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March 16, 2012

Downtown San Jose to Launch Free Wi-Fi

By Joe Eitel, TMCnet Contributing Writer

Downtown San Jose, California will soon offer free Wi-Fi to the public. Local officials feel it will help workers in the area get out of the office and explore new areas of the city. It would also allow for wireless connectivity to parking meters and garages in the city.



This is the second attempt at trying to make Wi-Fi available across the entire downtown area of San Jose. The first attempt depended upon too many unknown factors, such as browser-based advertising success, and it failed in the end. The city hasn’t said exactly how it plans to pay for the Wi-Fi, but it hopes to strike a deal with local mobile carriers and/or piggy-back local business wireless networks.

The Daily Tech reports the city will use an IEEE (News - Alert) 802.11n wireless network powered by Ruckus Wireless. The network will be specifically designed for outdoor use and able to work well around buildings and other obstacles. The initial cost of the project is $94,000, and the annual maintenance will set the city back about $22,000.

Approximately one-quarter to one-third of the wireless access points will link directly to high-speed fiber optic connections, according to Computer World. Wi-Fi mesh tethering will handle the majority of wireless hotspots.

The new Wi-Fi network will offer a secured and unsecured channel. The unsecured open network is available to the public while the password-protected secure network is accessible by workers in the city. City officials hope the free Wi-Fi will allow visitors to navigate the downtown area more efficiently, such as finding restaurants, parking or points of interest.

The speed and efficiency of the Wi-Fi network is still in question. According to Vijay Sammeta, CIO of the city of San Jose, it’s impossible to know exactly how fast the network is until it gets setup and tested. However, he estimates transfer rates of about 1 Gbps. Compared to most home networks, this is relatively fast.






Edited by Jennifer Russell
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