Tech Group Developing Emergency Public Wi-Fi Network in Hoboken

A team of volunteers from a local technology meetup group are close to completing work on a backup wireless system for the city that could keep Hoboken connected in the event of a widespread power outage, NJBIZ reported Wednesday.

The project, called MileMesh, should be up and running by the first anniversary of Superstorm Sandy on Oct. 29, according to Aaron Price, the founder of livecube.co and NJ Tech Meetup, a group of more than 150 tech entrepreneurs who meet monthly on the Stevens Institute campus to share best practices and learn from industry innovators. 

Price, who is one of the leaders of the effort along with other NJ Tech Meetup volunteers, told NJBIZ that his top priority is ensuring emergency services personnel are equipped to respond in the event that wireless and telecommunications systems go down.

"The idea is we can build some infrastructure so that if something like Hurricane Sandy hits again, we'll have a backup infrastructure to support the town for emergency preparedness," Price said.

The group's plan involves creating a wireless mesh network of access points around the city that would enable people from all over Hoboken to stay connected with one another in case the city goes black. They've purchased smart routers through a grant from public wi-fi advocacy group, NYCWireless, and will begin by strategically placing them at about 10 locations throughout the city, with the possibility of expanding to additional public venues, Price said.

Final details of the system's deployment are still being finalized.

Correction: The emergency public wi-fi project is called MileMesh, not MilesMesh as had been reported in a previous version of this article.