Houstonian in Iraq Posted May 17, 2006 Share Posted May 17, 2006 May 16, 2006, 11:35PMChat with mayor about WiFiWhite is going online tonight to discuss city plansBy ALEXIS GRANTCopyright 2006 Houston Chronicle Mayor Bill White is hosting a live online chat tonight to answer questions about citywide wireless Internet access.White will participate in the online discussion from outside City Hall, where he'll access the Internet using a laptop computer and a WiFi (Wireless Fidelity) connection similar to the one he hopes to install citywide.Moderated by KPRC-AM (950) radio host Michael Garfield, the High-Tech Texan, the event is part of White's effort to make citizens aware of the wireless initiative and prompt them to get involved.The proposed wireless network would be financed and built by a private company without using taxpayer money, though the company would be allowed to install equipment on city-owned light poles and buildings. The network would be available to various Internet service providers, who would sell the service to users. The goal is to drive down the price of Internet access, so more Houstonians can afford it, and to provide city facilities with free access.This week, White is expected to announce which companies bid on the project by Tuesday's deadline, although details of their proposals will not be made public immediately. About 10 companies were expected to submit bids.Cities across the country have or plan wireless networks, but none as large as the system that would be needed to blanket Houston's 600 square miles.Richard Lewis, the city's director of information technology, estimated it would take about two years to complete such an extensive project, but those details will be up to the bidder who wins the contract. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
jm1fd Posted May 17, 2006 Share Posted May 17, 2006 I'm 100% in favor of alternatives to the overpriced cable and DSL offerings we're currently stuck with. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
wendyps Posted May 17, 2006 Share Posted May 17, 2006 I can honestly say, that I have never, not once, been walking down the street and said to myself...I need to stop right now and log into haif to see what his happening THIS SECOND. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
RedScare Posted May 17, 2006 Share Posted May 17, 2006 The quality of reception has been less than ideal in other cities that have tried this, so I would not cancel your Roadrunner yet. And, as wendyps said, I am not so obsessed with the internet, that I would lug a laptop around just so I could check my bank account every few blocks.Potentially, service could be good enough in Downtown to cancel service at the office, but usually, for fast service you have to pay extra. More likely, I might cancel service at home, where I really don't care how slow it gets. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
ProHouston Posted May 17, 2006 Share Posted May 17, 2006 I can honestly say, that I have never, not once, been walking down the street and said to myself...I need to stop right now and log into haif to see what his happening THIS SECOND.It's not just for walking the streets. Residents could cancel their home service and use this service. This would allow them to access anytime, not just at home. Personally I often wish I had internet access at all times (e.g., check movie times, find a restaurant, check my stocks, game scores, etc.). I think it would be great to have citywide service. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
jm1fd Posted May 17, 2006 Share Posted May 17, 2006 I can honestly say, that I have never, not once, been walking down the street and said to myself...I need to stop right now and log into haif to see what his happening THIS SECOND.Yeah, but I bet you walk down the street on your cell phone. Free wireless IP phones here we come!!The quality of reception has been less than ideal in other cities that have tried this, so I would not cancel your Roadrunner yet.I hope they'll be using WiMax, which should solve the signal quality issues. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
wendyps Posted May 17, 2006 Share Posted May 17, 2006 I just don't buy it. What is the motivation of the city to pay for its citizens to all get free internet access? Why wouldn't the big companies lobby to stop this? "A great place to live" doesn't sound convincing...I can't imagine choosing to not move to a city because it doesn't have wireless everywhere, but hey, maybe that is the wave of the future...and I'm just an old fogie :< I'll admit, I don't really understand how all this works aside from turning my computer on and hoping everything works Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
skwatra Posted May 17, 2006 Share Posted May 17, 2006 I just don't buy it. What is the motivation of the city to pay for its citizens to all get free internet access? Why wouldn't the big companies lobby to stop this?read the article- it won't be free, just cheaper then current high speed options, and the city won't be paying for it ("without using taxpayer money" - though i'm sure they'll be spening some money). the big companies are lobbying to stop this. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
wendyps Posted May 17, 2006 Share Posted May 17, 2006 read the article- that would make too much sense! Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
MidtownCoog Posted May 17, 2006 Share Posted May 17, 2006 So the mayor's goal is to drive down prices and get more people online? Maybe we can become the world's most-wired city. That distinction and $1.50 will get you a cup of coffee.The network would be available to various Internet service providersSounds like a good time to contact Carol Alvarado. I bet she can set me up as one of these "various Internet service providers" on the approved vendor list.I'll name it "Various Internet". And y'all can be my first customers. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Subdude Posted May 17, 2006 Share Posted May 17, 2006 Well, if the goal is to provide some competition for the big boys and drive down the cost of service, I'm all for it. I'm sure Time-Warner and SBC are lobbying fast and furious against it, since they're not exactly well-known for their fondness for competition. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
jm1fd Posted May 18, 2006 Share Posted May 18, 2006 I just don't buy it. What is the motivation of the city to pay for its citizens to all get free internet access? Why wouldn't the big companies lobby to stop this?The motivation is that the city can use the network for all sorts of communications needs for police, fire, EMS, reading water meters, and a gazillion other things nobody has even thought of yet.The big companies, are, of course, lobbying to stop this. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
brijonmang Posted May 18, 2006 Share Posted May 18, 2006 Damn the man...I heard this on the news and they said it would be "designated hot spots" not technically "citywide"...it doesnt seem economically feasible to build a 600 square mile wireless network Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
houstonsemipro Posted May 20, 2006 Share Posted May 20, 2006 The city is considering bids from five companies seeking the contract. The bidders include: Earthlink Municipal Networks, Redmoon Broadband Inc., Convergent Broadband, nextWLAN Corporation and Houston Wi Fi Ltd. Company. The company charged with building the network will do so at its own cost, sparing taxpayers. It would then sell the service to users.They've also mention the deadline is tuesday May 23rd. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
sevfiv Posted July 20, 2006 Share Posted July 20, 2006 i recently was in corpus christi, and there is free (for now) wifi, which by august should cover 147 square miles of the city. i have to say, it worked really well, and even at a small cost later on down the road, it is a good resource Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
editor Posted July 22, 2006 Share Posted July 22, 2006 In many cities where this has been tried, the local telco and cable companies have sued to have it blocked. However, it can be very good for new and small businesses. Even in large cities like New York and Los Angeles there are sections that are internet deserts. Usually these are industrial areas that the city would like to see revitalized by new businesses. But those businesses won't move into those areas without internet service. The local cable companies won't wire the area for a few dozen businesses because expending the same effort in a residential area would bring in hundreds of customers instead of dozens. And the telephone company won't upgrade their lines for the same reason. So you get these zones where internet simply isn't available without going satellite or point-to-point at great expense. It's in these areas that municipal wifi is a Godsend. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Montrose1100 Posted July 23, 2006 Share Posted July 23, 2006 Great, more radiation and rays going threw my body. If someone ends up with a third arm sticking out of their face, we'll know "who dun it". Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
editor Posted July 24, 2006 Share Posted July 24, 2006 Great, more radiation and rays going threw my body. If someone ends up with a third arm sticking out of their face, we'll know "who dun it".You get more radiation from your microwave oven than from any municipal wifi setup. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Montrose1100 Posted July 24, 2006 Share Posted July 24, 2006 You get more radiation from your microwave oven than from any municipal wifi setup. Then I can thank god I have yet to use my microwave . Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
ricco67 Posted July 24, 2006 Share Posted July 24, 2006 I used my microwave for storage at one point, along with my oven.how sad is that? as far as getting online anywhere in the city at need. I generally read HAIF from my car when it's slow, or need some information either from mapquest or from googling something if I need to know something off hand. there are times when it is quite important to get access online. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
houstonmacbro Posted November 1, 2006 Share Posted November 1, 2006 i visited philly recently and they supposedly have a wireless network, although it didn't seem to be working. i had to actually PAY to use the hotel's wireless.that sucked.but anyhow, i am not sure i am all that big a fan of it. i mean, what will the wifi speeds be like? will the signals be strong? i live in the 'burbs (north houston) and we have poor services ... can't imagine having sparkling fast broadband run by the city.anyhow, it will be interesting to see what happens with all these initiatives. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
musicman Posted November 1, 2006 Share Posted November 1, 2006 from today's chronicle.Mayor Bill White asked business leaders Tuesday to help establish a citywide wireless Internet network by offering both their expertise and access to their buildings for transmitter sites.The city has narrowed the search for a vendor to two companies and hopes to choose one by the end of the year to finance and build the Wireless Fidelity (WiFi) network.Though most of the 15,000 small transmitter nodes needed for the project will be placed on city light poles, the vendor also will need sites, mainly on top of buildings, for 100 to 150 base stations to connect the network."I will be bargaining hard to make sure there's a fair and transparent and competitive deal for the access to the rooftops that we need in the city of Houston," White said. He suggested $1,000 per month per location as a reasonable fee.artlcle Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
travelguy_73 Posted November 1, 2006 Share Posted November 1, 2006 from today's chronicle.Though most of the 15,000 small transmitter nodes needed for the project will be placed on city light poles, the vendor also will need sites, mainly on top of buildings, for 100 to 150 base stations to connect the network.artlcleSo I guess this means this will not be a WiMax service? If I recall correctly, one WiMax transmitter has an optimal reach of like 3000 sq. miles. It seems like if rent would have to be paid for transmitter locations, the same money could be spent on a more robust WiMax network. Of course, it might mean new network cards for those who want to access it, and I don't know how much more the equipment is. I have to trust that Bill White's group has done their homework on this one.Here is an interesting link on Muni Wifi...How Stuff Works Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
MidtownCoog Posted November 1, 2006 Share Posted November 1, 2006 Related to this, have you seen how fugly the new solar powered parking meeter stations are?These are tied in to the network.Anyone have a pic? They sure ain't pretty. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
RedScare Posted November 1, 2006 Share Posted November 1, 2006 Related to this, have you seen how fugly the new solar powered parking meeter stations are?These are tied in to the network. Anyone have a pic? They sure ain't pretty. Is this it? Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
sevfiv Posted November 1, 2006 Share Posted November 1, 2006 they were prettier when they were in green plastic wrap - i'll post a photo Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
DMac Posted November 2, 2006 Share Posted November 2, 2006 i visited philly recently and they supposedly have a wireless network, although it didn't seem to be working. i had to actually PAY to use the hotel's wireless.that sucked.but anyhow, i am not sure i am all that big a fan of it. i mean, what will the wifi speeds be like? will the signals be strong? i live in the 'burbs (north houston) and we have poor services ... can't imagine having sparkling fast broadband run by the city.anyhow, it will be interesting to see what happens with all these initiatives.I thank what you meant to say was you CHOSE to pay, you didn't have to!RespectfullyDanny Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
houstonmacbro Posted November 2, 2006 Share Posted November 2, 2006 I thank what you meant to say was you CHOSE to pay, you didn't have to!RespectfullyDannywell, i HAD to pay if i wanted internet access while i was on the road. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Mark F. Barnes Posted November 2, 2006 Share Posted November 2, 2006 Network Communication Speed Comparison Table28.8 kbps Plain Old Telephone System (POTS) 56 kbps Switched 56 56 kbps - 34 Mbps Switched Multimegabit Data Service (SMDS) 64 kbps Integrated Services Digital Network (ISDN) 64 kbps DS0 128 kbps ISDN Dual Channel 230.4 kbps LocalTalk 640 kbps / 6 Mbps (upstream/downstream) Asymmetric Digital Subscriber Line (ADSL) 720 kbps Bluetooth wireless PAN (2.4 GHz band) 1 and 2 Mbps IEEE 802.11 wireless (2.4 GHz band) 1 Mbps Cable Modem 1.544 Mbps DSL-1/T1 2 Mbps PCS Wireless 2.048 Mbps E1 6.312 Mbps DSL-2/T2 8.448 Mbps E2 10 Mbps 10Base-T Ethernet 11 Mbps IEEE 802.11b wireless Wi-Fi (2.4 GHz band) 12 Mbps Universal Serial Bus (USB) 20-24 Mbps U-NII Wireless 25.6-155.52 Mbps Asynchronous Transfer Mode (ATM) 34.368 Mbps E3 40 Mbps (5 MBps) SCSI-1 44.736 Mbps DSL-3/T3 51.84 Mbps OC-1/STS-1 Synchronous Optical Network (SONET) 54 Mbps IEEE 802.11a wireless WLAN (5 GHz band) 54 Mbps / 11 Mbps IEEE 802.11g wireless WLAN (2.4 GHz band) 80 Mbps (10 MBps) Fast SCSI 100 Mbps 100Base-T Ethernet (Fast Ethernet) 155.52 Mbps OC-3/STM-1 160 Mbps (20 MBps) Fast Wide SCSI 160 Mbps (20 MBps) Ultra SCSI 274.176 Mbps DS-4/T4 320 Mbps (40 MBps) Wide Ultra SCSI 400 Mbps FireWire (IEEE 1394A) 466.56 Mbps OC-9/STM-3 480 Mbps USB 2.0 622.08 Mbps OC-12/STM-4 640 Mbps (80 MBps) Wide Ultra2 SCSI 800 Mbps FireWire 800 (IEEE 1394B) 800 Mbps (100 MBps) ATA/100 (parallel) 1 Gbps Gigabit Ethernet 1.244 Gbps OC-24/STM-8 1.280 Gbps (160 MBps) Ultra160 SCSI 1.280 Gbps (160 MBps) Ultra3 SCSI 1.5 Gbps Ultra Serial ATA 1500 1.866 Gbps OC-36/STM-12 2.488 Gbps OC-48/STM-16 2.560 Gbps (320 MBps) Ultra320 SCSI 4.976 Gbps OC-96/STM-32 9.953 Gbps OC-192/STM-64 10 Gbps 10G Ethernet (IEEE 802.3ae) 13.271 Gbps OC-255 40 Gbps OC-768 Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Guest Marty Posted November 2, 2006 Share Posted November 2, 2006 That's a neat chart there Mark. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
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