VIVATO WI-FI SYSTEM IMPROVING COMMUNICATIONS FOR VERMONT'S LEGISLATORS, PUBLIC
Wireless Internet Access, E-Mail Available Throughout Legislative Session

SPOKANE, Wash. - June 21, 2005 - As Vermont's citizen-legislators near the end of an extended session, they have a new tool to help keep up with both legislative business and their non-government lives, thanks to an installation of Vivato's unique Wi-Fi equipment in the historic State House in Montpelier, Vermont. A single Vivato base station, augmented by several microcell Access Points (APs), has brought wireless Internet access to the cavernous House chamber - serving 150 members - and the cozier, 30-member Senate chamber, plus an adjoining administrative building. Unlike other Wi-Fi systems which use numerous small transmitting devices to connect users with the Internet, Vivato features a powerful base station covering up to 12 times the area of conventional systems.

"One of the things we liked about the Vivato system was it avoided the kludginess of other approaches," said Duncan Goss, IT director for the Vermont Legislative Counsel. "The ability to cover the House chamber with a single unit rather than having multiple units tweaked to avoid overlaps but still cover the entire space was key."

Goss said both elected officials and the general public have accessed the Vivato system, which was installed by Summit Technologies, a wireless network solutions provider in Burlington, Vermont. The public pays $25 per month or $250 per year, and the Legislature covers the cost of connecting its members. Maintaining the tradition of Vermont's part-time Legislature, all elected representatives have to provide their own computers, Goss said. In this first year of operation, Goss said 68 of the body's 180 members used the system, a number he expected would grow in coming years.

Goss said legislators use the system to gain access to a web site maintained by the Legislative Counsel Bureau that provides copies of bills, bill status, calendars and other legislative business. They also use e-mail access to keep track of their lives as lawyers, businesspeople, farmers, truckers, teachers, doctors, nurses - even a janitor. Public users include lobbyists, members of the media and visitors to the Vermont State House, which boasts the oldest legislative chambers in the United States.

"Staying in touch with my work that extends up the Connecticut River Valley takes a lot of email connection with the people I work with," said Rep. David Deen, who is River Steward for the Connecticut River Watershed Council. "I use my laptop in my committee room early in the day or late in the afternoon, but never when we have a witness in committee."

"Vivato's Wi-Fi architecture has proved its value in countless municipal and campus environments, but it also well-suited to deployments in unusual locales such as the Vermont State House," said Glenn Booth, Vivato marketing director. "Having a single base station augmented by small microcell APs is an advantage in situations where numerous smaller transmitters wouldn't be as effective. We're proud to provide Vermont's representatives and senators Internet access in a way that doesn't spoil the ambience of their chambers."

The Vivato approach to Wi-Fi incorporates phased-array antennas and a patented PacketSteering™ technology to provide up to 12 times the coverage of competing Wi-Fi systems. By requiring fewer components, a Vivato installation also features lower networking and maintenance costs.

About Vivato
Vivato, Inc. is a wireless systems infrastructure company with technology that is based upon an innovative signal processing and antenna design. Vivato's unique system architecture enables cost-effective, large-scale indoor and outdoor wireless deployments in cities and towns, as well as airports, seaports, warehouses, universities, enterprises and hotels. Vivato is headquartered in Spokane, Washington. For more information, please visit www.vivato.com or call 509-343-6001.

Back to Press