Comments on: Free Wireless for Washtenaw County http://www.blyberg.net/2006/08/07/free-wireless-for-washtenaw-county/ A library-geek blog Mon, 01 Dec 2008 23:53:14 +0000 http://wordpress.org/?v=2.6.5 By: eli http://www.blyberg.net/2006/08/07/free-wireless-for-washtenaw-county/#comment-4060 eli Fri, 11 Aug 2006 06:50:03 +0000 http://www.blyberg.net/2006/08/07/free-wireless-for-washtenaw-county/#comment-4060 Well, if people want to use their laptops inside, they'll probably still want to use our wireless. At a wireless washtenaw meeting, we were told that the service is not guaranteed or intended to provide access inside buildings without the installation of repeaters by the building owner. We'll see how the network actually materializes, but it might turn out to be like ann arbor's sidewalk cafes: really great in the right half of the year. I also wonder about the service's ability to be profitable, and I wonder how many subscriptions they have to sell for that to happen. What happens to the infrastructure if the system fails to turn a profit and the vendor pulls the plug? $35 a month is a lot to pay for a service with a free (but slow) alternative. Well, if people want to use their laptops inside, they’ll probably still want to use our wireless. At a wireless washtenaw meeting, we were told that the service is not guaranteed or intended to provide access inside buildings without the installation of repeaters by the building owner. We’ll see how the network actually materializes, but it might turn out to be like ann arbor’s sidewalk cafes: really great in the right half of the year.

I also wonder about the service’s ability to be profitable, and I wonder how many subscriptions they have to sell for that to happen. What happens to the infrastructure if the system fails to turn a profit and the vendor pulls the plug? $35 a month is a lot to pay for a service with a free (but slow) alternative.

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