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Thursday, September 25, 2008 7:15 PM EDT
Village now has Wi-Fi for all
By Kip Doyle
Olean Times Herald
WELLSVILLE - Downtown Wellsville cut the cord with the official launch of free wireless Internet access throughout the village’s business district on Wednesday afternoon.
Wellsville Mayor Jim Cretekos and Steve Havey, director for the Wellsville Area Chamber of Commerce, cut a ribbon and a symbolic cable to signify the launch of the free Wi-Fi, which will run at just below the speed of DSL service.
The innovative Wi-Fi system was created by Roger Ramsey, owner of the Computer Clinic in Wellsville.
Three antennas, placed strategically and out of sight on rooftops, bring the service to users. The antennas are powered by one solar panel, although they can run off of battery power for a minimum of three days without sun, Mr. Ramsey said.
The Computer Clinic is footing the bill for the free Wi-Fi access in the village.
Wellsville Village Board member Jesse Case was enthusiastic about the many applications that public Wi-Fi will provide the community.
“What a great day for Wellsville,” Mr. Case said. “There are communities all over the country just begging for this kind of service.”
Mr. Havey, an admitted tech junkie, said he is thrilled that Wellsville is on the cutting edge of public Internet access. Generally, communitywide Wi-Fi hot spots can only be found in densely populated areas.
“It just knocks me out that this idea happened in Wellsville, and this idea came from a Wellsville business,” Mr. Havey said. “There are uses for this that haven’t even been thought of yet.”
Mayor Cretekos echoed those sentiments.
“I spent half my life across the street at the Creketos Soda Fountain, and I never imagined something like this would happen,” he said. “I am very pleased.”
Mr. Ramsey’s invention, known as SkyStream, has other applications that go beyond stationary Wi-Fi service. Because of the solar power and battery life, SkyStream is portable.
“From a wireless standpoint, you can go wherever you want,” Mr. Ramsey said. “It gives you the ability to go wherever you want to and go online.”
Communities without broadband service can purchase a SkyStream unit, along with service from an Internet service provider, and bring Wi-Fi access to their residents.
Locally, broadband service is almost exclusive to cities and villages. With SkyStream, outlying communities can now employ wireless Internet service at an affordable cost.
Mr. Ramsey is focused on placing the antennas on pre-existing infrastructure, like silos and barns, which will limit SkyStream’s environmental footprint and preserve the region’s rural aesthetic.
The portability factor also makes SkyStream attractive to traveling labor, like the oil and construction industries, and emergency and disaster responders who need to relay information quickly, Mr. Ramsey said.
When the power is out and the sky is dark, SkyStream’s solar panels can continue to charge off of the light of the moon and street lights. The system heats and cools itself according to the weather, making it very self-sufficient.
Businesses and residents along Wellsville’s Main Street region can amplify their free Wi-Fi signal with antenna receivers, which are available at the Computer Clinic.
To contact the Computer Clinic about SkyStream and other services, visit them at 54 N. Main St. or call (585) 593-4181.
(Contact reporter Kip Doyle at kdoyleoth@inbox.com)
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