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Riverwalk Park WiFi

The Brunswick Riverwalk Park in Belville, just across from Belville Elementary School, is one of our favorite spots in the County. Finding a nature walk, fishing piers, playground, historic site, picnic shelters and even, from Friday to Sunday, a Farmers Market all in one place is simply amazing. But the Town of Belville, and Park Manager Jim Bucher, keep making the place better. The latest addition is park-wide WiFi service provided in partnership with ATMC.

W

e spoke to Bucher about this latest amenity, and he was quick to point out all the benefits:


We are excited to provide free WiFi to our visitors of the Brunswick Riverwalk Park in Belville. It’s another great added feature to our park that people can use and enjoy. In today’s time, a majority of the public have smart phones and social media, and this will allow them to have better service while using them in the park. Also, people like yourself (Leland Magazine Publisher) can work with their laptops while in the park.


Where did this idea come from?


We wanted to add WiFi security cameras with cloud service in the park. We knew we needed faster speed and coverage throughout the park to execute this. With the added coverage and speed, the Board of Commissioners suggested we also provide service to our visitors. Working with PC Solutions, who recommended what equipment should be used, we added three outdoor WiFi antennas and guest login to our service.


How hard is it getting coverage in a wide open outdoor space? How many spots did you need? What is the coverage like, how far does it extend?


It was challenging to determine how many antennas were going to be needed and the location of them with a power source. We had started with two antennas but had to add a third after we ran some range tests. We now have good coverage in the Park that covers the fishing pier, Farmers Market, parking lot, playground areas, Veterans Memorial, picnic shelters, open field and observation deck. In the Riverwalk Trails the signal is limited with all the trees. We may address that in the future, but the park side has good overall coverage.


What do you see as the benefits to the community of this new amenity in the park? What uses to you see people finding?


There are many benefits to Wi-Fi connection in the park. Students who are doing virtual classes can use the connection to do homework or check in with their teachers, vendors at the Farmers Market will be better able to run payment applications, folks can connect with family and friends, etc. It’s like an open-air coffee shop with a better view!


Can you talk about the partnership with ATMC? How did that come about?


The Town had a previous relationship with another provider that they were not satisfied with. Better rates, better services, the technological advantage of using a 100 percent fiber network and service reliability were some of the reasons that Belville chose to work with ATMC. Belville also liked working with a local provider with 60+ years’ experience of serving Brunswick County. ATMC provides excellent customer service with a dedicated Business Solutions Consultant who is responsive and able to assist the Town when we need ATMC’s help.


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