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Wireless web access gets communal in NYC
New York, June 09: In crowded and diverse New York City, an invisible technology is creating a new sense of neighborhood.
New York, June 09: In crowded and diverse New York City, an invisible technology is creating a new sense of neighborhood.
A growing number of people in Manhattan are using short-range wireless networks to access the Web. In a city where nothing is cheap, these networks are being shared among neighbors or anyone who happens to be within 300 feet of the transmitter, at no cost.
This so-called Wi-Fi technology can be used for free by anyone with a laptop computer or handheld gadget equipped with a card, which costs less than $100, designed to pick up the radio signal. In a time of massive budget cuts, these free access points are becoming a rare public service some generous New Yorkers are providing for their neighbors.
Dustin Goodwin attached his Wi-Fi transmitter next to the window on the outside of his New York City apartment two years ago. The transmitter allows neighbors and passersby to connect to his high-speed Internet service over his phone line, a technology known as digital subscriber line, or DSL. He`s been sharing his wireless Internet link for free ever since.
"I have a DSL line at home and I have way more bandwidth than I need, so I share it with my neighbors," explains Goodwin.
Goodwin helped start NYCWireless, a growing grass roots organization that believes in sharing wireless access to the Internet, particularly in public spaces. The group estimates more than 1,000 people use the group`s network of free "hot spots."
Goodwin says his goodwill has brought him closer to his community.
"I came home from work one day and someone was sitting on my stoop with their laptop surfing the Internet," he said. "They had recently moved and didn`t have an Internet connection and they didn`t have a job and he thanked me.
"Then one of my neighbors stopped me in the hall, and asked, `Are you the one sharing?` and introduced himself," he added.
The neighbor is now one of a handful of free riders on Goodwin`s street who never got a subscription for Internet service and has never paid a penny to surf the Web.
Bureau Report
A growing number of people in Manhattan are using short-range wireless networks to access the Web. In a city where nothing is cheap, these networks are being shared among neighbors or anyone who happens to be within 300 feet of the transmitter, at no cost.
This so-called Wi-Fi technology can be used for free by anyone with a laptop computer or handheld gadget equipped with a card, which costs less than $100, designed to pick up the radio signal. In a time of massive budget cuts, these free access points are becoming a rare public service some generous New Yorkers are providing for their neighbors.
Dustin Goodwin attached his Wi-Fi transmitter next to the window on the outside of his New York City apartment two years ago. The transmitter allows neighbors and passersby to connect to his high-speed Internet service over his phone line, a technology known as digital subscriber line, or DSL. He`s been sharing his wireless Internet link for free ever since.
"I have a DSL line at home and I have way more bandwidth than I need, so I share it with my neighbors," explains Goodwin.
Goodwin helped start NYCWireless, a growing grass roots organization that believes in sharing wireless access to the Internet, particularly in public spaces. The group estimates more than 1,000 people use the group`s network of free "hot spots."
Goodwin says his goodwill has brought him closer to his community.
"I came home from work one day and someone was sitting on my stoop with their laptop surfing the Internet," he said. "They had recently moved and didn`t have an Internet connection and they didn`t have a job and he thanked me.
"Then one of my neighbors stopped me in the hall, and asked, `Are you the one sharing?` and introduced himself," he added.
The neighbor is now one of a handful of free riders on Goodwin`s street who never got a subscription for Internet service and has never paid a penny to surf the Web.
Bureau Report