Archive for July 14th, 2008

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Austin, Minnesota citywide Wi-Fi launches in October 2008

Austin, Minnesota (pop. 23,000, 28 square km) is finally offering wireless broadband service, more than one year after issuing a public tender. The city is working with Austin Utilities, a non-profit community owned public utility. The cost of the network is $1.2 million.

To find out more details about the project and the RFP, go to:

Austin to field test public Wi-Fi

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Wi-Fi on a budget: Prestonsburg’s $8500 muni Wi-Fi network

Prestonsburg, Kentucky (pop. 4000) is delivering free Wi-Fi service in the center of town for a mere $8500. The secret: they are using Meraki’s inexpensive wireless access points. The city had issued a public tender for its network but the bidders were asking too much money (in some cases over $100,000). Meraki’s equipment is used by in San Francisco and in many developing countries where wireless mesh equipment from mainstream vendors is simply too expensive for the local ISPs.

Rural towns…

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Will better network management help Lompoc attract and keep customers?

Lompoc, California is trying to make its citywide wireless broadband service work harder by attracting and keeping more customers. The city has replaced its previous network management system with a new one from Aptilo and claims that Aptilo’s system now allows to city to manage its network better, including being able identify where problems occur, when customers call in. The city has also stopped using outside firms to manage the network. Now, instead of needing 4000 subscribers to break even,…

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Portland, Oregon has Wi-Fi and WiMAX alternative to MetroFi

Stephouse Networks, a Portland-based wireless ISP, announced they are offering Wi-Fi and fixed WiMAX service within the five square miles of Portland’s downtown area and two square miles of North Portland’s St. Johns neighborhood. The fixed WiMAX service is targeted to enterprise users, primarily to replace more expensive T-1 lines.

Last week, I spoke to Tyler Booth, CEO of Stephouse, about their Portland network. Booth made it clear that Stephouse did not take over the MetroFi contract with Portland (even though…

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Granbury, Texas to deploy wireless video surveillance

Granbury, Texas will be deploying 15 video surveillance cameras starting in October 2008. This project will build upon the Tropos Wi-Fi mesh network that the city operates for public safety and public access. The city is increasing the number of Tropos wireless nodes from 110 to 150 to cover additional areas that have been annexed by the City since the original deployment. Installation of mobile routers in all police vehicles is also under way. These cameras are the same type…

Tropos Networks