Chander wi-fi network nears startup

After months of delays and several false starts, Chandler residents are finally within range of a citywide wireless access network.

City planners and beta-testers are checking the new online network for connection issues, according to city spokeswoman Margaret Coulter.

The company contracted for the project, Kite Networks, will then determine if it is necessary to move existing access points to improve wi-fi coverage.

The Chandler City Council agreed to the municipal wireless access contract with the company, then known as NeoReach, in January 2006. The first phase of the project was originally scheduled to be completed by spring of this year.

Coulter said the delay involved technical problems with the company’s construction of Tempe’s wireless network. Kite realized the need to add more access points than first anticipated before expanding throughout the Valley, she said.

The company’s plan is eventually to combine Chandler’s network with Tempe’s and a future Gilbert network to form a 187-square mile wi-fi blanket.

“While the technology is fairly new, there aren’t too many mesh networks of that size,” Coulter said. “It has been a learning experience for them.”

Coulter said at this point the city has received no complaints from testers about access problems.

The initial phase of the project covers the area bounded by Ray and Elliot roads and McQueen Road and Loop 101. The downtown area to Pecos Road and Province Park are also covered.

Wireless users logging on from “designated free zones” in downtown Chandler will be able to access the full Internet for up to two hours a day at no charge, Coulter said. Eventually, free access points will be available at Chandler-Gilbert Community College, Chandler Fashion Square and the city’s three major parks.

Users in the rest of the coverage area will only be able to access government and utility pages at no cost but will have to pay for regular Internet access.

A variety of paid wireless plans ranging from $4.95 per hour to $29.95 per month will be available at the network’s launch, according to the company’s Web site, www.kite.net. Beta-testers can also register at the site and take advantage of free wi-fi Internet access during the testing phase.

In Gilbert, a contract for municipal wireless service was agreed upon between the town and Kite Networks more than 18 months ago, but residents there will have to wait a bit longer for wi-fi. According to Gilbert spokesman Greg Svelund, construction of wireless access points in the town will begin “soon.”

“It will happen in short order,” Svelund said.

The company, recently acquired by Gobility Inc., is planning to complete work on the Chandler and Tempe networks first before moving on to the Gilbert project, Svenlund said.

Despite the progress, not every city in the Valley is willing to jump on the wireless bandwagon just yet. While Tempe and Scottsdale residents have enjoyed citywide wireless Internet coverage for more than a year, Mesa has no contract in place to develop a wi-fi network.