> For the complete documentation index, see [llms.txt](https://shard-network.gitbook.io/shardnetwork-docs/llms.txt). Markdown versions of documentation pages are available by appending `.md` to page URLs; this page is available as [Markdown](https://shard-network.gitbook.io/shardnetwork-docs/how-the-tech-works.md).
# How the Tech Works
### The Core Question: Why Haven’t Large Telcos Solved This?
Large telecom companies focus on urban areas where population density guarantees high returns on infrastructure investment. Rural campuses often far from cities fall outside their priority map. Building towers or extending fibre to a single university with 10,000 students is not profitable enough for them.
Shard Network takes a different approach, **localized, lean, and purpose‑built**. We do not try to cover a whole city or region. We cover only the campus. By using modern satellite internet technology (which has become drastically cheaper and more reliable in recent years), we bypass the need for terrestrial towers altogether. Our model works because we focus on **one campus at a time**, using off‑the‑shelf components and smart engineering to keep costs low and uptime high.
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### High‑Level Architecture
Shard Network operates as a **self‑contained ISP within a campus**. The diagram below shows the basic flow:
*All components are physically located on campus. No traffic goes through local telco towers or fibre lines that might be unreliable.*
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### How does it work
We leverage existing advanced satellite internet technology to get a high-speed enterprise internet feed from space.
Our network infrastructure splits and manages that bandwidth, pushing it out to a network of public hotspots across the campus.
When users log in, the system gives their devices a secure slice of that high-speed internet without them needing to buy or own any hardware, giving millions of African students access to stable and reliable internet that works.
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### Redundancy & Fault Tolerance
* **Power redundancy** – Each AP cluster has its own solar+battery unit. If one battery fails, only that small cluster goes offline, not the whole campus.
* **Gateway redundancy** – A backup gateway is pre‑configured and can be swapped in within 30 minutes by on‑site support staff.
* **Network monitoring** – We remotely monitor all gateways, APs, and power units 24/7. Alerts are sent to our technical team if any metric falls outside normal range.
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### Security & Privacy
* **No personal data stored** – We only keep the student’s Gmail address and payment records. No browsing history, no passwords.
* **Encrypted traffic** – The satellite link uses standard encryption. WiFi traffic uses WPA2‑Enterprise (unique credentials per session) or WPA3 where supported.
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### Illustration: Campus Network Topology
```
┌─────────────────┐
│ Satellite │
│ Antenna │
└────────┬────────┘
│
┌────────▼────────┐
│ Campus Gateway │
│ (Router + Auth) │
└────────┬────────┘
│
┌──────────────┼──────────────┐
│ │ │
┌───────▼──────┐ ┌──────▼──────┐ ┌──────▼──────┐
│ PoE Switch 1 │ │ PoE Switch 2│ │ PoE Switch 3│
│ (Hostel) │ │ (Cafeteria) │ │ (Lec. Room) │
└───────┬──────┘ └──────┬──────┘ └──────┬──────┘
│ │ │
┌───────▼──────┐ ┌──────▼──────┐ ┌──────▼──────┐
│ AP1 │ AP2 │ │ AP3 │ AP4 │ │ AP5 │ AP6 │
│+Solar│+Solar│ │+Solar│+Solar│ │+Solar│+Solar│
└─────────────┘ └─────────────┘ └─────────────┘
│ │ │
Students Students Students
```
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*"Shard Network is not a science experiment. It uses proven, commercially available technologies deployed in a clever, focused way. We do not need to invent new hardware or wait for future breakthroughs. Everything we need exists today, at a price point that makes per‑student subscription affordable while still leaving healthy margins."*
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