Economic Director Brent Graden is constantly looking for ways to differentiate
his city and draw interest from business and tourism to the rural community of
Prestonsburg, Kentucky. Graden was interested in offering free Internet
access to members of the community and visitors. He began to research
options and received quotes for $100,000 to $250,000 to cover the city, based
on $15,000 access points. This type of high capex model was not viable for
Prestonsburg.
When Graden read an article about Meraki in a magazine, he was intrigued. "I
knew there was a better mousetrap out there, and Meraki was it," he said.
Graden strongly believes that networks must be both technically and financially
viable.
To initiate the project, Graden received $8,500 from the city council for two
years of broadband access and Meraki repeaters to cover the downtown area,
which is two linear miles. The network will be sustained through revenues
from Meraki's community messaging platform.
 With roughly half of the system installed, the network had more than 630
users in its first six weeks. When complete, the network will consist of 70
Meraki indoor and outdoor repeaters. Three DSL access points will power
the entire system. "Meraki is an extremely good value," Graden said, "and it's
easy to install."
Cities and towns are eager to distinguish themselves, and offering wireless
Internet access is an easy way to make an impression when courting new
businesses or attracting travelers. In fact, Graden used WiFi as a competitive
advantage when convincing new businesses to set up shop to the area,
including six restaurants, three national retailers and two light industrial
companies.
 Benefits to employing a Meraki mesh network include the ability to manage the
system without an additional computer or server, Graden said. Being able to
log in, assess any issues and handle them while on vacation or away from the
office is ideal, as is the ability to maintain the network without a staff. Dashboard,
Meraki's online hosted central administration, provides him with
essential information such as how many users are on the network and maps
of where users are accessing the service.
The city is working with ConnectKentucky, a coalition set up to provide
Internet access throughout the state. Once the full network is in place, Graden
plans an official unveiling and launch in Prestonsburg. |
