Wireless Internet arrives in Warren

Leaders in the city hope Wi-Fi will attract people to the downtown.

BY MAYSOON ABDELRASUL

VINDICATOR TRUMBULL STAFF

WARREN — Signs can be seen in downtown Warren letting everyone know that Wi-Fi is now available.

That’s right: Take your laptop to Courthouse Square, have a seat on the bench and have access to the Internet.

The $25,000 project was coordinated by the city and Trumbull 100, an organization of business people. Splitting the cost in half made the project manageable.

Shelley Taylor, Trumbull 100 president, said after years of looking into the possibility of wireless Internet in Warren, this price works.

Besides the cost of the hardware, Embarq agreed to give two years of free Internet service; it will cost $150 every month after. Taylor said it hasn’t yet been decided who will pay the monthly fee.

“We will figure it out,” she said.

She said the Wi-Fi is expected to be permanent and people are expecting it to be up year-round.

Signal strength

The strongest signal runs from Courthouse Square to the Warren Community Amphitheater and the Kinsman House lawn. The signal slowly gets lost farther out toward city hall, and toward the corner of Pine and West Market Street.

Carolyn Angelotti, Embarq public affairs manager, said the project is up and fully running. “It has been in the works for the last three years,” she said.

She described it as similar to having wireless at home. If the signal is strong enough in the area, the laptop will pick up the signal and connect to the Internet.

Taylor said she has seen people in Courthouse Square using their laptops. “It’s neat to see it in action,” she said.