St. Michael's Fortress visitors will henceforth share their experiences on social networks faster and easier, write reviews and comments, as well as say hello to their families on other continents thanks to free and fast Internet access.
The equipment infrastructure was set up thanks to the resources procured from the European Commission's WiFi4EU initiative, which provides high-quality and free Internet access for citizens and visitors via Wi-Fi access points in public areas such as parks, squares, administration offices, libraries, and such throughout the European Union.
- By applying to the public call by the WiFi4EU initiative, City of Šibenik won a 15-thousand-euro-voucher in the first round, the amount that covered the acquisition and implementation of the equipment. The company chosen for the job was Integra grupa d.o.o. who implemented the equipment by world-known network gear developer Aruba Networks on the fortress - said Deputy Mayor Danijel Mileta.
The implemented network solution allows simultaneous usage of the network for up to 500 users, while the capacity can also be widened if needed. This network solution consists of 12 Aruba Networks access points with switches, whose total cumulative speed amounts to at least 30 Mbit/s. The full control occurs via a single central console - cloud based Aruba Central software. Apart from centralized control, advantages of this software are analytics insights based on learning from artificial intelligence, and safety guarantee for all devices connected via IoT (Internet of Things). Precisely that last point, the safety of devices and fortress' visitors, is immensely relevant in today's conditions.
The Aruba Networks has already been at the top position in the field of network solutions for 14 years. They bring a rich experience in implementation for hundreds of clients globally, a wide portfolio of solutions and technologies, as well as an excellent support system. In this particular case, there's a life-long guarantee, which means that from the moment the sales of the implemented solution stop, its spare parts will be further available for at least five years.
In the past, there have been decreases in Internet speed on mobile devices both during daytime visits and during evening events that attract numerous audiences. That's why St. Michael's fortress has been chosen as a location in which this novel infrastructure has been set up.
The payment was executed via Innovation and Networks Executive Agency (INEA), while the remainder of the amount was covered from Šibenik's city budget. The sum amount of the project was 159.265,00 kunas.
It's also worth noting how Šibenik is the first city in Croatia to install a free public infrastructure for wireless LoRaWAN network which offers a series of solutions for simple information transfer among electronic devices, and whose coverage ranges from Vodice to Primošten.
