This document summarizes a project to implement a wireless community network in Kiulu, Sabah, Malaysia. The project aimed to bridge the digital divide and provide free Wi-Fi internet access in the rural area, which previously had no internet access. The network design involved comprehensive site surveys to identify suitable locations for wireless mesh nodes. 18 nodes were installed across locations like schools, community halls, and government buildings to provide connectivity. The network uses MIMOS' locally developed Mi-MESA wireless mesh devices along with antennas, switches, routers, and other infrastructure to deliver internet access to the Kiulu community.

1. 1
Abstract--The implementation of communication technology and
infrastructure has it challenges especially in the rural area when
there are issues that needs exploration such as the basic
infrastructure, size of coverage and the right application to suit
the local flavor in order to bridge the digital divide plus
mitigating the gap between urban and rural in terms of internet
literacy. The project in Kiulu, Sabah presents our involvement
in planning, wireless infrastructure design, site survey,
interaction with local authorities and communities, site
preparation and implementation, operations and management
of community based communications solution. There was no
internet access in this area prior to this project therefore this
effort receive overwhelming support from the public. The
contribution of this exercise includes the sharing of deployment
experience together with the successful execution of a locally
developed high tech radio in mesh and point to point topology.
Moreover, the chosen sites and the ‘purpose-built’ mobile
application enhanced the objective to connect the Kiulu societies
around the health clinic, community hall, schools, police station,
mosque, and church and recreation area via free Wi-Fi internet
services.
Index Term: Community WiFi, WiFi Mesh rural area,
Solution WiFi rural area.
1 INTRODUCTION
It has been an initiative by the Malaysian government to
increase the internet access reach to the rural areas and during
the 10th
Malaysia plan, amongst others, 5,737 villages [1]
were connected under the Kampung Tanpa Wayar (KTW)
programme using allocation from our regulator, Malaysian
Communications and Multimedia Commission (MCMC).
The KTW basically consist of a single node Wi-Fi device that
normally covers a limited area near an Internet Center room
or building. This is also known as ‘Hotspot’ where users will
‘assemble’ around to browse the internet and within certain
hours, some may involve in activities which utilizes desktop
application such as web hosting, social media, on-line
business, etc..
Here, we are more interested to explore into ‘Community
Network’ where we create a ‘linked’ system solution
consisting of a number of Mesh Wi-Fi radios situated at a pre-
selected places such as school, municipal office, pole station,
clinic, place of worship and public area. In doing this, we
expect to get the community to communicate with each other
utilizing state of the art communication facilities and share
beneficial information.
1
Internet User Survey 2016
https://www.mcmc.gov.my/skmmgovmy/media/General/pdf/IUS2016.pdf
Communities of the future have to be organic, flexible and
versatile. As society and aspirations alter over time, the
community has to adapt to change. A new paradigm of
community development and planning has arisen from the
actual wave of globalization, emerging technologies and the
collective intelligence of the web.
This paper present a government funded project in Kiulu,
Sabah, Malaysia in which MIMOS, a national RND
organization will provide a wireless solution using IEEE
802.11 wireless technology [2]. It is in-line with the call by
our Ministry of Science, Technology and Innovation
(MOSTI) now known as Ministry of Science, Technology,
Environment and Climate Change (MESTECC) to ‘bridge the
digital divide’ and reduce the “access gap” especially in the
rural area1
.
One of the initiative taken was to address this concern by
providing free internet access to the village folks in order to
assist them adopt the new initiative. In this project, a 3 year
provision was allocated to run the services using the provided
grant before the local municipal decide to continue on the 4th
year onwards.
In this project, a locally produced Wi-Fi Mesh our own
homegrown product codename Mi-MESA that stands for
MIMOS Gigabit Enhanced Mesh System. This is a multi-
radio mesh wireless broadband device capable as both
backhaul and radio access Wi-Fi system. It is then integrated
with other relevant communication devices plus relevant
infrastructures such as solar system, mid-hinge poles and
other accessories.
The deployment experience is describe within the key
features in the capacity of 1- Network Design and Planning,
2- Mesh Protocol, 3- Network Management, 4-
Infrastructure, 5- Application. Main system components shall
be discussed in detail to further impart the knowledge and
experience gathered during the exercise. Apart from sharing
the journey towards this solution implementation, most
importantly is to pledge the creation of community based
internet centers instead of hotspots in order to accelerate the
growth of technology spread and to reduce ‘digital literacy’
[3].
2 NETWORK DESIGN AND PLANNING
Network planning and design is an essential process in any
telecommunication network deployment. This process is an
iterative procedure which related to topography, budgetary,
operations and maintenance [4] [5][6][7]. This to ensure the
direction of choosing the right technology align with user
Experience in the implementation of Wi-Fi
Community Solution for Rural in Kiulu, Sabah
Rosli Uzairi and Ir. Badrul Zaman Adnan
Research and Development MIMOS Berhad, Technology Park Malaysia 57000 Bukit Jalil Kuala Lumpur
Email: rosli.uzairi@mimos.my

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requirements.
2.1 Site survey
A comprehensive site survey is able to produce idea for
engineers to the next level. All the data collected during the
site survey will be affecting the network design.
For Kiulu site survey, the terrain contribute big challenge
for the engineers. The site cover with tropical rainforest and
hilly area.
Figure 1: Map of the deployment area, Kiulu [6]
Most of the housing area build next to the river, thus it’s
hard for the engineers during the designing stage [4][8][9].
During the site survey, each identified location been tested for
the network connectivity and Wi-Fi presence, 2.4GHz and 5
GHz [10]. One of the most important activity in site survey is
to scan presence of 2.4GHz and 5GHz for the planning of
radio frequency to avoid channel overlapping.
Table 1: Site survey result
Table 1 show that result of the site survey. The most important
data was the signal average RSSI. All the pole been align to
get the RSSI signal below -65. The lower RSSI the higher
transmit bit rate it will get. Some data might be lower due to
interference of 5GHz.
Average distance from one pole to another pole about 150m
to 200m. Several equipment required for this site survey
such as:
2.1.1 Portable Lightweight Pole
It required at least 2 lightweight pole for the network
connectivity testing at Kiulu. 10m pole was used during the
site survey.
Figure 2: Site survey pole 10m
2.1.2 Battery and Inverter
To power up the Mi-MESA device, we used 12v car
battery and inverter to convert DC to AC.
2.1.3 Antenna and Accessories
There is many type of antenna in the market and for this
site survey, 18dBi MIMO dual polarization panel antenna
from Lanbowan was selected. A bit high spec compare to the
distance between one location to another location but
challenge from the terrain and tropical forest easily
eliminated. A 1m RF cable been used to connect Mi-MESA
to the antenna.
2.2 Network Design
Network design will be turn out after site survey meet the
objective. At this stage, the network design not only referring
to the site visit outcome but also user requirement play
important role. Figure 3 show that network design for Kiulu,
Sabah.
Figure 3: Network Diagram, Kiulu Sabah
The above diagram illustrates the overall logical network
diagram that covers all the location as required by the users.
Most of the selected locations are very strategic which
normally a place for villagers gathering. Total number of Mi-

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MESA were 18 units [11]. The antenna combination of omni-
directional and directional depending on the location. Kg
Tombongan will be the furthest location that use 5GHz as a
backhaul communication.
Dewan Poturidong connect to the Mi-MESA gateway via
fiber provided by Celcom Timur Sdn Bhd [12]. The fiber
carry 2Mbps for the connection between Pekan Kiulu and
Poturidong which one of the tourist center. Each of the Mi-
MESA consist connected to IP camera, power up by solar
system, Wi-Fi coverage and internet. Data center located in
the Dewan Kiulu where the server for the applications,
firewall, router and ISP last mile residing here.
2.2.1 Mi-MESA Wireless Mesh [11]
Each of the Mi-MESA able to carry at least 50Mbps –
70Mbps, full duplex [11]. Since the terrain of Kiulu cover
with tropical rainforest and hilly area, most of the node
connected as relay design. Accept in the middle of town
where mesh redundancy apply.
2.2.2 CCTV [13]
The CCTV require 2mbps requirement if it run using HD
definition but if it set to full HD it require 5Mbps. The CCTV
support infrared for the night vision and up to 10m – 20m
night view.
2.2.3 MikroTik [14]
Refer to the user requirements and budgetary, multipurpose
appliance is the best solution. MikroTik able to provide
features such as router, interface between LAN and WAN.
Configured as DHCP server and internal routing VLAN. The
IP VPN connection connected from MIMOS Network
Operation Centre to Bandar Kiulu data center. The VPN
enable MIMOS NOC monitor 24/7 the status and healthy of
the network infrastructure of Kiulu. The appliance also been
configured to produce landing page.
2.2.4 Internet Management
To utilize internet backhaul pipe for the good purpose it
require internet management. Either the internet backhaul fast
or slow there is mechanism that can control the usage. We
installed 2Mbps for Kiulu internet backhaul. The appliance
eliminate unnecessary application and website [15].
2.2.5 Switch
For the LAN, basic enterprise switch 24 port + 2 SFP been
selected. The switch connected with router, server, Mi-MESA
gateway and another switch via fiber [16]. System
administrator may connected directly to the switch.
2.2.6 Antenna
2 types of antenna is used in Kiulu deployment 2.4GHz
divided into 2, directional [18] and omnidirectional antenna
[17]. Both with dBi gain of 15 and 10. The other 5GHz, 18dBi
directional was used.
Figure 4: 18dBi 5GHz, 15dBi & 10dBi 2.4GHz
2.2.7 Server
All the applications residing in the server. The server
comes from basic Proliant Gen 9 server.
2.3 IP Planning
Table 2: TCP/IP Table
Engineer develop IP document that show how the IP
addresses distributed among the device that support TCP/IP
protocol based on the network architecture. Having this kind
of process, it’s contribute to:
a. Ease future network expansion and modification
b. Easy maintenance
c. Estimate total number of user and device connected.
In Kiulu network we use segment B class of 172.17.10.x.
The netmask is 255.255.255.0 equivalent to 24 bit and the
wildcard 0.0.0.255. The number of useable is 254.
The default gateway located in the router and all the
routing running in the same device. The entire network,
sensor and non-user equipment using static IP. The rest for
user laptop, pc, smart phone and others using DHCP as define
in the router. The IP been lease for 5 days to keep unnecessary
interruption.
2.4 Coverage Planning
Despite the challenges faced in the design and
optimization of the wireless network due to the difficult
terrain and trees, the final coverage was quiet good with

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more than 80% of the coverage is well within -65 dBm as
depicted in figure 6. [20]
Figure 6 Community Wi-Fi coverage in Kiulu, Sabah
3 MESH PROTOCOL
Mimos is a national R&D center for Malaysia in ICT and
in Kiulu deployment, Mi-MESA wireless mesh protocol been
deployed as the telecommunication device. It is locally made
by MIMOS engineers.
Figure 7: Mi-MESA Mesh Protocol
Mi-MESA is a new generation of outdoor customer
premises equipment (CPE) [11]. It is a wireless mesh
appliance that allows for a cost-effective and flexible wireless
broadband infrastructure for broadband connectivity. It
comes with a sensor application system and value added
services to cater for the needs of network service providers
and end users [10].
Mi-MESA caters for multi-radio requirements based on
mesh features. It utilises 5 GHz Wi-Fi (802.11ac) technology
with a mesh network link backhaul for robustness and
redundancy.
4 NETWORK MANAGEMENT SYSTEM (NMS)
We believe the underpinnings of monitoring technique
follows the FCAPS concept which stands for Fault, Capacity,
Administration, Performance and Security. Upon the
completion of building any network infrastructure be it wired
or wireless, the need for monitoring is paramount.
In Kiulu, we utilized an NMS product that enables us to
monitor, analyze and store critical parameters on day-to-day
network performance both locally and remotely [21]. In the
case of this project, the network is being monitored from
Kuala Lumpur via a secured VPN connection. It is quite a
distance but we have chosen the right service provider that
can provide a guaranteed service availability of 99.9% for the
backbone transmission [12].
There are various types of network elements within the
network such as router, L2 switch, Mesh Wi-Fi Radio,
Internet Access Module, IoT sensors, CCTV and Solar Power
elements. Therefore, all monitoring uses the SNMP protocol
(SNMPv2 and SNMPv3) or simply ICMP for the ones
without compatible drivers.
Other features essential to the success of managing and
maintaining the network is the NMS apps for mobile to assist
preventive and corrective maintenance effort from anywhere
other than the HQ. In order to be complete, the ideal network
management hierarchy would be having Element
Management System (EMS) for each vendor specific devices
before the NMS but for a small sized network, we can use the
vendor specific web-based configurator or application like
Putty [22] to remotely configure the devices during
maintenance procedures.
On overall, the NMS helps us get real time situation of the
entire network health including the end user connectivity
either from the Network Operation Center (NOC) normally at
the HQ or via its mobile apps to help system troubleshooting
especially when it has to be done remotely.
5 INFRASTRUCTURE
The infrastructure was one of the important module
considered for Kiulu deployment. Robust infrastructure
contribute to public safety, accurate connectivity mesh,
performance and lasting.
Figure 8: 12m Hinge Pole
There are a lot type of pole in the market. Most of the
streetlight pole use traditional design where the lamp located
at the top of the pole and any maintenance require sky lift.
In this deployment, 12m hinge pole been used.
Surrounding with hilly area and rainforest, hinge pole is the
best design to suit the environment. Each of the pole has been
galvanized to prevent from rusting and it is 12m height to get
clear line of sight.

5. 5
As for the pole base, the ground been dig by 2 feet (long) x
2 feet (wide) x 3 feet (width). The size should fit for the
footing.
Figure 9: Pole Base
The footing require 1.5 feet (long) x 1.5 feet (wide) x 3 feet
(width) concrete. The J bolt mounting install in the concrete
mold. The screw on top of the concrete surface, connected to
the pole.
Figure 10: J Bolt & Footing
To power up the mesh device, CCTV and sensors at the
pole, solar system been used. Since most of the place located
at none electric facilities.
Figure 11: Solar System
The solar system provide 5 days capacity to give non-
stoppable services under ‘Khatulistiwa’ weather. The system
include controller, inverter, 2 x 150w solar panel and 100mAh
x 3 battery.
6 APPLICATIONS
During the earlier days of internet access, users depend on
search engines to visit their favorite sites or start their
application via their embedded icons within their mobile
phones. However, in the advent of destructive applications
and affordability of smart phones, internet experience
expands from messaging and browsing to instant chatting,
streaming video, music and movie downloads, reading e-
publication and playing computer games. Statistics shows that
users spent 18.8 hours online in a week, equivalent to 2.7
hours in a day [23].
In overall, activities includes entertainment, educational,
services, commercial activities, business and banking. (Refer
figure 12)
Figure 12: 2016 MCMC statistics on internet user activities
This project comes with a mobile apps feature (using
Android) that can be downloaded from a landing page once
user is within the ‘coverage area’. This apps allow users to
quickly adapt to a purpose built sites which have significance
to the Kiulu community that is famous for its eco-tourism
environment. However, the main intention is still to inculcate
sense of belonging, promote local product business via on-
line advertisement, self-security via crowd monitoring and
community voice communication and Internet of Things
(IoT) sensor on top of utilizing the other internet services
from the web.(Refer figure 13)
Figure 13: Mobile Apps made available for Kiulu folks
Some of the apps that is seen to be beneficial for
community use is the bulletin board where community heads
can broadcast important messages to everyone like a bulletin

6. 6
board, free VoIP calls within the user group, capability to
‘quick dial’ preset emergency contacts and receive alerts from
critical sensor such as water level as a preemptive measure
from disaster such as flood. Moreover, the CCTV views
allows ‘crowd sourced monitoring’ where the users can
together contribute in policing the areas 24 x 7. Continuing
effort is needed to further improvise these to get the ‘right’
formula in determining the ‘locally appealing’ mobile
application to boost the apps usage by all.
7 CONCLUSION
This initiative is envisioned as a building block approach
towards building smart communities from villages to districts,
states and hence the buildup towards the creation of a truly
digital nation.
The internet connection is vital and become necessity to
Kiulu’s residents which play a part in breaking down
communication barriers separated by distance and time. The
mobile application allow business transaction to transpire
without boundary far beyond that of their geographic place.
We believe that with the right type of services packaged with
the infrastructure support, rural communities shall gain the
benefit of information, communication and technology
offerings.
8 ACKNOWLEDGEMENT
We are thankful to our colleague Karambir Kaur Jasbir
Singh who provided expertise in the development of the
mobile apps.
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