Is the on again, off again San Fran Wi-Fi back on track?

After Earthlink and Google scrapped plans to offer wireless in the city, many weren't so sure. But a start-up is promising to finish the job.

Silicon Valley-based Meraki, which has financial backing from Google, says it will attempt to complete the citywide network within one year. The company says it plans to lay out its plans on Friday.

Tests in a two-square mile area of San Francisco covering 40,000 residents has apparently gone well, and the company has gotten $20 million in funding that it says it will use to complete the network in the rest of the city's 47 square mile area.

Instead of using public utility poles, Meraki will ask subscribers to place repeaters on top of their homes across the city. About 10,000 to 15,000 of these free access points will be distributed in order to make the plan work.

Getting homeowners to agree to place these transmitters on their homes may be the hardest task, but it will result in a network cheaper than the $14 to 17 million Earthlink and Google were expecting to pay for construction.

If the process works in San Francisco, Meraki plans to use the network as a model to begin to sell its methods elsewhere, including in developing countries where it may be difficult to provide net access in a cost-effective manner.