Log On For Free All Over Lower Manhattan

02/01/2012
Log On For Free All Over Lower Manhattan

Downtown workers, residents and visitors can now enjoy even greater access to the Downtown Alliance’s growing free wireless network. Over the last several weeks the Downtown Alliance launched three more Wi-Fi service hubs in Lower Manhattan and upgraded all of its hotspots with higher bandwidth, new technology, and expanded coverage at each site.

In 2003, the Downtown Alliance pioneered the city’s most extensive free, public Wi-Fi initiative. Today, there are 15 hotspots – covering 715,000 square feet which is roughly the equivalent of 17 football fields.

The newest Wi-Fi access points are located at:

  • Louise Nevelson Plaza at Liberty and William
  • The Plaza at 59 Maiden Lane at Maiden and William
  • Trinity Churchyard

“These new additions to our growing Wi-Fi network greatly expand the scope of the Downtown Alliance’s free Wi-Fi network,” said Elizabeth H. Berger, President of the Downtown Alliance. “With 15 Wi-Fi locations — and more on the horizon — Lower Manhattan’s 56,000 residents, 309,000 workers and nine million annual visitors now have more places to go online for free. The Downtown Alliance is excited to make Lower Manhattan the best place for free, accessible Wi-Fi in the city.”

The Downtown Alliance has significantly expanded one of its existing hotspots on Stone Street – growing to the size of nearly four football fields alone. Specifically, this expansion creates a 168,000 square foot wireless corridor that runs from the top of British Memorial Garden all the way down Stone Street and into the plaza area south of Stone Street and even covers some of Coenties Slip to Water Street, also extending to the Vietnam Veteran’s Memorial Plaza Wi-Fi service across the street.

The existing Downtown Alliance hotspots are:

  • Plaza at 7 World Trade Center
  • Bowling Green Park
  • British Memorial Garden
  • Charlotte’s Place
  • City Hall Park
  • The Elevated Acre
  • Peter Minuit Plaza
  • South Street Seaport
  • Stone Street
  • Vietnam Veterans Memorial Plaza
  • Whitehall-Water Street Plaza
  • Winter Garden

Since the program’s inception, the number of connections to the network has risen dramatically. In 2010, connections skyrocketed by more than 96 percent over 2009 to over 100,000 connections. In 2011, the network averaged 638 connections a day, with more than 230,000 connections logged throughout the year and almost 9 terabytes of data transferred on our Wi-Fi network.

Downtown Alliance sponsored hot-spots are free for all users. Those using smartphones, laptops, and tablets with wireless capabilities can automatically connect to any of the Downtown Alliance’s wireless networks. When connecting this network, users must choose the network with “Downtown Alliance” in the title.

For more information on Downtown Alliance free wireless locations, visit https://downtownny.com/programs/free-public-wifi. To download the Downtown Alliance’s free events app, iPhone and iPad users can search “Downtown NY” in the app store.