Sputnik, a San Francisco-based provider of secure managed Wi-Fi software and hardware, and start-up eWireless, hope to make Indianapolis one of the top 10 wireless cities in Intel’s annual survey. Sputnik will provide software and hardware while eWireless will deploy and service a WiFi “cloud” across greater Indianapolis.
Indianapolis, ranked 46th in Intel’s annual “Unwired” survey, lagged behind smaller cities such as Colorado Springs, Colo. (20th), Hartford, Conn. (32nd), and Ann Arbor, Mich. (40th). The San Francisco Bay Area ranked number one.
| in the United States SOURCE: Best Places
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eWireless installs and manages wireless networks in retail shops, restaurants, beauty salons, coffeehouses, bookstores, hotels and waiting areas in doctor’s offices, auto dealerships and Laundromats, as well as residential and businesses.
Sputnik’s wireless network management software enables hotspot providers such as eWireless to provision networks remotely, authenticate and track end users, and manage all its networks from a central location.
The $500 Sputnik Hotzone kit includes:
- Sputnik AP 200 access point. A high-powered wireless access point in a sealed, rugged enclosure for operation in the harshest outdoor conditions. Industry-standard Power over Ethernet (PoE) capability allows the access point to be located where AC power is not available, further extending the options for indoor/outdoor hotspots.
- Sputnik AP 160 access point. The access point can provision itself, authenticate and track end users, and serve as a router to connect the Sputnik AP 160 to the wireless network.
- Sputnik Control Center Server software that runs in the hotspot provider’s data center. A captive portal Web page enforces secure, SSL-based authentication and log-in screens can be customized to meet branding goals or to push content to end users.
Intel also lists the top five unwired campuses; (Indiana University in Bloomington, Ind.; Purdue University in West Lafayette, Ind.; University of Texas at Austin; Case Western Reserve University in Cleveland, Ohio; and Dartmouth College in Hanover, N.H.), and the top 5 unwired airports (Dallas-Fort Worth International, LaGuardia, Atlanta Hartsfield; O’Hare in Chicago, and the Baltimore-Washington in Maryland).
Meanwhile, Atlanta, Georgia is developing plans for city-wide wireless Internet access which it will sell to end users via monthly subscription and day-passes. The Atlanta FastPass is expected to be done within three years and will start with coverage at the Hartsfield-Jackson International Airport and the city hall. The network will be built by Biltmore Communications, a local ISP and cable provider.
One could quibble with the Most Unwired list.
Commercial provider Verilan has been covering Multnomah county with 802.16a-like service and blanketing downtown Portland with a Vivato phased array since late 2003.
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