The Town of La Plata and Charles County Public Library are pleased to announce an important milestone with downtown La Plata’s Municipal Wi-Fi.  Recently, the system serviced more than 1,000 users in a month for the first time, logging 1,001 users over the previous 30 days.  More than 86 gigabytes of data was transferred during that period.

“During testing last fall and through the winter, about 200 people found the Wi-Fi system.” said Mayor Roy Hale, “Since mid-February, when service began across downtown, the number of users has steadily increased. As mobile devices become more common this service will continue to expand.”

La Plata’s free public Wi-Fi system is provided by a partnership between the Town of La Plata and the Charles County Public Library.  The network ranges from Centennial Street at 301 in the west to the Library in the east, and from Town Hall in the south to the Farmer’s Market on the north side of downtown. 

The broadband Internet access is provided at no cost to visitors to La Plata’s downtown through thirteen nodes that offer the wireless connectivity.  Much like a wireless network in our homes and businesses, the ‘Town of La Plata’ network is visible from computing devices with wireless accessibility.  The signal to access the Internet travels from your mobile device to the nearest node.  It transmits from node to node, until it reaches the wired connection to the Internet at the Library.  It works similarly to accessing the Internet at a computer at your local branch.

Charles County Public Library Director Emily Ferren stated, “We are delighted to partner with the Town of La Plata for residents and visitors to have Wi-Fi accessibility in our community.”

Users can access the system by locating the ‘Town of La Plata’ network on their mobile device, and clicking through the splash page.  The ability to receive a signal varies depending on the antenna power in your mobile device. The Wi-Fi network covers most public spaces in downtown La Plata, and includes the concert lawn at La Plata Town Hall. 

For further information on the free Wi-Fi system, contact La Plata Town Manager Daniel Mears at 301-934-8421 or DMears@TownofLaPlata.org.