April 7, 2004

Wireless a positive for Dayton

By Edy Wine, Freelance Writer for MediaMoments.com
and Peter Wine, Freelance Photographer for MediaMoments.com

I (Edy Wine) love working in downtown Dayton. Some have complained about the expense of parking, the traffic and the “street people.” They say they don’t feel “safe.”

I have worked around and overcome all those “problems.” For every problem, there are three advantages or “good things.” Now I may add wireless Internet to my list of positives!

Having access to the Hot City network downtown gives me the ability to check my e-mail and contact my family without spending company money to make phone calls.

Wireless Internet also enables me to research subjects I want to know more about but aren’t “business critical” right now. With that new knowledge, I look like I know more.

It can also give me access to weather updates, to news around town (and the world) and to retail sites so I’ll know when and where to shop for office supplies or household items.

When my husband (Peter Wine) doesn’t pick me up from work, I take the bus home. Using the Hot City network, I can check the Greater Dayton RTA schedules and get information on new services. That’s the way I beat high parking costs. Using a bus pass or tokens saves a lot.

Dayton has many advantages, but if you don’t use them, they’ll go away. If you don’t know about them, how can you use them?

I can use wireless Internet to find out a little more about downtown Dayton (and the businesses that call it home) every day.

My husband runs the Webster Street Market Garden Railroad and intends to use the wireless network to broadcast images from that location.

Having collected little video cameras, he plans to put them around the railroad and broadcast pictures on a Web page. This will give folks at home a perspective on the railroad they cannot get in person.

Using a mouse, they’ll be able to view images the cameras capture. This wouldn’t be possible without the wireless network; a hard-wired solution for a noncommercial application like this would cost too much.

My working a couple of blocks from the Dayton Dragons stadium brings up another thought. Imagine accessing the team’s Web page to get the scoop on players while watching the game from stadium stands. It’s possible with wireless Internet.