DOWNTOWN WINDSOR NEWS

UPCOMING EVENTS

April 9, 2009 - What's New at the DWBIA... Free Wireless Internet

Free wireless Internet up and running in downtown Windsor

By Karen Ashford, Communications Intern

Free wireless Internet (WIFI) is now up and running in parts of downtown Windsor and available to people who visit, shop, live and work in the downtown core.

"Elders, teens and families can come downtown and sit down and relax and communicate with the world," said Larry Horowitz, Executive Board Chair of the DWBIA.

The WIFI can be accessed on Riverside Drive from Ferry Street to Goyeau Street, along Ouellette Avenue from Dieppe Park to just South of Wyandotte Street, on Pelissier Street from Chatham Street to Maiden Lane, on Chatham Street from the Bus Depot on Dougall Avenue to Goyeau Street and on University Avenue West from Pelisser Street to Ouelette Avenue.

"Now people can bring their computers downtown and sit in a street or café or park or residence and enjoy the value that being in downtown brings to you," Horowitz said.

A technologically savvy downtown provides people with the opportunity to access their email or browse online while enjoying the many luxuries that downtown has to offer.

"I use it for whatever - Facebook, My Space, or research," said Ron Marston, while surfing on his laptop and enjoying a cup of coffee at MILK Coffee Bar.

Marston, who spends several hours each day using the DWBIA's WIFI, said that he would come to MILK even if they did not offer Internet, but it's a huge reason why he stays as long as he does.


The DWBIA, with assistance from E-Liquid, the company responsible for installing the wireless Internet, have worked tirelessly to ensure that wireless Internet be implemented in downtown Windsor properly and effectively.

The DWBIA put forth the initial start-up cost and will be paying the monthly maintenance fees, but Horowitz believes it will become "revenue-neutral" once advertisers start promoting their products on the site.

This free service is available to anyone with a laptop or a WIFI phone in the downtown core all day every day, but the DWBIA recommends that users do not access private or confidential sites that require passwords, including banking and social networking sites.

We hope business owners, residents and visitors alike will enjoy the benefits of being able to spend time downtown while surfing the Internet. Look for an expansion of the network in the future.

Enjoy!