PKT Town Hall | March 2023

The PKT Town Hall Newsletter – Issue #5

The PKT Project has experienced substantial growth in recent months. Contributing community members are focused on building the community, launching real world utility and connecting the world.

PKT Technical Update from Lead Dev Caleb James DeLisle

PKT Technical Update from Lead Dev Caleb James DeLisle
PKT’s lead developer, Caleb James DeLisle, has been working on an exciting project that has been kept under wraps. He shared that he successfully managed to boot up Linux on a fiber modem. This is a huge accomplishment, as no one has ever been able to get Linux running on a fiber modem before.

Fiber modems power the backbone of the internet. They typically run closed-source software licensed by large companies. Linux is a free alternative to these software, providing the ability to install PKT software on these modems. This achievement opens up new opportunities to offer PKT Free Internet on low-cost hardware. This can deliver basic access to the internet with minimal hardware cost. When people require faster speeds, they can opt to pay using wifi sharing. In turn, the wifi sharing provider will receive payment by providing connectivity to the internet. More will be shared as development progresses.

Update from Founding Community Member Josh Berger About Social Impact and PKT Pal Products


Josh shared a comprehensive update with the community on the initiatives and development efforts he has been working on, both at PKT Pal and as a member of the PKT community.

Social Impact

Josh spoke about the conversations he has been having regarding social impact projects and how the PKT project technology can provide support for these efforts. For example, in Ukraine, there are efforts underway to restore infrastructure damaged by war. In Poland, the influx of refugees is putting stress on the internet infrastructure. PKT mesh network technology and wifi sharing have the potential to help people who have internet access share more easily.

Josh has spoken with several individuals working on humanitarian projects in Africa. For example, there are opportunities to deploy wifi sharing at schools that have good internet access. These schools can serve as hubs for internet access to the surrounding communities.

These real-life use cases demonstrate the significance of the PKT project and its ability to bring real value to individuals and change people’s lives. This is what excites Josh about the work being done developing technology for the PKT project.

PKT Pal Hardware Update

Josh talked about PKT Pal’s newest product release, the Mini. The Mini is a small computer equipped with wifi sharing capabilities and running PkteerOS. The product makes it easy for businesses and entrepreneurs to share internet access using a hotel-style captive portal. Wifi sharing providers can choose to provide free internet access or charge for daily access to Streaming-Fast internet. Based on recent developments in PkteerOS, the Mini is being targeted towards businesses that already provide internet access to their customers.

Josh shared information about the Edge Extender antenna from PKT Pal. The Edge Extender connects to a Mini or Cube and extends wifi coverage up to 10,000 square feet. Users can connect up to five Edge Extenders per Mini or Cube. This is especially valuable for businesses that need to provide access across larger premises or want to help their neighbors get online.

Josh expressed his gratitude to the community members who continuously participate in the various PKT events, who are active on social media and are building tech. He explained that together, the community can drive awareness and enhance the adoption of PKT technology worldwide.

Community Questions, Answered

Q: What if I don’t want to share my internet with others, but instead just want to use the Mini and Edge Extenders to extend my office and home internet for personal use? Is that possible?

A: Yes, it is possible to use the wifi sharing technology for connecting your office and home, without sharing it with others. The Edge Extenders are powerful and can provide strong and stable internet connection up to 10,000 sq.ft. This is great for providing internet to multiple buildings or across a premises.

Q: What is the primary demographic for the Mini and where is it anticipated that the majority of people will have an interest in using these devices?

A: The main demographic for the Mini is small businesses that are already sharing the internet, but doing it in an insecure way. The initial focus is on urban areas and expanding the brand recognition for PKT Free Internet and to build trust. The goal is to build awareness amongst various niche communities and then expand to larger installations and enterprise use cases around the world.

Feedback From a Community Member in Africa

A PKT community named Solomon, who recently discovered the PKT project, shared his thoughts on the PKT project, explaining:

PKT technology has all the necessary pillars to become something unique and revolutionary. PKT is especially useful in countries with limited access to high-quality internet. PKT has the potential to extend access from locations of good internet access to places without internet access. This can positively impact humanity. PKT just needs the support of the community to grow and build awareness.

Solomon further shared that he has done his due diligence and is spreading the word about the viability of PKT. He is grateful for the opportunity to be a part of the community.

Anode Wallet is now available on the App Store

Anode VPN/Wallet is now LIVE!
Adonis Gaitatzis has been developing the Anode Wallet for iOS devices. The Anode Wallet is now available to download for free on the Apple App Store. The goal of the wallet is to provide a reliable, easy to use, mobile wallet for PKT Cash. Users can send and receive PKT payments, check their transaction history, and even assign nicknames to addresses. Additionally, the Anode Wallet features a QR code scanner, making it easier for users to send payments by simply scanning a QR code instead of typing in a long, alphanumeric PKT address.

The vision behind the Anode Wallet is to bring the PKT project to mobile devices and put users in control of their money. As the saying goes: “Not your keys, not your money” so it’s important for the PKT community to stay in control of their encryption keys, otherwise known as their “seed”. The Anode Wallet accomplishes this.

The Anode Wallet is compatible with iPhones, iPads, and M1/M2 Macs. Download the app, test it, and provide feedback to help improve the user experience. Also leave a review on the App Store to help bring visibility and ranking status from your positive feedback.

One community member asked:

Q: Will the wallet eventually have support for other coins?

Adonis answered the question by saying:

A: The Anode Wallet team is not planning to support other coins in the near future. He explained that integrating the blockchain of each coin into the app would require a lot of engineering work and consume a lot of mobile phone resources. The current size of the PKT blockchain is already substantial and adding more coins would quickly fill up the disk space on a mobile phone. While there are ways to overcome this disk space limitation, it’s not currently a priority.

AnodeVPN is live on the Google Play Store

AnodeVPN is now available on the Google Play Store. There are a lot of great features built into the AnodeVPN app, including free VPN and it’s the first mobile PKT wallet for Android. The Anode team is encouraging Android users to download the app and start using both the VPN and built-in PKT wallet.

The AnodeVPN app also supports decentralized VPNs. This means experienced VPN providers can add VPN exits and help expand the network. As more VPN exits are set up around the world, the app’s utility and quality of service will improve. Currently, there are several VPNs available on the app, with more being added. If you’re interested in helping build the PKT Network and have experience operating a VPN exit, consider adding a new location to the app by connecting your server. All the necessary information and steps can be found on the Github Anode VPN page.

Update from Founding Community Member Jesse Berger on PKT technology and community growth

Jesse spoke about the ways PKT Pal is helping build the PKT community, as well as the various new technologies and applications on the PKT roadmap. He emphasized the accessibility of PKT technology, the real-world benefits, and the developments in getting online using the PKT Network and wifi sharing.

The Mini and wifi Sharing

Wifi sharing technology, pricing structures, and hardware innovations
Jesse mentioned that the newly launched wifi sharing technology has received an overwhelmingly positive response from businesses and community members.

He also highlighted the difference in feedback regarding the pricing of the Mini between businesses and individuals. Businesses have expressed excitement about the affordability of the product, while individuals have felt the retail price is too high. To address this, PKT Pal will offer two separate pricing structures to cater to both businesses and individuals. For businesses that want to pay $499 for the Mini, they will receive an 80/20 split in the wifi sharing revenue. For individuals that want to pay $299 for the Mini, they will receive a 50/50 split in the wifi sharing revenue.
PKT Pal is dedicated to meeting the internet access needs of businesses and individuals by consistently considering feedback from the PKT community. The company is always exploring new features, service options, and hardware devices to make wifi sharing more accessible and efficient for businesses of all sizes as well as for individuals.

PKT World Wallet Update

Jesse discussed the PKT World Wallet for Windows, Linux and MacOS. He praised the impressive features and robustness. The PKT World Wallet allows users to easily load previous wallets from seed, including legacy seeds, and quickly syncs the PKT blockchain. Other features of the wallet is its ability to support multiple profiles, or various wallet seeds. This allows a user to load multiple wallets into the desktop app and switch between them as needed.

Jesse recommended downloading the PKT World Wallet and setting up a new wallet seed and address. Then, load your historical seed under a new profile, so you have two different wallets listed as Profiles. Then transfer your PKT from your old wallet into the new wallet address. This is especially useful for old mining wallets, as it will give you a fresh wallet that will sync faster in the future, especially on mobile. It is highly recommended to take advantage of this newly available PKT wallet technology from Anode.

TokenStrike

Jesse also provided an update on the Token Strike project, which is a crucial technology for PKT. TokenStrike will allow people to issue tokens on their own sovereign blockchain without impacting the scalability of the PKT blockchain.

Jesse explained that the original development team did not complete the TokenStrike project, and it is now in need of revitalization. The project is still active and the team is currently working out the legal details to bring the development team on board. The Anode team has sent a contract proposal to a well-known developer in the community. The financial components have been generally worked out. If the contract is approved, development of the technology could begin soon, with a target completion date before the end of 2023.

Summary

The PKT project continues to make substantial progress on its roadmap, from booting Linux on a fiber modem, to building a strong community, to introducing innovative hardware solutions that expand the utility of the PKT Network.

The PKT community is dedicated to bringing accessible and reliable internet to communities and expanding the PKT ecosystem. The ongoing development and milestones with wifi sharing, the Mini, Anode Wallet, AnodeVPN, and PKT World Wallet are further testaments to this progress.

The community members in the town hall expressed their gratitude to all supporters for their ongoing involvement in the project and the mission to connect the next billion people to the internet.

Thank You for Reading!

Thank you for taking the time to stay updated with the PKT ecosystem! Make sure to join the community on Discord, Twitter, Telegram and check out the new content being loaded onto the PKT Cash YouTube channel every week so you never miss an update! Also make sure that you download the Anode Wallet and VPN and check our devices on pktpal.com. Cheers, Pkteers!

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