Wi-Fi at Senior Center and Patriot Park now live

Wi-Fi at the Senior Center and part of Patriot Park is now live.

The Homewood City Council recently approved a plan to create five Wi-Fi networks during the 2013-2014 fiscal year. This is the first step in a broader plan for a free, citywide Wi-Fi system.

The first five networks will be built at the new community center and several area parks, including Central Park and Overton Park. These sites were chosen as test facilities because they are already city property and are capable of housing the network equipment. 

Originally, the city council had only planned to add Wi-Fi in the area around Rosewood Hall because the building had poor Internet connectivity. However, councilmen Britt Thames and Walter Jones felt that Homewood should follow the lead of Mountain Brook and many other cities around the country, which have already implemented citywide Wi-Fi.

“It seemed like a logical step for us,” Thames said. “We felt like it was a good amenity for us to offer.”

Thames said that the IT director, James Yates, researched the costs of building such a broad network and found the costs to be “surprisingly inexpensive.” The equipment and start-up costs for the first five networks will cost around $16,000, and yearly costs to provide firewalls and content stations will be $1,680 per station. These expenditures were approved as part of the budget for 2013-2014, and the city only needs to purchase the equipment and sign certain agreements before it can begin implementation.

Once the project is completed, Thames said the different systems will form a single network so residents can sign in once and move anywhere around the city without losing their connection. He hopes the convenience of the new networks will draw more people to public places, as families can enjoy playgrounds and recreational facilities without being cut off from conducting business when needed.

“[It will] give people more reason to come out to the park,” Thames said. “It’s an amenity a city like Homewood can and should offer.”

The first Wi-Fi networks at the Homewood Community Center and Central Park are expected to be available to public use by April, with the other three systems to follow later in 2014. The City Council will monitor the systems’ success in order to determine the locations of future additions to the citywide network and potential timelines for installation.