Ottawa-Gatineau WiFi (ogWiFi)
is a not-for-profit organization that helps create favourable environments for people to get connected to the Internet with wireless enabled laptops or other devices. As a HotSpot you and your establishment collaborates with ogWiFi to provide no fee wireless Internet access to your clients. Wonderful!
Our vision
ogWiFi simply wants to make Ottawa-Gatineau a wireless region, whereby numerous places offer no fee wireless Internet access. This helps create a region that is more dynamic and enjoyable for those who live here and those who visit. Our team of volunteers is not waiting for the creation of a large and expensive wireless infrastructure and instead we are acting now to use the existing wired infrastructure and are collaborating with citizens and progressive institutions like yours in the region to create a wireless region of interconnected HotSpots.
Our mandate
ogWiFi is a non-profit Community Wireless Network (CWN) with members on both sides of the Ottawa River dedicated to bringing no-fee wireless Internet access to the region. We aim to build a Community Communication Infrastructure to bridge the public and private spaces of our cities.
Our services
You will require a high speed Internet connection that can be shared. If you do not already have a high speed connection ogWiFi can recommend a service for you in the Ottawa-Gatineau region.
Our volunteers are professionals and will work together with you to meet you and your establishment’s needs. There are some minor installation costs to help cover the expenses of volunteers and minor hardware purchases (cable and tie wraps etc.). The cost of parts and installation is approximately $90. This includes the purchase of a wireless router (Linksys WRT54GL) that belongs to you.
There is an annual membership fee of 50$ which enables ogWiFi to maintain servers to manage the network.
By joining ogWiFi you receive the following benefits:
Your establishment is added to the map that lists all the other ogWiFi wireless hotspots.
You receive a personalized portal page which enables you to have an additional web presence and market your establishment.
You participate in a community technology project that connects people in both Ottawa and Gatineau.
You receive the technical support of our dedicated group of volunteers.
We provide you with a sticker for your window to announce that you offer free wireless Internet services.
Benefits to your clients
There are more and more people who own portable wireless devices looking for places to hook up. Currently teleworkers, designers, engineers, researchers, writers, graduate students and new media artists work from home and very much appreciate a public space to do their work. Additionally people really enjoy watching sports events, playing games and going online to read stats, read up on players, while others like to read the paper online or plan their family events. By becoming a HotSpot you become a very attractive place for these clients who will happily come to your establishment, have something to eat and drink and go online!
The sticker in your window will let these clients know you are a free wireless HotSpot.
Your customers first see your personalized portal page to sign in and subsequently find out what events you have planned or the goods and services you offer.
Users enter their password and get access to the Internet for free, as well as access to their work, email or newspapers etc.
Why ogWiFi instead of a private supplier?
Because...
...ogWiFi is a community group that works with you and the community of wireless users.
...ogWiFi volunteers install and configure your equipment for free.
...your clients get free access to the Internet
...you become a member of a broader network of people enabling public wireless use in the Ottawa and Gatineau for only a $50 yearly membership fee.
...you participate in a project created by and for citizens.
...you share in making the Ottawa-Gatineau region a hip and fun place to live and visit.
Is my network secure?
The ogWiFi router configuration is done in such a way that it completely isolates your wireless network from your establishment’s Internet connection. ogWiFi users are just like any other Internet user and will not have access to or see your computers.
Will my establishment get busier?
In all other cities (Montréal, Québec, Toronto, Vancouver, New York, etc.) where similar community wireless services are provided, commercial establishments got busier, especially during non peak hours. Wireless users normally avoid rush hours. Additionally, the wireless client’s profile is generally younger, professional and quite educated.
Will I have to give technical support to help users get connected?
Logging into the ogWiFi wireless service is very straight forward and ogWiFi provides you with the information your clients require to login. Users are independent.
I’m in!
Your participation in this endeavour is vital to the success of ogWiFi. All you need to do now is contact us at info@ogwifi.ca and a member of our dynamic volunteer group will get back to you in no time!
