25. November 2007 by admin.

You could call this organization a bunch of ‘head-in-the-clouds’ do-gooders because when we say ‘Citywide’ we mean everybody. The people waiting @ the bus stops need WiFi just as much as the the fossil fuel burning consumers, and the groups of critical mass bikers need WiFi just as much as the lawyers. No matter whether it’s 802.11g or .11n, this is a technology that must start at the city level. In the City of SF we can show real unity by rallying for this important technology. The more we are able to communicate with one another, the more we will be able to break down stereotypical excuses.

Sure, sure we have the ability to start with the best. The technology is ready and our tax dollars pay for it’s implementation.

Supporters of the 802.11n WiFi standard which, according to them, will “breathe new life” into the wireless networking technology, got some good news this week when the Enhanced Wireless Consortium passed a joint proposal by a 40-0 vote. Their proposal will now go in front of the IEEE at its meeting next week.

It is believed that 802.11n WiFi is estimated to be nearly five times faster than 802.11g, and up to 50 times faster than 802.11b. It would make sense that those municipalities looking to deploy a citywide wireless network pay particular attention to this development, although the standard won’t be ratified until (most likely) the end of this year.

The City (SF) could possibly check out how other chicsters are doing it

FOR EXAMPLE:

Around the World in 80 Nodes
By Naomi Graychase

The City of Lights is getting lit up in a whole new way. Colubris Networks has been selected by Alcatel-Lucent and SFR, a major French telecom operator, to provide Wi-Fi equipment for the “Paris Wi-Fi” project.

According to Colubris, once Paris Wi-Fi is completed, it will be the largest municipal wireless LAN in Europe.

Paris Wi-Fi will provide both indoor and outdoor Wi-Fi coverage for municipal areas, including parks, squares, town halls, libraries, and museums.

Starting last summer, locals and visitors to the city began enjoying free, wireless, high-speed Internet access thanks to Colubris access points distributed at 100 locations throughout the city. As of the official launch in late September, 225 public sites were covered by 315 APs. Once fully deployed, the network will light up 260 municipal areas using 400 APs.

All in all I have to reply in the same way this lovely crazy city responds whenever I ask ‘How To…’ Pull out your money and buy the right tools for the right job.’

WE CAN DO IT!

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11. November 2007 by admin.

There seems to be many obstacles in forming a movement in San Francisco’s 21st century atmosphere (money, time, lunatic demonstrations, corporate hi-jinx, and a general ‘whatever’ blaise attitude towards progress ).

Google didn’t seem to have ‘too’ many obstacles:

Free citywide WiFi in Mountain View

by Minnie Ingersoll

8/16/2006

Today, Google launched a WiFi network in our hometown of Mountain View. Radios hanging on lampposts throughout the city are now broadcasting a “GoogleWiFi” wireless (802.11b/g) signal that brings wireless Internet access to the city’s residents, businesses, and visitors. All anyone needs is a laptop or other wireless-enabled device and a web browser to get online. Then Mountain View users can select the “GoogleWiFi” signal, open their web browser and sign in with a free Google Account. To learn more about the network’s coverage area and the location of the WiFi radios, we’ve published a map.

Though problems of overindulgence seem to be the biggest problems in more metropolitan areas, as is elequently touched upon in

The citywide Wi-Fi reality check

Wireless technology tempts cities that want to offer low-cost broadband to residents, but operating a network is no walk in the park.

By Marguerite Reardon
Staff Writer, CNET News.com

Published: May 27, 2005

….

The spectrum crunch
Even though a wireless network can be built relatively inexpensively, experts say there are many challenges to providing reliable service.

One of the biggest technical issues that cities face in deploying municipal Wi-Fi is that it can suffer interference from other wireless devices trying to transmit signals in the same channel. Because wireless networks run on unregulated spectrum, many devices can interfere with transmission. For example, microwave ovens, hand-held phones, garage door openers and devices using Bluetooth applications all use the same 2.4MHz frequency used by Wi-Fi networks. What’s more, thousands of computer users have installed their own Wi-Fi networks in their homes.

“The 2.4MHz spectrum is already very crowded,” said Lindsay Schroth, a senior analyst at The Yankee Group. “When you have a large deployment such as Philadelphia also using that spectrum there’s a lot of potential for overcrowding and interference.”….

OR maybe our struggling dead tree media overlords such as the San Francisco Chronicle toss out some scraps of condolence….

“The city Wi-Fi movement is noticeably slowing down on some levels, but leaders say it’s progressing with a refined sense of purpose and a clearer perspective on the challenges that face these projects.”

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