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Dayton’s Wireless
Network
In April, Dayton becomes a wireless hot city.
Not just a small part of Dayton’s Downtown, or just the
occasional progressive restaurant or bar will be a hotspot,
but one square mile of downtown Dayton—its parks and sidewalks—will
be a wireless HotZone. I know that some cities have wireless
Internet - but Dayton's innovation is that wireless Internet
access in Dayton's downtown parks and streets will be free to
all who can use it because of the first Public/Private partnership
of its kind in the U.S.
Presently, some cities furnish downtown wireless Internet access,
but the users must either pay for the service or users must
pay higher prices for merchandise because their downtown businesses
pay for their town's wireless Internet access. A few cities
offer free wireless Internet access in their parks, but the
area of free service is defined as a hotspot, and no roaming
is possible. That means those users cannot have seamless wireless
internet access when walking from one park to another or from
a park’s hotspot to a business which offers wireless service
through the same Internet Service Provider.
According to Bill Hill, Director of Information and Technology
Services for the City of Dayton, “In downtown Dayton a
person using a wireless network-enabled PDA or laptop computer
should be able to maintain their live connection to the Internet
when walking from one downtown park to another or from the Sinclair
College Campus to either Riverscape or 5th/ 3rd field via Dayton's
sidewalks".
Offered the challenge by Dayton City Manager James T. Dinneen,
Bill Hill made the arrangements for Dayton citizens and guests
to have free wireless Internet Access. The City of Dayton, in
cooperation with HarborLink, P&R Communications and DoNet,
a Dayton-area Internet Service Provider, allows this to happen.
Phase-I of the plan for Dayton's wireless Internet access (to
be completed in April 2005) starts with all of the outdoor space
between the river at the North side of the Downtown to the Oregon
District on the South side and from Webster Street Station on
the East to I-75 on the West of downtown’s borders will
have free Wireless Internet access. This area is comprised of
a little more than 1 square mile. Businesses within and outside
of this area are welcome to participate in similar contracts
to what the city has negotiated to enable seamless access when
walking into downtown buildings, whether they be restaurants
or shopping establishments.
Phase-II consists of wireless Internet access being provided
to parks and streets within the entire corporation limits of
the City of Dayton, an area comprised of 55 square miles. Other
municipalities will be encouraged to "piggyback" on
Dayton's contract, or participate in contracts similar to what
the City of Dayton has negotiated, enabling users to have seamless
access when traveling between cities. I understand that several
other cities have already expressed an interest in this arrangement.
The entire City of Dayton Phase-II should be completed in approximately
one year.
Phase-III While the earlier phases mostly add services to Dayton
residents and guests, this last phase actually reduces city
expenses. Wireless water meter reading, code enforcement, housing
enforcement, fire inspections, and other public safety/service
initiatives will be possible over the City's VLAN. No definite
date has been set for the completion of this phase.
Complementing Dayton's tradition of innovation, DMA® has
also been innovative. Before there was local computer training,
DMA® offered the sharing of computer knowledge at both its
general meetings and Special Interest Groups (SIGs). Before
there was a Best Buy, a CompUSA or traveling computer shows,
the DMA® made a success of Computerfest®. With OTAP,
DMA® created the first local computer recycling project.
Many thousands of computers have been distributed since OTAP’s
inception nearly 10 years ago. When DMA® created GEMAIR,
it was one of only four commercial Internet Service Providers
in the world which was owned by a non-profit computer user group.
The DMA(r), in sponsoring Wireless Dayton Days, will continue
to advocate area innovation by helping new wireless Internet
users become more comfortable with their new freedom by doing
what user groups do best - mentor and share computer knowledge.
There aren't yet many local schools or other services which
introduce wireless Internet to new users. I feel that there
is a need to help individuals maneuver this ominous learning
curve and for many, Wireless Dayton Days will begin that learning
process
A Volunteer Opportunity
With Wireless Dayton Days, the DMA® has the
exclusive opportunity to participate in an event to help "kick-off"
Dayton's new free public wireless Internet access.
We will have numerous volunteers demonstrate wireless Internet
access one-on-one to new users throughout the city;
We will have small classroom training sessions to help users
become more comfortable with wireless access;
We will create a booklet (financed by advertising or sponsorship)
instructing Dayton wireless Internet users on how to benefit
from this service;
We will create a mini trade show which focuses on this new Dayton
service during the "kick-off" weekend.
Please let me know, soon - if you are interested in participating
as a volunteer. We already have many volunteers who are interested—but
we need more.
Your participation can make a difference.
Peter Hess
Chairman
Wireless Dayton Days
chairman (at) wirelessdaytondays.org
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