memorandum
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to: |
Roger L. Stancil, Town Manager |
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from: |
Bob Avery, Information Technology Director |
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subject: |
Wireless Pilot Project Status |
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date: |
October 8, 2007 |
PURPOSE
The purpose of this memorandum is to report the status of the pilot wireless broadband connectivity project.
BACKGROUND
At the June 23, 2007 Business Meeting, the Town Council approved a staff proposal to establish public access wireless hotspots in the downtown area, including Franklin Street, and at several park and ride lots and to evaluate capabilities to deliver wireless Internet services in public areas. Additionally, the Town Council recommended the Hargraves Community Center be considered for a hotspot site as well.
DISCUSSION
On September 1, 2007, the Town activated six hotspots in the downtown area with four sites along Franklin Street, one on Rosemary Street, and one at the Hargraves Community Center. The hotspots use standard Wi-Fi devices based on the unlicensed radio spectrum and provide Internet access for devices supporting the widely used 802.11 wireless connectivity standards. High gain antennas are used to extend the useful range of the hotspots; Internet connectivity for each hotspot is provided by a Clearwire wireless modem.
Hotspot site selection was based on accessibility by Town staff (Town owned property preferred), availability of electrical power, and capability to mount the antenna as high as possible (to maximize the effective range of the wireless signal). Five potential sites were identified in June and three of these were used as expected (Post Office, IFC Shelter, and Parking Lot 5). A fourth potential site at the top of the Wallace Parking Deck was found to be unnecessary because the Post Office site provides sufficient wireless signal coverage. A fifth potential site at Parking Lot 3 was modified to two new locations: one at the Orange County Visitors Center and one at the 411 West Restaurant. This fifth site was changed because of the difficulties in mounting and powering the hotspot equipment at the parking lot as well as the need to extend the wireless signal coverage over a larger area. The alternate locations were an outgrowth of a July meeting of the West End Group and the Group’s interest in the wireless project.
We had intended to place hotspots at two of the park and ride lots, namely the Eubanks Road lot and the Southern Village lot. The Clearwire signal at the Eubanks Road lot was too weak to support a hotspot at that location. Limited antenna mounting facilities at the Southern Village lot have delayed efforts to place a hotspot there.
The downtown hotspots provide good signal strength to 300 feet and, in cases of clear line of sight, out to 900 feet. The individual user’s actual reception range is dependent on the capability of the user’s wireless equipment and the amount of signal blockage by buildings, vehicles, or trees. Our objective has been to maximize the outdoor coverage especially in areas where users might find a place to sit or congregate, such as bus stops. With thirteen bus stops and seventy-three public benches in the downtown area, there are ample opportunities for people to access the Internet through the hotspots.
We have surveyed reception at bus stops and some of the public benches in the downtown area and found that we could connect to the Town hotspots at many of them. A diagram showing the results of the survey is attached.
During the first month of operation, we have detected many users accessing the hotspots and believe the usage will continue to grow as people become more aware of the service. To alert visitors to the service, we will be placing Wi-Fi Zone signs at locations such as the bus stops.
One of the limitations of the current project is the limited ability of the Town staff to support maintenance of the system. We do not provide round-the-clock support for the equipment and do not provide user support. For the intended casual use nature of this project, that should not be a problem. We will continue to monitor the operation of the hotspots and to evaluate ways to improve reception by identifying better locations for antenna or adjusting the settings of the hotspots.
Under the arrangements of the current pilot project we believe we can support up to ten hotspots. We are evaluating options to place four additional hotspots at other locations such as the park and ride lots or public housing areas. One area of interest is the Craig-Gomains public housing area where we conducted a Connect-2-School project that was discontinued this past June.
One of the objectives of the pilot project is to evaluate ways to extend the service area of the wireless system or provide a more robust system that would allow users in buildings or homes to gain access to the signal. The model we have used for this project requires limited staff support but does demand sufficient staff time that expandability through existing staff resources is not a realistic option. To gauge the benefit of a larger system and determine supportable business models further study is required.
RECOMMENDATION
That Town staff continue efforts to provide hotspot service in the downtown area and other areas as may be feasible, such as park and ride lots or housing areas, for up to ten hotspots throughout the remainder of the fiscal year. A decision as to whether to continue the service using the current model beyond that point can be made when the budget for FY 2009 is developed.
As noted by the Connectivity Study Group in the interim report submitted at the April 23, 2007 Business Meeting, the use of a consultant should be considered if the Town Council wants to evaluate options for a large scale wireless system in Chapel Hill.
ATTACHMENTS