News from the Rose Kennedy Greenway Conservancy regarding a major upgrade to its free wi-fi network:
Greenway Installing Major Upgrade to Its Wi-Fi –
One of the Largest Free Public Wi-Fi Networks in the Commonwealth
The Rose Kennedy Greenway Conservancy (rosekennedygreenway.org) today announced that work has begun on major upgrades of The Greenway’s free Wi-Fi network through a partnership with PTS, DAS Communications, and Anaptyx. The Greenway’s entire network will be upgraded to “carrier-grade.” Park visitors will experience faster connections and better coverage, with the entire network upgraded by the end of September 2015 so visitors will experience faster connections and better coverage everywhere on the 1.5-mile park.
Greenway Wi-Fi is one of the largest free outdoor networks in the Commonwealth, stretching The Greenway from Chinatown Park to the North End Park. Free Wi-Fi network is a very popular Greenway amenity with over 107,000 log-ons in 2014 and nearly 400,000 log-ons since the Greenway Conservancy built the original network in 2010.
“With faster, more reliable Wi-Fi, we invite Financial District workers to step out of their offices and work in the park,” said Jesse Brackenbury, Executive Director for the Rose Kennedy Greenway Conservancy. “Visitors from near and far can use our Wi-Fi to share photos of their ride on the Greenway Carousel, make a dinner reservation while relaxing near the Rings Fountain, or learn more about the contemporary public art on display.”
Greenway Wi-Fi will be provided on a high-speed backbone, giving the user a true broadband experience. PTS/DAS will upgrade existing equipment to state-of-the-art Ruckus 802.11ac access points and point-to-point bridges. The Ruckus equipment is small and purpose-built to withstand harsh outdoor environments. Internet service will be provided from 3 “gateways” on nearby buildings, which will be relayed by 32 access points installed along the 1.5-mile Greenway. Park visitors can log-in with a simple “I Accept” page and then stream video, listen to music, or email with fast 10Mbps down- and up-load speeds. PTS/DAS will market a portion of the Wi-Fi bandwidth to wireless carriers for their users and for new technology possibilities such as voice-over-Wi-Fi.
“In today’s digital world access to Wi-Fi is essential, and I thank the Rose Kennedy Greenway Conservancy for their commitment to improving free public Wi-Fi throughout The Greenway,” said Mayor Martin J. Walsh. “As a global city, it is important that we continue to expand broadband access to improve the lives of residents and visitors, and increase the success of local businesses.”
“Anaptyx is proud of its contribution to the design and deployment of The Greenway’s first free Wi-Fi network in 2010 and we are excited to now be part of the team, which is expanding and upgrading the original network in order to provide users with a new, robust and technologically advanced Wi-Fi experience,” commented Kenneth Carnesi, CEO of Anaptyx, LLC.
“PTS and DAS Communications is thrilled to be the provider for The Greenway to upgrade and expand the WiFi along The Greenway. We welcome the opportunity to enhance the visitor experience. WiFi is the preferred public communications technology and has become expected in public places. This project is an excellent example of how private and public partnerships can improve the quality of life,” stated Alan Rothenstreich, Director of Business Development for PTS.
PTS/DAS and the Greenway Conservancy are also exploring ways to make park technology remotely accessible. For example, the partnership may allow for remote monitoring of water quality levels in The Greenway’s fountains by connecting to the controllers in the park’s underground vaults.
The Greenway network is centrally managed, consisting of Ruckus T300 series outdoor access points and P300 point to point bridges. Ruckus was chosen because of its central management system and scalability. The T300 small factor will allow the network to be placed while maintaining the aesthetics of The Greenway. The models offer pole mounting that ensure no distortion of Wi-Fi signals is introduced, delivering performance of up to 1,200 Mbps total WLAN RF capacity, with up to 300 Mbps at 2.4 GHz (802.11b/g/n), and up to 900 Mbps at 5 GHz (802.11ac). In addition, both APs support Beamflex and ChannelFly that are ideal for an outdoor deployment with a changing environment providing reliable and strong connections to users spread out throughout The Greenway.
About The Rose Kennedy Greenway and Conservancy (www.rosekennedygreenway.org)
The Rose Kennedy Greenway is a mile-and-a-half of contemporary parks in the heart of Boston. The Greenway is a roof garden atop a highway tunnel that connects people and the city with beauty and fun. The non-profit Conservancy maintains, programs, and improves The Greenway on behalf of the public and in partnership with the Commonwealth of Massachusetts. The Greenway welcomed 1,023,000 visitors in 2014 for the Greenway Carousel, events, Wi-Fi, and Mobile Eats food trucks, plus millions more visitors who enjoyed the contemporary public art, fountains, and gardens. The Conservancy has won numerous awards, including for our organic landscape care and park programming.
About PTS, DAS Communications, and Anaptyx
PTS and DAS Communications are deploying multiple networks of carrier grade Wi-Fi Hotspot Networks. PTS and DAS specialize in serving public communication needs to high traffic areas, and have over 30 years of experience providing best-in-class solutions to airports, hospitals, hotels, venues, municipalities and public spaces. Deployments include the Staten Island Ferry, where PTS and DAS offer what is believed to be the fastest free high speed Wi-Fi available on any passenger vessel in the world to the over 70,000 daily passengers at the terminals and ferry boats. In Downtown Brooklyn, PTS and DAS provide contiguous outdoor Wi-Fi coverage in an area with over 26 million square feet of development.
Anaptyx (www.anaptyx.com) specializes in providing innovative and reliable network solutions to commercial; residential; hospitality; and municipality applications throughout the United States. Anaptyx’s exemplary track record in the industry since 2007, evidences its ability to consistently deploy successful networks with unsurpassed efficiency. The engineering group at Anaptyx provides a full range of networking services from the initial consultancy stage of the project, to the final operational deployment and continuing maintenance of the network. Effective, affordable and reliable networks are the cornerstone of Anaptyx.
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