Downtown Amherst WiFi network launched

AMHERST, Mass. (WWLP) - Looking for a place to get free Internet access in downtown Amherst? Now, you can find it pretty much anywhere.

The Hampshire County town has completed its open WiFi network for the downtown area. People within an area of about a square mile will be able to access the Internet absolutely free; making it the largest municipal WiFi network in the state, and according to town officials, the fastest.

The system includes more than 30 “access points” on buildings and streetlights across downtown Amherst, and the network is designed to be optimized for handheld devices.

In a news release sent to 22News, Amherst Town Manager John Musante said that having free WiFi in downtown areas is pretty much a “must” these days.

“More and more people are choosing hotels, airlines, or shopping venues that offer free WiFi, and now we can proudly say come to downtown Amherst, we have robust WiFi everywhere!” Musante said.

Sean Hannon, Assistant IT Director for the Town of Amherst, said that the WiFi network in Amherst is different from other municipal networks, which may require a log-in.

"It's free, it's open, it doesn't require a log in screen, you don't have to click 'I accept' anything. You connect once and you're connected. People who use square for a cash register or iPad, that kind of stuff they don't need to have a data plan, they can just connect, and it works for them," Hannon said.

While it formally lanuched on Wednesday, they have been testing it for the past three months, and in that time, a total of 14,000 devices have already been connected to the network.

To find out more about the network, visit amherstma.gov/wifi