Downtown library extends WiFi access to Lee-Jackson park

Want to check last night’s NBA box score while waiting for the bus at East Market? Well, as long as you have a wireless laptop, you’re now in luck, thanks to City Council’s recently purchased high-power wireless antenna. The antenna, manufactured by Charlottesville-based ADI Engineering, puts out a signal eight to 10 times more powerful than the average home wireless router, augmenting the wireless service already provided by the Downtown branch of the Jefferson-Madison Regional Library.
“We’re delighted to expand our library services beyond the library wall,” says Library Director John Halliday. But computer geeks out there shouldn’t expect T-1 level bandwidth: The signal draws from the existing DSL connection the library uses for its in-building wireless service, according to Halliday. That’s bad news for YouTube-addicted high-speed Internet hogs, but good news for anyone prone to grumbling about tax bills, because it draws from the existing infrastructure. The only additional cost was for the antenna itself, which was discounted from its $700 retail price.
Though some computers can get a signal as far away as McGuffey Art Center, the signal degrades for plebeian laptops by the west end of Lee-Jackson Park. Those hoping for citywide wifi shouldn’t expect it anytime soon, though. City Councilor Kevin Lynch says this is a pilot program with no planned expansions—although City Council is closely watching other cities that provide broader wireless access. If the programs prove popular and cost-effective, who knows what the wireless future might bring?—Will Goldsmith