Technology: Wi-Fi in Seattle
The City of Seattle provides free wireless Internet access (Wi-Fi) in the Columbia City and the University District business districts, the City Hall lobby area, and four downtown Seattle parks: Occidental, Westlake, Victor Steinbrueck, and the north end of Freeway Park. This is a pilot project. Users can log-in using seattlewifi for the ssid.
In addition to the this seattlewifi service, free wireless Internet is available at the Seattle Public Libraries, Seattle Center and in many other locations enabled by private providers.
On May 18, 2005, Seattle Mayor Greg Nickels launched a pilot project providing free wireless Internet access in the Columbia City and the University District business districts and then the four downtown Seattle parks and City Hall lobby area.
The goals of the City's Wi-Fi pilot project are: to attract more customers to local business districts, support small businesses, encourage the use of public parks and facilities, and enable more citizens to access City services online.
Seattlewifi served 14,400 different users in 2006, 19,768 in 2007 and 20,603 in 2008. Our initial evaluation of the project found that wi-fi helped save driving and helped increase customers in the business districts.
If you have questions or comments, you can email communitytechnology@seattle.gov or leave a message on our WiFi infoline at 684-8070.
"I *love* having free access to wifi in Columbia City. It allows me to work in cafes without having to worry about whether they provide internet access, and I hope to work in the park when the weather is nice this summer. I hope that this project is expanded to include even more areas in Seattle."
Thank you,
KD
Seattle, Columbia City resident
UW graduate student
mom to a 1-year-old
In the University District, coverage currently runs along University Way (The Ave) from 40th Street NE to approximately midway between 47th and 50th Streets NE.
University District Coverage Map
In Columbia City coverage runs along Rainier Avenue South from Dawson Street northwards to South Alaska Street.
Columbia City Coverage Map
In addition to this free city wifi, the Seattle Public Library provides wireless in the downtown library and many branches. Seattle Center provides free wifi in the Center House.
Frequently Asked Questions
There is currently no committment from the city to provide citywide coverage. We are considering the feasibility of a project to bring fiber to the home/premises, which would provide greater bandwidth. For more info, see our broadband page.
The City conducted an evaluation of the project to see if it had an economic and community benefit. The results are available in a summary report or as a full report. In short, there was an economic benefit seen by about a quarter of the businesses, and users found a great deal of benefit through cost and transportation savings and convenience for personal and business uses.
The goals of the City's Wi-Fi pilot project are: to attract more customers to local business districts, support small businesses, encourage the use of public parks and facilities, and enable more citizens to access City services online.
The business district sites are being provided in a partnership with the neighborhood business associations. Internet service is being underwritten by local sponsors.
For more detailed information about the project launch and the sponsors, read the Mayor's press release.
The City of Seattle financed the hardware for the project. The Department of Information Technology will manage the system and ongoing service and utility costs are being covered by the neighborhood business districts and sponsors. This pilot is being managed by the Office of Economic Development and Department of Information Technology. There was an evaluation of this pilot project in 2006. As a result some technical upgrades were made to the system. Maintenance funding was provided for 2007 and 2008. The City will consider partnerships that would enable additional areas of the city to be covered.
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Doug King installs the wireless access points and antennas. |
Networking students from the Technology Access Foundation in Columbia City testing the signal strength. The students, Bisrat, Tony, Thai Hang and Robin were led by instructor Troy Hilton. |
City Light crew assists with antenna installation. |
Adapted with permission from Less Network's Security Statement. Read Less Network's Terms of Use.
Free WiFi Hotspot Security Statement
Last Updated May 2005
This Security Statement is provided to help users learn more about the security limitations of free WiFi hotspot services.
WiFi networks of hotspots are based on evolving wireless technology with well-known and documented security concerns. Therefore, privacy of your data and communications while using the free WiFi service at a hotspot cannot be guaranteed. Wireless LAN (local area network) services, like this free WiFi hotspot, include over-the-air communications that may be illicitly intercepted by equipment and software designed for that purpose. Unless connected securely to another server using SSL encryption or other means, user communications are transmitted "in the clear" (meaning they are not encrypted) and so may be vulnerable to unauthorized interception. Additionally, devices (like your laptop or PDA) using wireless connections may be more vulnerable to illicit attempts to access data and software stored on the device.
Users are responsible to take measures to secure their devices and Internet communications. We strongly recommend user-provided security solutions, including virtual private networks, encryption and personal firewalls. It is the user's responsibility to take precautions and provide security measures suited to their situation and intended use of the service. This service does not provide these solutions to users and cannot guarantee or otherwise be responsible for their effectiveness.
If you are interested in learning more, a few sources of additional information are:
This Security Statement may be updated from time to time. Please check back regularly for updates.
For more information about where to access free computers in Seattle, visit these City technology pages:
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