MuniWireless

The police department of McAllen, Texas is installing 120 video surveillance cameras over the next five years in an effort to deter crime and catch suspects on film. The cameras will be linked via a wireless network, whose backhaul is a fiber optic network that runs through the city. The city is paying close to $500,000 for the video surveillance system, including the cameras; the fiber optic network will cost the city $11,000 per square mile and the city plans…

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…

Southlake, a suburb of Dallas, Texas, is also using Wi-Fi for video surveillance in its downtown area. They are using equipment from Bridgwave Communications; the systems integrator is Redmoon, a wireless ISP based in Plano, Texas. Wireless video surveillance is one of the most sought-after applications among cities. However, as many UK cities have discovered, it’s not enough to put up cameras. You need people to monitor the images and do something about them to make it effective in fighting…

Tropos Networks will deploy its MetroMesh to provide wireless broadband service to Houston’s Gulfton Super Neighborhood, as part of the city’s digital inclusion initiative. According to a company press release,  the neighborhood is the first in the initiative to be served. Other partners in the program include Hewlett-Packard, Microsoft, and Verizon Wireless. Click here to read the press release.

Wi-Fi Net News has a more comprehensive report on how this particular network fits into the city’s overall digital inclusion initiative. Click here…

The city of Houston plans to re-launch its muni wireless initiative and has issued an RFI to review proposals for the project. It was only a matter of time before cities recovered from the shockwaves from EarthLink’s retreat from the muni market and began re-evaluating how to provide broadband coverage. Houston is the first major city, among the many that put wireless initiatives on hold in the post-EarthLink shakeout, to announce plans to move ahead and re-issue an RFI. Houston…

The city of San Marcos, Texas, has contracted with MetroNetIQ to negotiate with two potential providers to potentially build a municipal Wi-Fi network.