could do is come up with these three options for our Nepali partners to try:
- Coat antenna with cayenne pepper to annoy the monkey
- Electrify a fake antenna to teach the monkey to stay away
- And if those didn’t work, make monkey stew
Usually though, our local partners have a solution, like the time killer bees nested in another WiFi box. No one wants to disturb a killer bees’ nest, but honey conducts electricity and the bees were shorting out the router, taking out Internet access to the project site.
Our local partner in the project, Norbert Okec, knew the local beekeeper, borrowed a beekeeper outfit, and cleaned, repaired and reinstalled the WiFi box. To quote Mark Summer,
It shows just how important it is to have local partners to help with installations, support and many of the other issues you can never predict in Africa and Haiti.
- Posted by Inveneo on January 26, 2011 in the categories: News, Publications
Inveneo offers a range of solutions for low-resource environments. We have developed an informational matrix to help you understand the benefits of each solution and decide which one best meets your needs.
The matrix lists the three major types of computer configurations and grades each on four key benefits. Use this matrix to rank the benefits you value the most and find the solution that’s right for you. More detailed explanations of the configurations and benefits are below.
Types of Computer Configurations:
- Desktop: Most suitable for difficult environments is the very low-power-consumption Inveneo High-Performance Computing Station, intended for regular use at a single location. This system provides excellent performance with a very low 5-year Total Cost of Ownership (TCO).
- Laptop: A portable computer, such as the Inveneo Classmate PC Laptop, that is small and light and contains an integrated screen and keyboard. Laptops are designed for maximum portability and use wherever needed. Laptops can be fragile, and are always more expensive to maintain than desktops.
Benefits
- Cost Effectiveness per User: Thin clients use a single CPU to serve multiple screens. Therefore, the hardware cost per user can be dramatically lower than if a separate computer is purchased for each user. Almost all laptops are more expensive at most performance levels compared to typical desktops.
- Durability: Low-power consumption desktops with hardened hardware and software are the most durable computers in hot, dusty environments. Individual components, such as keyboards or mice can be easily and inexpensively replaced if there is a problem, whereas laptops are more expensive to repair or replace.
- Mobility: Laptops are the smallest and lightest computers, designed for use on any flat surface, including your lap, while thin clients must be located closer to each other to operate and the server PC is not easy to move. Desktops can be moved, but are not truly portable.
- Performance: Desktops and Laptops can be equally powerful, because each has its own CPU. With a Thin Client system the power of the single CPU must be shared among all the users, so graphics performance, in particular, is the lowest of the three types.
- Posted by Inveneo on January 19, 2011 in the categories: News, Publications
Inveneo Mobile Computing Solutions are rugged, energy efficient netbook computers designed for use in rural and other off-grid locations where electrical supplies are limited or unreliable.
Inveneo now features two full-featured netbook reference designs from Intel Corporation that have been carefully selected and integrated into two configurations optimized for durability: the Classmate PC Clamshell & Classmate PC Convertible.
The benefits of the Classmate PC designs include:
- Mobility: Lightweight design with handle, screen that rotates from laptop to tablet PC, and up to 7.5 hours of battery life.
- Ruggedness: Durable construction with water resistant keyboard, touch pad, and LCD screen, capable of withstanding a drop from 70cm.
- Versatility: Convertible transformation to table PC for multi-modal input: ergonomic stylus for writing directly on screen, built-in speakers, microphone, and rotational camera.
Inveneo Mobile Computing Solutions can be further optimized for education. Pre-loaded with education-focused content and software, they are powerful enough to support a wide variety of educational applications and activities.
Education-specific features and software can be combined with Intel® Learning Series solutions to support interactive, individualized and peer-driven learning environments.
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