Internet-in-a-Box

Last updated
Internet-in-a-Box
IIABv0.5.jpg
The 2017 set-up of an offline medical library. Anyone physically near to the device may connect to it and download the offline content it contains.

Internet-in-a-Box (IIAB) is a low-cost digital library, consisting of a wireless access point with storage, which users nearby can connect to. [1] The hardware and software from which it is built has changed since 2012, as miniaturization of storage space and electronics progressed. [2] As of 2017, its hardware often consists of a Raspberry Pi with a replaceable storage card. [1]

Contents

In 2016, Columbia University's Masters in Public Administration in Development Practice (MPA-DP) explored using these boxes in the Dominican Republic for three months. [3]

Distribution of devices assembled by Wiki Project Med Foundation via the Wikipedia Store began in 2024. [4] It ships a Raspberry Pi Zero 2 W with a 256 GB SD card, which contains all of English[ failed verification ] and Spanish[ failed verification ] Wikipedia, among other resources. [4]

Digital library

The digital library is composed of multiple modules; modules may be pre-installed, or users may choose which to install. Examples of modules include Wikipedia in a specific language, Wikipedia's Medical Encyclopedia, Khan Academy Lite, and OpenStreetMap. [3] [1] Other content includes Moodle, Nextcloud, MediaWiki, PhET (interactive mathematics and science simulations), TED Talks. [5]

History

The concept grew out of One Laptop per Child's school server project. [1]

See also

References

  1. 1 2 3 4 Watkins, Don. "How to create an Internet-in-a-Box on a Raspberry Pi". Opensource.com. Retrieved 14 August 2017.
  2. ↑ Gaskill, Braddock (2014). "Internet in a Box" (PDF).
  3. 1 2 "Internet-in-a-Box: Connectivity for the Rest of the World". 13 June 2017. Retrieved 14 August 2017.
  4. 1 2 Frauenfelder, Mark (1 August 2024). "Wikipedia's $58 gadget lets you access its entire library offline". Boing Boing. Retrieved 2 August 2024.
  5. ↑ "How to create an Internet-in-a-Box on a Raspberry Pi". Opensource.com.
This page is based on this Wikipedia article
Text is available under the CC BY-SA 4.0 license; additional terms may apply.
Images, videos and audio are available under their respective licenses.