Core Entity Brief
| Entity | Freifunk im Ennepe-Ruhr-Kreis e.V. |
|---|---|
| Public role | The association exemplifies a grassroots community network with formal internet registry participation. Its dormant ASN creates a watchpoint: any BGP activity would signal expansion from local access to active routing, potentially affecting regional internet infrastructure dependencies and making the association a direct routing entity of interest to network observers. |
| Region | Germany |
| Category | Individual registry-holder label |
| Primary domain | Infrastructure |
| Signal focus | Institution Type |
| Time horizon | QUARTER_30_120D |
| Impact | Medium |
| Confidence | 0.95 |
| Evidence coverage | 6 public source references |
| Related coverage | Profile anchor article |
| Website | Public evidence pending |
| Last update | Jun 03, 2026 |
Freifunk im Ennepe-Ruhr-Kreis e.V. is a community network association that holds AS210916 and operates a volunteer Wi‑Fi mesh network in the Ennepe-Ruhr district.
What It Does
- Operating model: The association builds and maintains a free community Wi‑Fi mesh network using volunteer labor and donated hardware. It does not charge users for access.
- Revenue and customers: No public evidence establishes a revenue model, customer base, or paid services. The association's website and registry records do not mention commercial offerings.
Operating Snapshot
- Legal identity: Registered association under German law (e.V.), publicly identified in the website imprint.
- Internet number resources: Holds autonomous system AS210916 with the RIPE NCC, as confirmed by RDAP and RIPEstat.
- Network deployment: Operates a Freifunk mesh network in the Ennepe-Ruhr district; no active BGP prefixes are observed, so routing is dormant.
Control Surface
- Registry control: The RIPE NCC registry record for AS210916 is the primary public control point for its internet numbering identity.
- Web presence: The website freifunk-ennepe-ruhr.de and its imprint declare the association's mission and legal responsibility, but do not list board members.
- Physical infrastructure: Mesh nodes are deployed in the community, but their exact locations and access policies are not publicly documented.
Watchpoints
- Registry changes: Any modification to the AS210916 registration, including new contact details or status, would affect the public intelligence.
- BGP activation: The first prefix announcement from AS210916 would make the association an active internet routing operator, altering its risk and dependency profile.
- Governance transparency: Publication of a trade register extract or board member names would reduce uncertainty about legal status and accountability.

