The WT Blog

As the recent flurry of activity on this blog may suggest, we’ve been up to quite a bit at Wireless Toronto over the past few weeks. This month we find ourselves at our fourth anniversary and passing another significant milestone, the 20,000th registered user of Toronto’s free community wireless network.

After four years we remain passionate about the opportunities that free Wi-Fi in Toronto’s public spaces can present for community and continue to do our best to encourage its development, implementation and use.

For those of you who don’t already know, we’ve been using Twitter and our Facebook page in an attempt to communicate more effectively with interested people and users of the network – so make sure to follow us there if that’s your thing.

Below is the official press release that was sent out to mark the occasion:

FOR IMMEDIATE RELEASE

Wireless Toronto Celebrates 4 Years of Community Wi-Fi with 20,000th User.

TORONTO, ON June 9, 2009 – Wireless Toronto has been quietly and creatively championing free wifi in the city’s cafes, parks, and public spaces since 2005.  This month, the all-volunteer group also celebrated signing up its 20,000th user to its network of over 30 hotspots across the GTA, including the newly-upgraded Dufferin Grove Park, Yonge-Dundas Square, St. Lawrence Market, and Harbourfront Centre.    

Wireless Toronto employs a community-centred model for deploying free wifi.  Internet connections and wireless equipment are paid for by the hotspot venues, or sponsors. There’s no cost to users who want to use the network, and there are no ads on Wireless Toronto community portal pages. Users are simply asked to login each time they use a hotspot.  The community wifi model has been championed in Canada by Montreal’s Ile Sans Fil, and has been successful in several cities in Quebec, Edmonton and Vancouver.

In addition to enabling users to work, learn, and communicate, Wireless Toronto hotspots offer a unique interface linking to location-specific content, which can be an opportunity to connect with people and events in the surrounding neighbourhood.  

Or, as co-founder Gabe Sawhney says, “as much as Wireless Toronto is about wi-fi and technology, it’s also about community and public space”.  

For more information and updates about Wireless Toronto:

Website: http://wirelesstoronto.ca

Blog: http://wirelesstoronto.ca/blog/

Hotspot map: http://auth.wirelesstoronto.ca/hotspots_map.php
Twitter: http://twitter.com/WirelessToronto
Facebook: http://www.facebook.com/pages/Toronto-ON/Wireless-Toronto/13780966710

Media contact:

Hilary Krupa, hilary@wirelesstoronto.ca, 647-258-1686

Dufferin Grove Park is already the largest free outdoor hotspot in Toronto, however, this weekend it got even better. A small group of Wireless Toronto volunteers spent the day digging holes, climbing ladders and installing a new mesh network in the park. The park is our first official attempt at deploying a mesh network using the open-mesh system and the result is greatly improved coverage and signal strength throughout the park.

Although we are still tweaking it a little, you can now connect to the network from almost any corner if the park, from the far north-east tip of the playing field to the southern cob structure and playground (where park staff regularly serve up great food) right down to the tree-covered Garrison Creek Hollow.

There’s always great things happening at Dufferin Grove, so make sure to get out this summer and check it out. I plan on making the park my office for the next sunny day.

You can see some pictures of the day in the gallery below. In true Wireless Toronto fashion there was climbing ladders, minor excavations, organic hotdogs, conduit piping, tiny hacksaws, good coffee, miles of ethernet cable, multiple laptops and of course, beer. A great day.

As of this morning, free wifi is available at Alternative Grounds; one of my favourite coffee places in the city.  Drop in when you’re on Roncesvalles!

Downtown omnivores may be happy to know that the newest Wireless Toronto hotspot is at St. Louis Bar & Grill, in the Atrium on Bay (and with an entrance on Edward Street, right across from World’s Biggest Bookstore). It opened just this summer, and looks great!

Good news east-enders, The Carrot Common has joined our community wireless network. Coverage favours the central courtyard with the signal reaching into The Big Carrot’s seating area and the organic juice bar that faces Danforth. Drop by next time you cross The Don.

More hotspots: http://auth.wirelesstoronto.ca/hotspots_map.php

[From http://spacing.ca/wire/?p=1821 ]

When: Tuesday, May 15th, starting at 7pm
Where: Fermenting Cellar, Distillery District
Who: DJ Chris Thinn
How Much: $10 gets you into the building, plus food
Cash Bar

Dear Torontonian,

The Festival of Architecture and Design will take place again in May, and the folks at ERA Architects, Spacing Magazine and [murmur] are throwing another Toronto the Good party to celebrate your faithful city. This year the Toronto Society of Architects are also co-hosting, and they will be announcing the winner of their ‚ÄúDesign Matters‚Äù competition, which will be on display during the party. They also want to introduce all of you to Wireless Toronto, an all-volunteer community group celebrating their 2nd anniversary providing free community wireless hotspots in caf?©s, bars, and outdoor places like Dufferin Grove Park and Dundas Square. Come by anytime for some food, drink, interactive and wireless games, and a room full of nice people who care about me.

Love,
Toronto

Toronto the Good is an annual party celebrating some of the good stuff that Toronto has to offer. Wireless Toronto is mucho honoured to be a featured guest at this year’s event.

Here are the details, hot off the press of the Spacing blog:

The Festival of Architecture and Design will take place again in May, and the folks at ERA Architects, Spacing Magazine and [murmur] are throwing another Toronto the Good party to celebrate your faithful city. This year the Toronto Society of Architects are also co-hosting… They also want to introduce all of you to Wireless Toronto, an all-volunteer community group celebrating their 2nd anniversary providing free community wireless hotspots in caf?©s, bars, and outdoor places like Dufferin Grove Park and Dundas Square. Come by anytime for some food, drink, interactive and wireless games…

When: Tuesday, May 15th, starting at 7pm
Where: Fermenting Cellar, Distillery District
Who: DJ Chris Thinn
How Much: $10 gets you into the building, plus food
Cash Bar

Hope to see many Wireless Toronto friends, supporters and just plain curious at TTG this year, it should be a lot of fun.

UPDATE: The event website is now up: torontothegood.org

Hey hey hey, the most recent addition to Wireless Toronto’s Community Network is Sierra Grill. This casual restaurant is conveniently located across from the Bayview subway station (go for the TTC art, stay for the food and WiFi).

We’re happy to announce our latest hotspot. Sneaky Dee’s, a Toronto institution, is now live for wifi upstairs and down.

From page 3 of the Toronto section of today’s Globe and Mail:

Pack up your modem in your old kit bag
A local activist’s portable hot spot brings the Internet in a backpack

BERT ARCHER

Wireless Toronto, a volunteer group devoted to providing location-specific Internet content across the city through a series of free Wi-Fi hot spots, has been meeting every month for two years to plan new spots and strategies.

But recently they decided they would like to have more fun in 2007, so starting this month, they’re getting together for something called Hack Nights.

Their first project, which they will be field-testing today, is a spanner in the growing Wi-Fi service-industry works, an ambulatory Internet system they call “the Roach Coach.”

“It comes from the nickname for snack trucks,” group founder Gabe Sawhney says. “It came from wanting to offer Wi-Fi for gatherings at Nathan Phillips Square.”

FULL STORY