THE POPUP WIFI MISSION:
"To democratize world-leading managed internet services".
Since 2013, we have been striving to create a comprehensive democratic managed internet solution that can be operated by people of any ability from anywhere at a price that makes sense.
Our technologies are the most advanced and the most accessible.
We create real solutions to real challenges so connectivity never gets in the way of real innovation at all levels. We believe we can invigorate communities by delivering managed internet services that can be accessed by any organization, without being inhibited by cost, location or access to technical expertise.
FOUNDERS
Linden Kurth
Nina McMahon
Andrew Davies
PUNCHING ABOVE OUR WEIGHT SINCE 2013
We bend technology to the will of the people.
We work with high-tech world leaders in robotics, advanced manufacturing and managed services, non-profits, businesses and brands of all sizes to make sure the internet always works.
Our expert team of mission-driven people comes from a range of backgrounds, all sharing the knowledge that when we do our jobs well, individuals, communities and organizations can achieve their best.
We do our job well by remaining vigilant, always seeking the best fit-for-purpose technologies, fostering strong partnerships, staying close to our customers and remaining grateful that we have the opportunity to re-imagine the way that high-availability managed networks happen.
We keep our company small, investing heavily in the smartest technologies and in skilling our people to be the best in the business. We aim to strike a balance between harnessing automation for accuracy & speed of service and delivering individual human experiences that only real people can offer.
THE ORIGIN STORY
We started by running regional projects & events.
Then we accidentally invented PopUp WiFi.
PopUp WiFi was an excellent accident that happened in 2014. The three of us (Andrew Davies, Linden Kurth and Nina McMahon) founded our company Elan Projects in 2013 in Hobart, Tasmania. Our skills and qualifications are in network engineering, hardware, hospitality, people, brand management, and renewable energies. We managed projects that focused on regional and community development, always with a technological twist, usually with an events component.
In 2014, we were bidding for an events-based government project in a regional part of Tassie. The brief called for participants to engage in an online polling activity, but there was no robust, affordable event WiFi solution available for a group of around 200 users. We searched the globe for the right solution and couldn’t find one that met the all our requirements. Fortunately, Linden and Andrew had the skills to build our own multi-carrier cellular solutions. The guys built our first prototype and away we went.
The first PopUp WiFi unit was 6’ tall and took two people to load it into a truck! Now our smallest model, the Lite unit is the size of a decent lunchbox and has many, many times the amount of power and managability of that first giant version. Our current range has been used to connect everything from annual school fundraisers and conferences with a few hundred attendees, to supporting crazy jobs like streaming a SpaceX launch, supporting a national presidential election and broadcasting major rodeos to television. One thing we’ve learned is no matter the size and type of job, there are always producers. We love producers and it is our honour to serve them and the vital work they do to invigorate communities in so many diverse ways..
HOW IT’S GOING
Ten years + 1,000s of events later, we’re just getting started.
Ten years and many product iterations later, we’ve provided managed bonded internet for well over 20,000 event days across the USA and Australia. We have worked with a LOT of producers and they continue to blow our minds every day. Thanks to producers, we not only have a thriving business, but we have been able to keep PopUp WiFi innovating in response to their suggestions. They’ve asked for features we’ve developed, like integrating power and providing live data usage reporting to producers during their events. We dedicate this website to producers, who do society’s heavy lifting, working brutal hours so everyone else can be entertained, educated and inspired.
Our small team is growing, peopled by excellent humans based in Los Angeles, Sydney and Hobart, who are all technically talented in their own realm and share our burning desire for our products and services to invigorate communities. We’re a diverse bunch, with backgrounds in everything from electrical engineering and Audio Visual production to school teaching, programming and emergency services. Our Solutions team provides 24/7 help to our customers working collaboratively. We’ve broken the model of “sales” and “support” being separate (and often at odds). At PopUp WiFi, “Solutions” refers to the intersection between technical quoting, support and logistics – it’s like a Venn diagram with all the key operational elements arranged with producers in the middle.
Next up, we’re branching into managed services for enterprise, IoT and high tech/robotics, with several exciting pilots running across heavy industry, distributed corporate organization and small-to-medium enterprises, with wholesale and reseller opportunities coming in 2025.
The PopUp WiFi story (so far)...
2013: Our first hybrid wine tasting event.
Timeline Item 4
Timeline Item 4
2014: There had to be a better way.
Timeline Item 4
Timeline Item 4
2014: With this prototype, we changed the game.
Timeline Item 4
Timeline Item 4
2017: Plug’n’Play across the USA, from LA.
Timeline Item 4
Timeline Item 4
2024: Thousands of event days later...
Timeline Item 4
Timeline Item 4
