Boston Suburb Upgrades Wireless Mesh Network

Last year, the City of Malden, located five miles northwest of Boston, was one of the first cities in Massachusetts to set up a metro-scale Wi-Fi network for municipal use. The city has now deployed Bluesocket's BlueSecure technology to secure and manage its metro-scale mesh network. City officials' main goals for the project were to improve city operations and increase public safety, while giving residents immediate access to the "MaldenWiFi" portal for city-specific information. But, as officials began to expand the network to remote office sites, they realized the need to protect centralized data applications and scale back on connectivity fees.

"As a municipal wireless pioneer in the state, we need to keep ahead of the technology curve," said Anthony Rodrigues, director of information technology for the City of Malden. "But, we also need to make sure that our new technology endeavors are good investments and not a threat to our operation."

The City of Malden won a $50,000 grant from Proxim Wireless last month to upgrade its mesh network hardware. With the new security and hardware technologies currently being deployed, the city is putting into motion a plan to extend the range of Malden's secure network, which includes putting Wi-Fi transmitters on city vehicles and in high-density areas, such as T stations, playgrounds and parks. The city's information technology department is also looking to expand the mesh network to local school systems to promote remote learning, as well as create an active link to the local access TV studio in order to expedite news reporting and editing.

The Malden police department will also use the expanded network to stream video footage from local areas directly to the police station, making it easier for police officers to monitor and respond to crimes at those locations.

"Protecting the community is our department's number one priority and technology plays a big role in that effort," said Kenneth Coye, Chief of Police at the Malden Police Department. "Malden's wireless system shows great promise for law enforcement. Cameras at high risk locations and connectivity to state and federal resources are mandatory in a post-9/11 world. We expect to develop community support for virtual crime watches at locations of concern, bringing law enforcement and our neighborhoods closer than ever."