Wicked Free Wi-Fi Locations in Boston Data User Guide

By Jonathan Yao, Natalia Natadze, & Sara Valentina Alvarez Echavarria

Last Updated on November 09, 2022.

The Wicked Free Wi-Fi Locations in Boston Data User Guide provides practical guidance throughout the collected data on free Wi-Fi hotspots with accessible details and terminology. Mainly, this user guide focuses on why the data is collected, its recollection processes, software, applicable criteria, suggested applications for the data, and how to use it. The final purpose of this user guide is to provide insights for the Boston Wicked Free Wi-Fi users and Analyze Boston users for research purposes or curiosity.

Original purpose and application

With the expectation of a more extensive and cohesive free network, Mayor Martin J. Walsh announced the launch of Wicked Free Wi-Fi: Boston’s Public Wireless Network. The Wicked Free Wi-Fi is Boston’s outdoor wireless network; its primary purpose is to provide accessible public internet service. In addition, the wireless network is designed to help residents and visitors discover and connect to information about the City to find places to shop, eat, or connect with other residents.

It can also provide internet access to otherwise underserved residents and businesses; the City intends to improve digital equity in low-income neighborhoods and increase economic development throughout the City. However, Wicked Free Wi-Fi is not designed to work inside buildings or homes.* Also, because it’s an outdoor service, there may be drops in coverage or less coverage during lousy weather. The citywide Wi-Fi network consists of more than 170 access points. The service offers free Wi-Fi service in the neighborhoods of Grove Hall, Roxbury/Dudley, Allston, Boston Common, Charlestown, Choice Neighborhood, City Hall, Rose Fitzgerald Kennedy Greenway, Faneuil Hall, Dorchester, Hyde Park, and South Boston.

*It is not precisely designed to work indoors; however, there is data about specific locations where the Wicked Free Wi-Fi works limited to some schools and public libraries.

History, standards, and format

The City of Boston launched the Wicked Free Wi-Fi wireless network in April 2014. As the data collection is dependable on the network service, the data has been collected since April 2014. The data is collected by Meraki dashboard API, a software interface that interacts directly with its cloud platform. Moreover, Analyze Boston provides multiple published data sets from the same software about the Wicked Free Wi-Fi in Boston. Still, the most prominent data sets are the daily connections which have a tabular format and are published by the Department of Innovation and Technology. And there is the geospatial data format that provides auto-updated data about the Wicked Free Wi-Fi locations and is published by Boston Maps.

The same software collects the different data sets, but they are not collected with the same consistency — or at least they are not published uniformly. In the case of tabular data, for instance, the available data published by the Department of Innovation and Technology is poorly provided. Specifically, when it comes to the number of daily connections to the wireless network or the average percentage of citizens using the networks, there is a profusion of missing information to provide a clear context. At the same time, the geospatial data published by Boston Maps is constantly updating itself, which is also due to the lack of traffic to the changing data.

Organizational context

About the wireless network — There are multiple organizational issues with the public wireless network system. Its quality depends on aspects such as bad weather and other conditions that may affect connectivity. In addition, some bare spots in designated coverage areas may affect those who depend highly on this network. Also, the Wicked Free Wi-Fi is not meant to work inside buildings or homes, including public libraries and schools. Finally, the system has limited bandwidth, so the City recommends avoiding downloading large files. And it is a requirement to agree to the Terms of Service before anyone can join the network. If per se, someone disagrees, they will not be able to join.

About the data — The data overall is accurate; it depends entirely on people accessing the network through devices that automatically register in the databases. Nevertheless, there is a disparity between the geospatial and tabular data. For instance, the geospatial data set we rely on has an ongoing purpose since the locations are always the same, it updates itself, and the data does not show any inaccuracy or glitches. On the other hand, the tabular data is inconsistent; the most consistent period of collected information is the total daily connections to Wicked Free Wi-Fi between May 2015 and March 2016.

Workflow

All data relating to the wireless network of Wicked Free Wi-Fi in Boston is collected by the Meraki dashboard API. This software interface interacts directly with the Meraki cloud platform and Meraki-managed devices. Hence, Meraki uses an event-driven remote procedure call (RPC) engine for Meraki devices to communicate with the dashboard and for Meraki servers to send and receive data. Meraki hardware devices act as the server/receiver as the Meraki cloud initiates calls to the apparatus for data collection and configuration deployment. It means that all the wireless devices that provide Wi-Fi connectivity to the public and all the devices that access the network have a cycle that builds up the data based on the use of the Wi-Fi service.

The data development and collection processes cycle up as follow:

The Meraki software collects and updates the data; however, Analyze Boston is responsible for publishing and revamping the updated information the software provides. For illustration, the Geospatial and tabular data depend on different factors to be collected, such as points of active Wi-Fi service or daily connections but its publishers have to keep the newest data on the platform. Besides, the data accuracy depends entirely on people accessing the network through devices that automatically register in the databases. Similarly, conditioning events such as weather conditions create a disparity between the network’s usage and different data sets outcomes.

Exploratory Visualization/s of the Data

A list of Wi-Fi hotspots around Boston. These are notably placed in low-income areas, such as Roxbury. However, there are reports that some of these hotspots have deplorable service.

A hotspot map of Wi-Fi hotspots may provide a better understanding of the spotty services in some supposedly covered areas of Boston.

The addresses of the Wi-Fi locations:

An Analyze Boston graphic of Wi-Fi locations in 2018. As other visuals demonstrate, very little expansion will come to this network over the next four years.

A visualization of hotspots of the wider Boston area in 2020. Notably, a few of these locations have been removed from more recent data. As a result, the data may be unreliable as there are no constant updates on these hotspots.

The official Boston.gov visualization. Going to the site gives interactive addresses for each data point. The lack of notable expansion and removal of points in areas such as Brighton show the lack of growth under Walsh.

Things to know about the data, including limitations

This Wi-Fi system was designed to help improve digital equity in low-income neighborhoods and increase economic development throughout the City, according to a press release announcing the expansion of the network. However, there is still a lack of free Wi-Fi in several areas of the City.
In 2015, Marty Walsh promised to expand the network across the City. But comparing a graph from 2014 and 2022, we can see that not many more neighborhoods have been exposed to wicked free Wi-Fi.
Additionally, some of the data on box locations is not filled out and accurate. There have been multiple examples of purported hotspots being nonexistent or out of service, as evidenced by numerous articles in the past.
The most up-to-date data shows only the active spots, cleaning up extraneous data from 2020.
The 2022 data set has some locations that do not distinguish whether or not the connection is inside or outside.