MOUNTAIN BROOK, Alabama -- The Crestline Village community is now officially hooked up with the digital world. Mountain Brook officials announced today that the city's Wi-Fi service is now available in the outdoor areas of Crestline Village, the TotLot, The Crestline Elementary School playground and the adjacent playing field.

The equipment and one-time installation costs totaled $2,300, said Steven Boone, City Clerk/CFO in a news release today. The recurring costs, said Boone, are estimated to be $1,200 annually for the internet connection, firewall, and content filtering service.

Last month, the city began implementing its city-wide Wi-Fi initiative with its first installation at Overton Park.

Suzan Doidge, executive director of the Mountain Brook Chamber of Commerce, described City Councilman Jesse Vogtle as "instrumental" in helping the city embark on the soon-to-be city-wide Wi-Fi initiative.

For Vogtle, it’s been a dream seven years in the making.

In Vogtle’s eyes, textbooks are almost a relic of the past. Most tech-savvy students and residents get their information from MacBooks and computers, from the internet and e-Readers, he said. Now, the city can help facilitate access to endless avenues of information and communication. Connections at City Hall and Overton Park are just a click away.

"Residents can log on by simply pulling up their Wi-Fi hookup options and selecting the 'City Wi-Fi" connection,'" said Vogtle in a previous interview with AL.com. "Just sign-on, there's no password or usage charge required."

The ease of access, explained Mountain Brook IT Director Steve O’Dell, is thanks to the city’s decision to create its own cloud-managed wireless network.

To set up their own wireless network, the IT group turned to Open-Mesh, an online company that sells the equipment needed to create "low-cost, plug-and-play wireless mesh networks that spread an Internet connection throughout a hotel, apartment, office, campus, café or village."

According to the company's website, users can set up a wireless network for up to 90 percent less than the cost of obtaining service through other major internet companies.

Access points, small portable devices that resemble routers, are used to create the "mesh networks" throughout the coverage area. One access point is plugged in to an Ethernet outlet that connects to the internet. A predetermined amount of complementary access points—distributed throughout a set area, like a park, for example—work wirelessly to create a "mesh" connection.



Click here to watch a video explanation.

“Personally,” said O’Dell, “my personal belief is that the new wireless initiative will bring people into the city. Maybe they’ll buy a soda or an ice cream, sit out in the park and connect to the internet.”

In the future, the city plans to expand the free service to include the areas of English Village, Mountain Brook Village, Overton Village, Cahaba River Park and the Mountain Brook High School Athletic Complex.

For more information about the Wi-Fi initiative, click here.