Since a few folks have voiced concern about the completion of Decatur’s city-wide wi-fi, I asked the city for a status update. Asst. City Manager Andrea Arnold was good enough to write up a response within a few hours…how’s that for service!

The City rolled out the network service in phases with the core downtown and Agnes Scott College being in phase I and the Ponce de Leon corridor being phase II. The remaining areas fall into phase III which is much more difficult to service than phases I and II due to foliage, topography and a general lack of tall facilities on which to place the wireless radios.

In fact, due to the challenges we encountered in phase III, Cisco engineers have been in the city for the past few weeks making adjustments to the wireless radios and the related software. This work has been pretty disruptive to the overall network and has resulted in service outages and intermittant signals. The bottom line is that there are about 12 more wireless radios that need to be installed, additional antennae need to be installed to cover deadspots where possible, and testing needs to be performed.

Barring any unforeseen problems, the network should be operational by early October, if not sooner. This is later than anticipated, but considering this network is the first of its kind in the State, the delays are understandable in hindsight. The City approached this project as ‘wireless pioneers’ with the intent to serve as a model for other communities that are interested in implementing wireless networks. We certainly have a long list of lessons learned and advice for other communities across the country who may be embarking on similar projects.

…the signal will not be broadcasting consistently until the whole network is up and running in early October. So, folks will want to wait a few weeks before running outside with their laptops.

If people would like more information on the network, there is information on the website at www.wirelessdecaturga.com or they may email me directly at .

[Decatur Metro doesn't condone running with laptops. Please exercise responsibly.]