WiMax in Winnsboro
by
Maryann Miller
First there was WiFi in selected parts of downtown Winnsboro. Now there is WiMax throughout the whole town 
and the surrounding area, thanks to Peoples Telephone Cooperative.
For those of you who have no idea what I am writing about, WiFi is a wireless networking technology that uses radio waves to provide wireless high-speed Internet and network connections, and several businesses in town offer that service to their customers. Art & Espresso Coffee Shop has WiFi, as does Brewbakers Pub and a few others. Anyone can go to those establishments and connect to the Internet to check e-mail or simply browse Web sites.
Peoples recently had a special event to announce the new service and invited people to come and check it out. A number of Peoples employees were there serving hot dogs and drinks, as well as signing people up for drawings for door prizes. A mobile demo unit was set up with computers so people could see how WiMax works, and tech people were there to answer questions.
Joe Wayne Reynolds of Winnsboro, who works in Customer Service, was on hand that day and he explained that WiMax has a larger footprint that WiFi. I must have had a blank look on my face because he chuckled and explained, "It covers a wider area. WiFi is narrower. For example, if you use the coffee shop's WiFi, you have to be in there, or just outside of it. With WiMax we have the whole city covered as well as a 2 to 3 mile radius outside of Winnsboro."
To accomplish that, Peoples arranged with KWNS Radio in Winnsboro to put a tower up on the roof of the station. "We were so pleased that they were willing to work with us on that," said Robbie L. Allen, General Manager of Peoples. (Pictured here on the left with Joe Wayne Reynolds.)
Nina Browning, Winnsboro City Administrator, said she was thrilled that Peoples had this service available. "It is even out at City Park and the Animal Shelter," she said. "People who are camping out at the park can now have access to the Internet if they are interested."
People traveling through Winnsboro or staying at the park or one of the B&B's can access the WiMax service for a small daily fee. According to Chris Bevill, one of the tech's, the process is simple for people who are used to looking for a WiFi connection. "When they are roaming and look for a signal, their computer will display every router in the area that they can use. When they see ours they can click on it and a splash page comes up. People who are familiar with this know what a splash page is, and from there it is a matter of filling out the credit card information and how long they want service . Then they are in."
This service is available throughout the city and hooks to game systems, laptop computers, personal computers and iPhones. . For more information people can Chris Bevill at 903-763-4941 or e-mail him.
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