Here's a use case for why a renter would want to participate in 510pen and how they might do so: A renter would find it valuable to arrive at a new place where 510pen was already within range, and thus immediately have internet access even before the phone service is activated. That access could be slow due to a relatively weak wifi signal (since it's from the house across the street), and yet it would still be useful and appreciated. Perhaps that renter would soon tire of the slow speeds, and get her/his own DSL service from Sonic.net since that was the cheapest mesh-friendly ISP she could find in the area. S/he would then buy a $40 open-mesh unit pre-configured for use in 510pen, so as to take full advantage of the faster DSL (via stronger wifi signal strength) and be a part of the 510pen community. The fact that s/he is using an indoor mesh unit means that signal strength is strong enough to reach neighboring apartments, but not strong enough to give full speed to those neighboring... - 510pen