It's something like walking onto a science fiction film set.
First through a tunnel and then into a windowless room where illuminated lettering flashes and countless monitors flicker.
This is the so-called hacker spot C-Base in Berlin's central Mitte district and the place where members of the Free Radio Movement (Freifunk-Bewegung) gather to work on their dream of a free public wireless network.
Wireless hotspots are still few and far between in most German cities, in contrast to the fact public-Wifi commonplace in other European Union countries.
For years, Berlin has aimed to catch up but without much to show for it.
"There are large surface areas here in Berlin that have to be covered," is the justification given by Bjoern Boehning, head of the Berlin government.
At the end of January, the application date for the city's latest wireless initiative expired.
Boehning's office is using financial incentives to try to attract operators who will provide 30 minutes of free internet use to everyone. His office says at least a few have answered the call.
"We don't want to have to rely on the public sector," says Monic Meisel, a co-founder of the Freifunk movement.
"It's up to the people to contribute to free WLAN in Berlin," she adds.
As early as 2000 the community had begun to transmit data back and forth between two neighbourhoods of the Friedrichshain district - completely bypassing the data networks of commercial providers.
That local network spread rapidly. Free Radio backers have in the meantime set up more than 200 routers around Berlin.
Around the rest of Germany, there are nearly 150 similar initiatives, and the principle is the same: the free radio routers are linked up, establishing a decentralised network.
Radio-relay antennas on tall buildings provide the high-performance backbone.
Some Free Radio activists additionally share their access with their apartment block.
Using a Free Radio router, anyone can log into the internet - without a password.
An online map shows where all the hotspots are that provide 30 minutes of free usage, in addition to the roughly 100 sites commercial providers like Kabel Deutschland have set up.
In Spain, the company Fon is now trying to spread its public WLAN offering, while co-operating in Germany with the providers Deutsche Telekom and E-Plus.
In Germany, it is the legal framework that so far has stood in the way of an all-encompassing comprehensive public Wifi network.
Due to what's called the liability for interference law, subscribers can be held accountable if a third party commits violations against access laws.
"Germany is the only European country where subscribers can be pursued with such toughness," says Beate Hubrib, a communication law attorney.
She draws an analogy between the internet and a superhighway: If a driver is drunk and causes an accident, the road operator is not held responsible.
Gritting their teeth, the Free Radio activists try to get around the legal obstacles by replacing the IP addresses of its members with a central IP address.
In Berlin, this new address is registered with an association called Promoting Free Networks.
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