City draws business, tourism with Meraki-powered network

Economic Director Brent Graden is constantly looking for ways to differentiate his city and draw interest from business and tourism to the rural community of Prestonsburg, Kentucky. Graden was interested in offering free Internet access to members of the community and visitors. He began to research options and received quotes for $100,000 to $250,000 to cover the city, based on $15,000 access points. This type of high capex model was not viable for Prestonsburg.

When Graden read an article about Meraki in a magazine, he was intrigued. "I knew there was a better mousetrap out there, and Meraki was it," he said. Graden strongly believes that networks must be both technically and financially viable.

To initiate the project, Graden received $8,500 from the city council for two years of broadband access and Meraki repeaters to cover the downtown area, which is two linear miles. The network will be sustained through revenues from Meraki's community messaging platform.

With roughly half of the system installed, the network had more than 630 users in its first six weeks. When complete, the network will consist of 70 Meraki Mini indoor and outdoor repeaters. Three DSL access points will power the entire system. "Meraki is an extremely good value," Graden said, "and it's easy to install."

Cities and towns are eager to distinguish themselves, and offering wireless Internet access is an easy way to make an impression when courting new businesses or attracting travelers. In fact, Graden used WiFi as a competitive advantage when convincing new businesses to set up shop to the area, including six restaurants, three national retailers and two light industrial companies.

Benefits to utilizing a Meraki mesh network include the ability to manage the system without an additional computer or server, Graden said. Being able to log in, assess any issues and handle them while on vacation or away from the office is ideal, as is the ability to maintain the network without a staff. Dashboard, Meraki's online hosted central administration, provides him with essential information such as how many users are on the network and maps of where users are accessing the service.

The city is working with ConnectKentucky, a coalition set up to provide Internet access throughout the state. Once the full network is in place, Graden plans an official unveiling and launch in Prestonsburg.