Media Center
January 24, 2007
Camden Expands Free WiFi Coverage
1.24.2007
Martin Kahn
Chronicle Independent
The City of Camden has completed the second phase of its year old WiFi (wireless fidelity) Internet project.
According to Camden Chief Finance Officer Mel Pearson, who has overseen the project for the city, an additional 17 access points were added Thursday.
"We've covered a fair portion of the community south of York Street, like the Walter Crowe animal shelter, and, we're not sure, maybe even Historic Camden and Trinity Apartments," said Pearson. "We're still trouble shooting and testing."
Pearson said with additional nodes connected to its main access point atop the Chrurch Street water tower, WiFi coverage is also expanding east, north, and west of downtown.
"We've gotten over to the Holsten Center. We wanted to cover the major non-profits," said Pearson. "We also went up Broad Street and could be as far west as Carter Street. We've certainly gotten the Pine/Green/Chesnut Street area west of Broad and maybe from Chesnut Street up to Green Street."
He said there are now a total of 24 nodes in the city, with TruVista Communications continuing to be the city's Internet Service Provider, having taken over from Charter Communications.
"It's free to anyone in Camden, and access is unfettered as far as login restrictions are concerned," he said, meaning anyone can get on the Internet without passwords or cost. Pearson said a third phase is planned but is still a budgetary issue. "That will be addressed. If funds are available, then we will pursue it," Pearson said. "We have it mapped out in such a way that we start filling voids around the existing coverage and continue to build out from the business district."
He also emphasized that there is no financial benefit to the city. "We happen to believe it is a marketing tool," he said.
VC3 Inc. continues to act as technical adviser, assisting the city with obtaining equipment. "VC3 has done a good job with the project up to this point," said Pearson. "They've helped us in mapping everything out and we should know more about the coverage we're getting."
The company was hired as the city's WiFi consultant in mid 2005. The first phase went live in February 2006, with seven nodes, or access point, covering the downtown business district form Rutledge and Broad Streets to Monument Square, east to Camden City Hall and west to the Camden Police Department.
Late last year, the city gave the go ahead to use more than $56,000 to install a special computerized control system for the city's electric grid. Part of that project will include laying some $40,000 worth of fiber optic cable. That, an engineering consultant told city council in November, could be used to augment the WiFi system by connecting further access points.
Although he did not speak to the second WiFi phase's cost last week, Pearson had estimated last September that the upgrade would cost somewhere in the neighborhood of $70,000.
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