MARINE CORPS AIR STATION YUMA, Ariz. -- Free Wi-Fi is scheduled to be installed in various Marine Corps Community Services buildings around station starting July 3, 2009, while some transient barracks went wireless the week before.
The Wi-Fi hot spots at Burger King, Club Infinites, Dos Rios Inn, the Single Marine Program recreation center, library, education center and youth center should be completed by July 28, 2009.
The barracks lounges in buildings 661, 662, 913 and 930 have been enabled since July 1, 2009.
Why Wi-Fi? Station officials see free wireless Internet as a step toward improving the quality of life for station Marines as well as the scores of troops training here.
“There are Marines coming here and training and we want to provide a way for them to reach back home to their family and friends,” said Capt. John Jedra, station installations and logistics deputy director.
The station supports 80 percent of the Corps’ aviation training, making it the third busiest air station in the Department of the Navy.
Last year, the station hosted two Desert Talon exercises and two Weapons and Tactics Instructor courses as well as other training, bringing in 13,531 personnel from 71 different units, according to the station’s 2008 statistical summary.
Connecting to the Internet at any of the station locations is similar to any free Wi-Fi hot spot – by using their personal wireless-capable device and being in range of the signal, said Jedra.
The Internet connection speed depends on how many people are using the connection at one time. The maximum number of people using the connection at any given time will be unlimited, said Alfred Pedroza,
MCCS lead computer technician. However, the more people on the network the slower the speed of the connection.
“It’s like driving on the freeway. If there’s only one person on the road, then they can move pretty fast,” said Pedroza. “If a whole bunch of people are on the connection, it’s like a traffic jam and the speed will drop.”
The bandwidth will be adjusted by the amount of wireless traffic at the different locations, said Cynthia Torres, MCCS coordinator. For example, if there is little activity in the transient barracks, but higher use at the recreation center, bandwidth can be rerouted into the area of higher use.
The free Wi-Fi is not being installed in permanent personnel barracks, said Jedra. Marines who are stationed here have more stability and can afford to enter into long-term commitments.
The Wi-Fi service is being contracted through Sprint and maintained by Netnearu, a network management company.
The project as a whole cost $193,000, including $51,000 annual payments to service the network each year.
Anyone who experiences problems connecting to the network should call 866-477-6277 for 24-hour service.