Hampshire Daily Gazette Clicks heard 'round a town - Amherst's goal: wireless downtown BY KRISTIN PALPINI AND RACHAEL HANLEY STAFF WRITERS June 20, 2006 In about two months Amherst's downtown will be turned into the biggest public wireless-Internet hotspot in the Valley. Amherst is joining a relatively short but growing list of communities in the United States that offer wireless Internet in large public spaces such as parks, neighborhoods and business centers, or in some cases, throughout an entire municipality. Northampton added itself to the list Monday, with the debut of free wireless Internet service in a park named for a Revolutionary War hero. (See story, this page.) While Amherst is poised to offer Wi-Fi service by this summer, for other communities in Hampshire and Franklin counties, this technological service for the masses is years away. But some say the trend toward a free, public wireless system is inevitable. Last week, the state Legislature earmarked money to support the growth of Wi-Fi throughout Massachusetts, as part of an economic stimulus bill. 'There is an expectation by citizens and users that this will be available in public areas,' said Amherst director of information technology Kristopher Pacunas. 'Five years down the road, most municipalities will have these services in place, to a limited degree.' A number of communities are already applying the wireless technology in a limited way. Public libraries in Northampton, Easthampton, Goshen and Amherst, for example, all offer free connections. In Easthampton, public works employees are using Wi-Fi to communicate with one another. The city's fire alarm system, which is installed in all municipal buildings as well as a host of residential unit complexes and manufacturing firms, is also wireless. But Amherst is taking the technology to the next level with plans for a wire-free downtown. A collaboration The Amherst Wi-Fi project is actually a collaboration among the town, the University of Massachusetts, the National Science Foundation and Defense Advanced Research Projects Agency, known as DARPA. Like many municipalities with large Wi-Fi coverage areas, such as Seattle, Wash., Amherst will use a system called a 'mesh network,' which Pacunas called 'superior to any other.' A mesh network functions like a giant net, with rings of Wi-Fi access overlapping each other. If one of the access points fails, the electronic signal can be rerouted automatically to fill in the lost gap. In essence, this means that damage to the network will not shut down Internet connections, as it might in a home where a broadband line was disconnected. Communications experts say that such wireless services have their advantages. 'It's still an emerging technology, but there have been some big strides made in the last couple years,' said Andrew Hogan of Hogan Communications, an Easthampton network installation and communications company. 'The problem with the mesh network is it still requires a fair amount of line-of-sight,' he said. In other words, when things like tall trees or buildings get between one connection and another, mesh network signals can slow down or even stop completely. Pacunas warns that residents should not abandon their existing connections in favor of the public network just yet, as the service is slower than broadband and may not cover all areas. The Amherst Wi-Fi project is a pilot program, which will provide UMass professor Brian Levine and assistant professor Mark Corner with research about how to improve new forms of data networks. The price tag The Amherst system also comes with a hefty price tag. Each device in the mesh costs $5,500. The initial downtown section of the network is expected to cost $140,000. For the entire town of Amherst to go wireless would require an estimated $1 million for installation and equipment. At the moment, the Amherst wireless project is being funded with grants from DARPA secured by UMass. The town is also getting some help from Cisco Systems, which is providing an open-ended loan on equipment. As technology improves, said Pacunas, such a townwide Internet system will prove invaluable, providing better communication between public safety personnel and town departments, as well as free wireless to local residents. In terms of financing, Amherst's situation is uncommon. Typically, for a municipality to go wireless, city officials must create an agreement with an Internet provider or other corporation. The investing company then may charge Internet subscribers a monthly fee to recoup its costs. In the Pioneer Valley, small communities and an adverse climate, with signal-blocking mountains and trees, may hinder such investor interest. In some cases municipal Wi-Fi has been proposed for area cities and towns, but as of yet no one can make the bottom line pan out. In 2005 Easthampton officials investigated a deal to offer a free Wi-Fi network in the downtown area through a Georgia-based company, TraveLink. However, the deal tanked in negotiations for reasons that included a lack of available subscribers and a list of improbable demands the company made on the city. Easthampton Mayor Michael A. Tautznik said he would still like to see his city go wireless. But he doubts the city, with its population of approximately 16,000, will be a draw for a big business looking to make an investment. 'I don't think Easthampton is a big enough bait to go fishing with,' Tautznik said. In Northampton cost has played a major factor in keeping the city hardwired. 'It's the cost of the equipment that's holding us back,' said Teri Anderson, the city's economic development coordinator. However, Anderson said the city is looking at having a wireless City Hall. The city's public safety and public works departments are also being eyed for Wi-Fi. 'None of the projects have ripened yet,' said Vanessa Oquendo, Northampton's director of management information systems. 'We're just exploring this now, but wireless is still in the mix.' Despite the obstacles, many believe the technology will make its way to the Pioneer Valley as the price of Wi-Fi equipment continues to drop. According to Hogan, a typical Wi-Fi system for a business cost $30,000 a couple years ago; now his company can install the same network for $6,000. Wi-Fi 'consolidates data and reduces redundancies. Instead of having something like four secretaries in all (the municipality's) buildings, you can just have one,' Hogan said. 'It's easy to do and it's smart to do.' Kristin Palpini can be reached at kpalpini@gazettenet.com.