Gilroy – Downtown is officially a “hot spot.”
An Internet hot spot, that is, where businesses, residents and shoppers can switch on a laptop computer or Palm Pilot and access free Internet service.
The city officially unveiled its free downtown wireless service this week as part of a six-month trial. The test balloon is the first phase in broader plans to create a citywide wireless network.
“For any person that has done portable access in hotels, airports, convention centers – it’s the same type of methodology,” said David Chulick, the city’s director of information technology. “The only thing that’s changing is that you don’t pay for it.”
For those who are not tech-savvy, officials have posted a “How To” manual on the city’s Web site with graphical demonstrations – that explains the process of tapping into the free wireless service.
For those who know how to search out and connect to a wireless signal, just look for “COG-Hotspot” and connect to the network, Chulick said.
It’s too early to say if a music download will take two minutes or 20 minutes on the new service, since the city has not tested connection speeds yet. Chulick said, however, that the city increased its bandwidth and performed other network improvements to prepare for higher usage by the public.
The wireless network spans Monterey Street between Third and Eighth streets and includes limited “connectivity” on Eigleberry Street, between Fourth and Seventh streets. People may experience different signal strengths based on a number of factors, especially if buildings, walls, and other structures separate them from the “nodes” beaming out the wireless signals.
“It’s just like any wireless device,” Chulick explained. “The closer you are to the wireless access point, the higher the bandwidth.”
The city’s free Internet service will be available around the clock, seven days a week.
The six-month trial is the first phase in broader plans to create a citywide wireless “mesh” network. Originally, officials planned the system to enable building inspectors and other city employees to have a constant wireless connection while out in the field.
The trial period is intended to help officials figure out how much bandwidth – or portion of the wireless signal – the city requires for its own communication needs. That will determine how much is left over for public use. Ultimately, officials expect to offer free wireless service to all residents and potentially businesses. They have yet to decide if the city or a private Internet Service Provider will operate the service.
The free wireless service arrives just a few months after downtown re-opened to traffic following a major overhaul of streets and sidewalks. The downtown “Streetscape” project, which lasted more than seven months, is one part of major plans to breathe new life into the area. In addition to sprawling sidewalks and a wider main street, the area is slated for a new arts center, a 200-unit housing project and more than 20 smaller buildings. Many of the projects rely on the “mixed-use” concept of combining street-level storefronts with above-ground apartments. City officials hope that new homes and businesses will fuel a self-sustaining rebirth of the area, which has lost customers over the years to outlets and big box stores east of U.S. 101.
Larry Mickartz, president of the Downtown Business Association, said he has already run into a few people thrilled with the free wireless service, including a customer outside Sue’s Coffee Roasting Company at the corner of Fifth and Monterey streets.
“The improvement of downtown is a few big steps and a lot of little steps,” Mickartz said. “This is one those little steps that makes it a better place to be.”
