The actual probes are tiny consumer grade routers (https://www.google.com/search?q=ripe+atlas+probe&tbm=isch) with a new firmware. RIPE provides these free of charge to volunteers (people and companies) who then run them in their network (e.g. homes and datacenters). (Of course larger form factors are available to volunteers with more in-demand locations.)
In return, volunteers get rewarded for uptime of their probes with credits that can be used to request custom measurements from the Atlas network.
There are probes _everywhere_; not just in terms of geography (https://atlas.ripe.net/results/maps/) but also in network locations that you cannot get access to via any other means; there really is no other service that comes close in terms of reach for global internet status testing.
RIPE Atlas is an amazing project. I remember getting 3 probes at a NANOG and telling my coworkers about it. They couldn't believe that it was a free project, and that I didn't have to pay anything for the probes. Great stuff from RIPE, for free! (Anchors cost dough but probes were free)
The actual probes are tiny consumer grade routers (https://www.google.com/search?q=ripe+atlas+probe&tbm=isch) with a new firmware. RIPE provides these free of charge to volunteers (people and companies) who then run them in their network (e.g. homes and datacenters). (Of course larger form factors are available to volunteers with more in-demand locations.)
In return, volunteers get rewarded for uptime of their probes with credits that can be used to request custom measurements from the Atlas network.
There are probes _everywhere_; not just in terms of geography (https://atlas.ripe.net/results/maps/) but also in network locations that you cannot get access to via any other means; there really is no other service that comes close in terms of reach for global internet status testing.