Free WiFi in Charleston
Free, public, wireless Internet will be unleashed in Charleston at the end of the week — but only 20 percent to 30 percent of residents initially will have access, and some concerns about access, security and maintenance of the system linger.
Mount Pleasant telecommunications firm Widespread Access LLC, and the company that owns Charleston’s Post and Courier newspaper invested about $500,000 to develop the system, which initially was scheduled to be available by the end of 2005.
Other cities in the state, including Columbia, have discussed plans to roll out public WiFi. Charleston will be one of 56 cities in the country with citywide networks.
Access to Charleston’s wireless grid is hampered by the challenge of sending signals through thick trees and the walls of brick or concrete buildings. Craig Settles, a California-based consultant who wrote a book about Philadelphia’s public WiFi project, said cities often underestimate the challenges of providing a blanket signal.
In Charleston, residents and businesses might need to buy signal-boosting antennas, costing $40 to $100, to access the system.
While the system will have standard security protocols, Ernest Andrade of the city’s economic development department said, users need to understand it is, by nature, a free and open network. Users who pay $20 a month can access a more secure connection.
Mount Pleasant telecommunications firm Widespread Access LLC, and the company that owns Charleston’s Post and Courier newspaper invested about $500,000 to develop the system, which initially was scheduled to be available by the end of 2005.
Other cities in the state, including Columbia, have discussed plans to roll out public WiFi. Charleston will be one of 56 cities in the country with citywide networks.
Access to Charleston’s wireless grid is hampered by the challenge of sending signals through thick trees and the walls of brick or concrete buildings. Craig Settles, a California-based consultant who wrote a book about Philadelphia’s public WiFi project, said cities often underestimate the challenges of providing a blanket signal.
In Charleston, residents and businesses might need to buy signal-boosting antennas, costing $40 to $100, to access the system.
While the system will have standard security protocols, Ernest Andrade of the city’s economic development department said, users need to understand it is, by nature, a free and open network. Users who pay $20 a month can access a more secure connection.
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