Glen Arbor gets public WiFi
From staff reports
Glen Arbor Township recently contracted Aspen Wireless to install free WiFi for the public. Access was up and running by the end of June. According to operations manager Eric Laitala, the head-end is located at the Glen Arbor Township Hall. There are 10 outdoor Wireless Access Points (APs) in total with two additional indoor APs at the Township Hall. The coverage extends from the Sylvan Inn on M-109 to Crystal River Outfitters on Glen Arbor’s east end, and south to the tennis courts and Cherry Republic. The wireless also covers the farmers market area behind the township hall.
The current system only operates on a 100 Mbps Charter connection, but Aspen’s goal is to get a Gigabit fiber-optic connection. The installation cost about $25,000, not including the cost of Internet access for the first year.
Laitala, who spent summers growing up at The Homestead resort, said the public WiFi is good for economic development in Glen Arbor, because people will stay longer and still be connected. “In an ever more connected society, this will allow both visitors and residents alike to be connected in an area that offers relatively little coverage,” he said. “Mobile workers will be able to sit on a park bench and connect to the world. Visitors through town will be able to use the system to connect to businesses and events in the area.” Also, the Township will be able to add webcams, telemetry, credit card readers for vendors, traffic monitoring and other IP-based applications.
The network was designed with future proofing in mind, Laitala added. “We are able to connect businesses together wirelessly. As we are able to increase bandwidth we will. We want Glen Arbor to be both a place to play AND work. One of the most often asked questions is, ‘It’s so beautiful up here, but I can’t get connected. I’d love to work remotely here. How can we make that happen?’ This is a step in that direction.”
