Matflix
Hardware architecture for a bus-powered local media distribution device. A ruggedized single-board computer creates a Wi-Fi hotspot serving movies, series, and music to passengers from local NVMe storage — no internet required. Revenue model through injected local advertisements.
- Hardware
- Infrastructure
- Product Design
Tech Stack
Nginx W Wi-Fi 6 (802.11ax) W Wi-Fi Direct B BLE N NVMe E ESP32 Build Highlights
- Rockchip RK3588-based SBC (or Raspberry Pi CM4) as compute core with hardware H.264/H.265 decode
- 1TB NVMe M.2 SSD for content library with EXT4 filesystem, capable of 30+ concurrent 720p streams
- Dual Wi-Fi radio: MediaTek MT7921/MT7922 (Wi-Fi 6, passenger-facing) plus dedicated 5GHz adapter (bus-to-bus P2P sync)
Overview
Project overview
Matflix is a CDN on wheels — a ruggedized device installed in Kenyan matatus (public minibuses) that creates a local Wi-Fi hotspot serving a library of movies, series, music, and podcasts directly to passenger smartphones from onboard NVMe storage. No internet connection is required. The business model runs on mandatory local advertisements injected every fifteen minutes of playback. Content stays fresh through opportunistic peer-to-peer Wi-Fi Direct synchronization between buses when they are in physical proximity, propagating new content through the fleet without any centralized internet-connected distribution step.
Problem
What it solves
Kenyan public transport passengers typically have over an hour of idle time per ride on mobile devices. Cellular data is expensive and inconsistent along routes. Existing in-bus entertainment systems are either non-existent or use low-quality screens that passengers ignore. Matflix solves this by removing the internet dependency entirely — the content library is distributed across the fleet via bus-to-bus sync — while creating a sustainable ad revenue model that aligns with the operating economics of a matatu.
Build
Implementation details
What I worked on
- System Architect and Hardware Designer
- Designed the full hardware stack including SBC selection, storage architecture, dual-radio Wi-Fi configuration, and power subsystem
- Designed the P2P synchronization protocol using Wi-Fi Direct and BLE beacons for inter-bus content propagation
- Specified the mechanical enclosure, thermal management, vibration isolation, and automotive electrical integration
- Developed the bill of materials and cost model targeting sub-$150 per unit at volume
- Authored the complete system architecture documentation covering compute, storage, networking, power, and enclosure
Technical implementation
- 01
Rockchip RK3588-based SBC (or Raspberry Pi CM4) as compute core with hardware H.264/H.265 decode
- 02
1TB NVMe M.2 SSD for content library with EXT4 filesystem, capable of 30+ concurrent 720p streams
- 03
Dual Wi-Fi radio: MediaTek MT7921/MT7922 (Wi-Fi 6, passenger-facing) plus dedicated 5GHz adapter (bus-to-bus P2P sync)
- 04
BLE beacon via ESP32 module for low-power bus discovery and content manifest diffing before full Wi-Fi sync
- 05
12V/24V automotive DC-DC buck converter with TVS diode, automotive fuse, and LiPo UPS for graceful shutdown
- 06
IP54-rated aluminum passive-cooling enclosure with vibration-dampened mounting bracket
- 07
Ad injection middleware serving mandatory 15-minute interstitials as the primary revenue mechanism
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