Wireless Cities Are Helping People Communicate on the Go

Gone are the days when the Internet could only be accessed at home or the office via dial-up connections. Libraries used to be packed with patrons eager to jump on the information superhighway and were often time-restricted in order to accommodate everyone. While Municipal Wi-Fi has existed for awhile, it has been slow to catch on mainly due to the logistics of how to integrate the necessary wired connections into existing infrastructure. Delays could also be attributed to cost concerns for smaller municipalities.

Although it has had a slow start, wireless Internet has since taken over and can be found at a variety of locations, such as hospitals, airports, and even fast food chains. Coffee shops are often filled with customers who pop open their laptops to study or work while enjoying their favorite beverages. Wi-Fi has become so commonplace that so-called wireless cities are slowly forming across the U.S. A wireless city basically has implemented an open wireless network that enables users to access it anywhere within a certain radius. In these cities, there is no need to step into a coffee shop or library since the entire city is essentially one big Wi-Fi hot zone. The wireless networks can even be accessed in outdoor areas like parks and city streets.

Benefits

Wireless cities differ from typical Wi-Fi hotspots, as they provide wireless Internet access over a broader area and are not confined to certain building locations. Hot spots operate as an extension of a wired network within a building. When a person connects to a Wi-Fi hot spot in Starbucks, they cannot access the network if they leave the immediate area. Cities such as Tempe, Arizona, and Minneapolis, Minnesota, have implemented citywide wireless networks. While free municipal Wi-Fi is a great way for residents and visitors to access the Internet, some wonder if it is a covert means of surveillance.

In the case of Tempe, users pay a fee to access wireless Internet around the city. This serves to bring in much-needed revenue for the city, provide visitors and residents with access, and keep connection speeds at optimal levels. The paid structure avoids the common pitfall of painfully slow Internet connections that often plague free wireless hot spots.

The city of Minneapolis’s website states that outdoor Wi-Fi makes it “unique’ in comparison to other cities, and it is a definite selling point for those looking to visit or relocate to the area. Wireless access is available in nearly every outdoor space, and 90% of indoor areas have wireless access, as well. Obviously, certain areas in the city have limited to no access due to obstructions like thick building walls, trees and locations close to bodies of water, which are typically further away from wireless equipment.

Drawbacks

Having an entire wireless Internet infrastructure is a great thing for residents, businesses, and the cities themselves, but this technology is not without drawbacks. With technology developing at lightning speed and constantly evolving, it can be costly to transition cities to a totally wireless network knowing that the technology is likely to be replaced by something newer and faster in the near future. Smaller municipalities often have to deal with state-imposed restrictions, and it can take years — sometimes decades — for municipal Wi-Fi to come to fruition.

With widespread Wi-Fi access, networks can quickly become congested and cause limited connectivity. If the increased network traffic is more than just temporary, outages will happen more frequently, and cities must then consider upgrading their networks to have adequate bandwidth. Financial consideration must be taken into account when an upgrade is in order. Tourists are attracted to wireless cities, longtime residents consider it a benefit of staying put, and citywide Wi-Fi is a definite draw for those contemplating relocation.

As with any public Wi-Fi connection, data security is always a major concern. The very nature of wireless Internet access makes it more vulnerable, since anyone can access the network. This means savvy hackers are able to intercept data from nearby devices. This may not be an issue for recreational Wi-Fi users, but those who use public Wi-Fi for business or financial transactions need to be aware that sensitive data is being sent in a non-secure manner.

What’s Next?

Cities all over the United States are jumping on the citywide wireless Internet trend, and it can be expected to grow exponentially in the next decade. The city of Boston has an extensive wireless network and provides users with access points in convenient locations. Los Angeles, Oklahoma City and Ocean City, Maryland have all adopted citywide Wi-Fi access, and it has largely been a positive addition. The challenges that plague municipal Wi-Fi may deter more cities from hopping on board and with so many hot spots already available, bringing this technology to a city near your may not be at the top of the priority list.