Each year more than 100,000 people flock to the Crawford County Fair for rides, concerts, livestock showcases and demolition derbies. And this year the fair, scheduled for later this month, will be a giant wi-fi hotspot.
Pat Gladis of the regional Internet provider Armstrong explains that the company had already wired parts of the fairgrounds near Meadville for high-speed Web access. The county commissioners had it in their office on the fairgrounds, and Armstrong itself was connected to the Internet at the booth where it displays its offerings.
But more people wanted easy access to the Internet. Musical groups that came to give concerts at the fair requested Internet access in their contracts. Vendors started using it to showcase their wares or restock their merchandise. Gladis says Armstrong thought, “Why don’t we just cut to the chase and cover the whole area?”
Gladis, Armstrong’s technical operations supervisor, says the company installed a ring of cable modems around the fairgrounds. A network of wireless repeaters and transmitters provides wi-fi access over all 67 acres. He expects it to be popular with teens and young adults who tote cell phones with them everywhere they go.
Armstrong will take down some of the wireless equipment after the fair ends Aug. 27, but leave the basic infrastructure in place so it can be turned on for future events.
Source: Pat Gladis, Armstrong
Writer: Rebecca VanderMeulen