Our story
From Pioneers to pixels.
In 1844 the Rochdale Pioneers tackled food poverty from a shop on Toad Lane. Today the same building helps tackle digital poverty. Here's how we got here.
Photo: Rochdale from above, by Paul Woodhead / No Worries IT Ltd · CC BY-SA 4.0
Live pilot · College Bank · Falinge · Freehold
Free WiFi,
co-operatively made in Rochdale.
Civic internet broadcast from the roof of the Rochdale Pioneers Museum — the birthplace of the co-operative movement — to the neighbourhoods around it. Just connect and browse.
- ✓ No password
- ✓ No sign-in page
- ✓ No data collected
- ✓ Free, 24/7
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devices connecting every day
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access points across three estates
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of free internet used daily
Mesh dashboard
A pilot that's flying.
Since the first signal reached College Bank, uptake has grown steadily — with no adverts, no sign-ups and no strings attached. Here's the mesh at a glance.
📡
0
Access points
and growing
📱
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Devices daily
on average
⚡
0
Data per day
on average
🏘️
0
Networks
neighbourhood SSIDs
🔒
0
Personal data
collected. Ever.
💷
£0
Cost to residents
free, 24/7
A day on the mesh
Busiest: eveningsTypical pattern of activity across 24 hours, as a share of the busiest hour.
Network status
● LiveThe three neighbourhood networks.
Coverage at a glance
SchematicThe signal starts at the Pioneers Museum on Toad Lane and hops estate to estate. Not to scale.
Engineering board
What we're working on right now — openly.
Congratulations, Rochdale
Fifteen years of showing up for the community — and look what it built.
The Rochdale Mesh didn't arrive out of nowhere. It grew from No Worries IT Ltd's long-standing, values-driven work in this town: teaching, training, building open-source websites for co-ops and charities, and tinkering with radio until a crisp tube could pull in WiFi from over a mile away.
Innovation, driven by necessity — then shared, co-operatively.
Every resident checking their bus times, doing homework or video-calling family on the mesh is standing on a decade and a half of community engagement. That's worth celebrating.
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years of community-first tech from No Worries IT
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years teaching electronics, code & digital skills
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libre & open-source approach
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empty Pringles tube that started it all
Get connected
Three steps. No password.
There's no log-on, no validation and nothing that stores your details. Just connect and browse.
Open WiFi settings
On your phone, tablet or laptop, look at the list of available WiFi networks.
Pick your network
Choose one of the networks below — whichever shows the strongest signal where you are.
Tap connect
That's it. No password, no sign-in page. Browse away.
It's outside the box
WiFi from the outside, like a TV signal.
The mesh broadcasts across the neighbourhood rather than from inside your home. It may not reach every room — thick walls get in the way — but a simple WiFi extender acts like a TV aerial for your WiFi.
Top tip: plug the extender in where the outside signal is strongest (often near a window), not where you want to sit. It'll show up with _EXT on the end of the network name.
Offers & opportunities
Get more from the mesh.
Free connectivity is just the start. Devices, skills and support are on offer too.
Free to borrow
💻
No device? Borrow one.
The Rochdale Digital Tech Library lends laptops, tablets and more — plus training to help you use them with confidence.
Visit the Digital Tech Library → Top tip📶
Boost your signal indoors
A low-cost extender is like a TV aerial for your WiFi. Place it where the outside signal is strongest and enjoy the mesh in every room.
How extenders work →🛠️
Learn to build tech
Hands-on electronics, code and innovation sessions with Heritage Hackers and MidiDigi — the same spirit that built the mesh.
Get involved →🤝
Co-operative tech for your organisation
No Worries IT Ltd builds open, ethical IT and websites for co-ops, charities and community groups.
Meet No Worries IT →
Thank you
Made possible through the power of co-operation.
A heartfelt thank-you to every partner, funder, volunteer and resident who has backed, tested, reported and shared the mesh.
Help & FAQs