Re: Wobbly Wi-Fi strives for stability inPortland (The Oregonian)

They use cogent for both, don't have an address off hand though.

Tyler Booth // President
ph. 503.548.2000 | fx. 503.548.2002
921 SW Washington St, Suite 224
Portland OR 97205


On Sep 4, 2007, at 10:16 AM, Tyler van Houwelingen wrote:

> does anyone know the gateway IP addresses that MetroFi is using on  
> their
> Free and Premium (WPA secure) networks?
>
> ty
>
>
> ----- Original Message -----
> From: "Caleb Phillips" <[email protected]>
> To: <general-9Og1/[email protected]>
> Sent: Tuesday, September 04, 2007 11:55 AM
> Subject: Re: [ptp-general] Wobbly Wi-Fi strives for stability  
> inPortland
> (The Oregonian)
>
>
>>> I am curious what you guys think of the MetroFi service in Portland.
>>
>> I don't think Personal Telco has any one opinion on the matter  
>> (being an
>> all-volunteer-anarchy-of-sorts).
>>
>> We (by which I mean mostly Jason McArthur) have archived some  
>> opinions
>> and links and stuff like that on the wiki:
>>
>>  http://wiki.personaltelco.net/MetroFi
>>
>> Also, Russell and I (as most know by now) did an independent (of both
>> the City and PTP) survey of the Portland MetroFi proof-of-concept
>> network, which lives here:
>>
>>  http://unwirepdx-watch.org
>>  http://unwirepdx-watch.org/files/report.pdf
>>
>> However, this is less what we "think" and more what we "learned"  
>> about
>> the network.
>>
>> Some comments below...
>>
>>> Wobbly Wi-Fi strives for stability
>>> Technology - The city's wireless network's been plagued with  
>>> technical
>>> difficulties and iffy finances
>>> Monday, September 03, 2007
>>> MIKE ROGOWAY
>>> The Oregonian
>>> The dream of cheap, wireless Web access broadcast across whole  
>>> cities --
>>> a dream nurtured with great fervor around the country last year  
>>> -- has
>>> largely collapsed.
>>>
>>> In city after city, technical limitations and financial troubles  
>>> have
>>> killed plans to replicate coffee shop Wi-Fi networks on a broad  
>>> scale.
>>> Just last week, plans for networks in Chicago, Houston and San  
>>> Francisco
>>> were scuttled when EarthLink Inc. disbanded its Wi-Fi team.
>>>
>>> And yet in Portland, the dream survives.
>>>
>>> Despite eight months of ridicule by bloggers and techies, and  
>>> scores of
>>> complaints from would-be Web surfers who can't connect, Portland's
>>> network is proving stubbornly resilient.
>>
>> Should say "citizen criticism" not "ridicule by techies".
>>
>>> Data from MetroFi Inc., the California company behind the project,
>>> indicate that thousands of people are quietly using the network.  
>>> It isn't
>>> the plug-and-play, universal access of Web surfers' dreams, but  
>>> it's not
>>> an out-and-out failure, either.
>>
>> Oh, boy, nothing proves success like asking the marketing department!
>>
>>> "I don't know of any municipal wireless network that has as much  
>>> usage,"
>>> said Chuck Haas, MetroFi's chief executive. "Portland is  
>>> absolutely a
>>> success."
>>>
>>> If Portland is positioned to be the last man standing, though,  
>>> that's
>>> hardly an enviable spot. MetroFi itself acknowledges that free Wi-Fi
>>> alone won't satisfy its investors, and is exploring alternatives  
>>> that
>>> include more robust technologies and paid services.
>>>
>>> Others say that Portland's plan was fatally flawed and that it's
>>> impossible to use Wi-Fi to build a citywide network that's both
>>> profitable and reliable.
>>
>> Perhaps they were focusing on the wrong kind of profit.
>>
>>> Portland should start over with a community-oriented approach  
>>> focused on
>>> bringing wireless access to individual neighborhoods, said Michael
>>> Weinberg, president of the volunteer group Personal Telco Project.
>>
>> Yay, Mike!
>>
>>> Personal Telco popularized Wi-Fi in Portland by setting up dozens  
>>> of free
>>> hot spots in cafes and bars around the city and helped inspire  
>>> the city's
>>> network. The group's members quickly turned against the effort  
>>> and are
>>> now among its most vocal critics.
>>
>> Wrong again. We didn't "turn against it", we're just concerned and  
>> vocal
>> citizens.
>>
>>> "Personal Telco Project was able to do a lot of stuff because we're
>>> volunteers," he said. "That gives us a huge advantage in terms of
>>> accomplishing a lot of things."
>>>
>>> A rough start
>>>
>>> MetroFi won Portland's contract in the summer of 2006 by offering  
>>> what
>>> seemed an unbeatable deal: free Wi-Fi for nearly all of Portland,  
>>> with no
>>> financial commitment from the city. The startup planned to pay  
>>> for its
>>> network with 1-inch banner ads that appear across Web browsers while
>>> users are online, and from other wireless subscriptions it hoped  
>>> the city
>>> would buy.
>>>
>>> The first phase went online downtown in December. Troubles were
>>> immediately apparent, as coverage was spotty in some areas and  
>>> all but
>>> unavailable indoors. Many users were surprised to learn that MetroFi
>>> recommends a $100 signal booster indoors to overcome the  
>>> limitations of
>>> low-powered Wi-Fi signals.
>>>
>>> Negative reviews followed, distributed coast-to-coast by National  
>>> Public
>>> Radio and The Associated Press. The AP labeled Portland's network
>>> "frustrating" after repeated, unsuccessful attempts to log on.  
>>> Portland
>>> bloggers and technologists have been considerably less kind,  
>>> offering
>>> expletives and other scorn to describe connection problems.
>>>
>>> Still, MetroFi persists. The Portland network is now about 25  
>>> percent
>>> complete, and MetroFi says it expects to cover nearly all of  
>>> Portland by
>>> this time next year as its contract with the city requires.
>>>
>>> While network performance is certainly erratic overall, in  
>>> certain places
>>> close to network antennas -- and even some places indoors --  
>>> access is
>>> dependable and fast. For many people, apparently, that's enough.
>>>
>>> MetroFi reports the number of people online has climbed from  
>>> about 4,300
>>> a month at the start of the year to more than 17,300 in August.  
>>> Those
>>> folks spent an average of nearly 15 hours on the network last month,
>>> MetroFi says.
>>>
>>> But the question remains whether even a growing user base will  
>>> make the
>>> project work financially.
>>>
>>> An analysis by The Oregonian of MetroFi's business model suggests  
>>> that,
>>> if the company's data is accurate, advertising could support the  
>>> network
>>> once it's fully built. But returns would likely be modest.
>>>
>>> Even if usage rates don't grow, MetroFi could expect about 70,000  
>>> regular
>>> users each month when its network is complete. Assuming the  
>>> amount of
>>> time users spend online remains constant, they would generate as  
>>> many as
>>> 1 billion page views a year, and at least $5 million in advertising
>>> revenue annually.
>>>
>>> In July, MetroFi reached agreement with Microsoft and a  
>>> California online
>>> ad company called JiWire Inc. to supply advertising for the Portland
>>> network. A recent check of ads running on the Portland network  
>>> showed a
>>> number of national advertisers have bought space, including  
>>> Monster.com,
>>> Verizon Wireless and Wells Fargo.
>>>
>>> Factoring in some unsold advertising space, network operating  
>>> expenses
>>> and the $10 million it cost to build the network, MetroFi could  
>>> break
>>> even within a few years.
>>>
>>> While agreeing generally with that analysis, CEO Haas indicated  
>>> that his
>>> company's venture capital backers are looking to do more than  
>>> break even.
>>>
>>> So to supplement its free Wi-Fi network, MetroFi wants to develop  
>>> two
>>> other sources of income: selling subscriptions to a faster wireless
>>> network to business customers and to government agencies.
>>>
>>> "To get the investment community to fund these networks it  
>>> requires all
>>> three revenue streams," Haas said.
>>>
>>> Potential and problems
>>>
>>> Just a year ago, cities all over the country envisioned wireless  
>>> futures.
>>> Wi-Fi, immensely popular as a convenient way for connecting to  
>>> the Web in
>>> homes and cafes, seemed to offer the promise of a low-cost  
>>> network that
>>> could make fast Web connections broadly accessible on the cheap.
>>>
>>> But things haven't worked out. National interest in municipal Wi- 
>>> Fi is
>>> flagging and network performance lagging, said Daryl Schoolar,  
>>> networking
>>> analyst for the research firm In-Stat. He said MetroFi and other  
>>> wireless
>>> contractors have no choice but to seek alternatives to the public
>>> networks they originally planned.
>>>
>>> Wi-Fi, which has difficulty penetrating walls and reaching past  
>>> radio
>>> interference, may never be a credible technology for broad access,
>>> Schoolar said.
>>>
>>> "There seems to be a lot of fluctuation in the performance of these
>>> networks," he said.
>>>
>>> Trying to check the industry's troubled economics, MetroFi has  
>>> teamed
>>> with EasyStreet Online Services Inc., a venerable Internet service
>>> provider based in Beaverton, to start offering more robust wireless
>>> subscriptions to business customers in Portland.
>>>
>>> And earlier this year, MetroFi decided to stop building municipal
>>> networks unless cities agree to be an "anchor tenant," committing  
>>> to pay
>>> a specified amount to subscribe to wireless access. Portland made  
>>> no such
>>> commitment, but MetroFi later dropped plans to build networks in  
>>> Ohio and
>>> Alaska after cities in those states balked at committing any funds.
>>> MetroFi still has projects under way in Illinois and California.
>>>
>>> Looking at the future
>>>
>>> MetroFi says it remains committed to free Wi-Fi in Portland, and  
>>> the city
>>> remains
>>
>> "Free-as-in-ads"
>>
>>> "I think that's a business model that can ultimately work," said  
>>> Portland
>>> city Commissioner Dan Saltzman, whose office led efforts to bring
>>> citywide Wi-Fi to Portland.
>>>
>>> Portland will evaluate MetroFi's progress more fully at the end  
>>> of the
>>> year, Saltzman said, though he anticipates that MetroFi will  
>>> continue
>>> building the network whatever the city concludes. If necessary,  
>>> Saltzman
>>> said, he would be open to finding ways to supplement MetroFi with  
>>> other
>>> wireless services in areas where coverage is inadequate.
>>>
>>> "If we decide this isn't right for us, or vice versa, we'll maybe  
>>> look at
>>> some more homegrown options as well," he said.
>>
>> Wow. Great! Saltzman++. That's the most political affirmation of
>> community wireless in Portland that I've heard, in, well, forever. I
>> guess at some point they have to admit that it works :).
>>
>>> Mike Rogoway: 503-294-7699, [email protected],
>>> http://blog.oregonlive.com/siliconforest/
>>
>> --
>> Caleb Phillips
>>
>> -- 
>> The Personal Telco Project - http://www.personaltelco.net/
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>
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