Free wireless Internet in downtown Amherst

Cooperating with Kris Pacunas and David Soucie from the Town of Amherst IT department, UMass Amherst CS Department Assistant Professor Mark Corner and Associate Professor Brian Levine are expanding wireless coverage in downtown Amherst, MA. This network, along with the network already installed in the Library and Town Hall, promises to support a variety of municipal services, free Internet access to citizens, and adds additional research capability to the UMass Amherst DOME project (prisms.cs.umass.edu/dome). Deployment of this network is underway. The researchers have purchased 11 Cisco Mesh Access Points, a Cisco Catalyst switch, and an Aironet 4400 wireless controller. Together with equipment donated by Cisco, Corner and Levine will be deploying Mesh Access Points in 18 outdoor locations in downtown Amherst. They are continuing to expand the coverage of this network, as funding permits.