Saturday, November 19, 2005

KCKCC Library, An Oasis in the Wireless Desert

Kansas City Kansas Community College Library
7250 State Avenue, KCK

802.11b
SSIDs: lower library A, lower library B

802.11g
SSID: Upper Library B

Well, there is at least one free open hotspot in Wyandotte County. Kudos to whomever is responsible for setting it up and keeping it open. It's rare that an educational institution-particularly a post-secondary one-offers Internet access to the public at large like this. Good job, KCKCC! Atta way to tackle that digital divide!

I imagine the different SSIDs are meant to facilitate connecting on different levels and in varying locations, however I didn't have any trouble getting an adequate signal from each of them on the ground floor. There's a loveseat against the north wall straight towards the back from the entrance on the lower level with a couple of power outlets next to it. The second floor is quite a bit more laptop-friendly, with maybe a dozen carrels along its north wall. Those that aren't broken have a fluorescent light fixture incorporating a power outlet that's rather inconveniently placed; it's actually part of the fixture itself and you have to either feel for it or stick your head under the fixture to see it.

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