Success Story
Modernizing Troup: From Traditional Town to Connected Smart City
The forward thinking town of Troup, Texas attracted visitors, boosted businesses, and reviatalized its downtown with NERGY
Details
Industry: Public Sector
Use Case: Public Wi-Fi
Solution: NERGY with Verizon FWA
Troup is an East Texas town of about 2,000 residents known for its holiday events and
small-town friendliness. It’s home to the annual Holiday in the Country event in November, a Christmas parade in December, and other well-attended events. Its downtown is filled with local businesses, restaurants, and the ever-popular Splash Pad. When city leaders explored new ways to attract visitors, new businesses, and potential new residents to the town, they focused on one key question: How can we make downtown Troup even more attractive?
Challenge
Troup City Manager Gene Cottle, an avid proponent of technology, encouraged the Troup Community Development Corporation (CDC) to explore the potential of offering free Wi-Fi to attract visitors. The Troup CDC—a non-profit economic development group funded by local sales tax revenue—quickly saw the potential of the idea.
Solution
After the city council narrowly approved the plan, the free WiFi project quickly moved from vision to reality. Working
closely with the town, RCN determined that a fixed wireless access (FWA) solution would meet Troup’s needs. To ensure the broadest availability, the team surveyed Troup’s downtown, looking for zones where people tended to congregate. After identifying potential router installation sites that would reach the most people, while keeping the technology invisible, the RCN team got to work.
Enabling Public WiFi with a Verizon &
Cradlepoint FWA Solution
In the fall of 2021, RCN Technologies installed its new community connectivity and smart city enablement solution, NERGY. The hardware consisted of several Cradlepoint ruggedized endpoints mounted in carefully selected out-of-sight locations on downtown rooftops and poles. The result? A large Wi-Fi zone that covered most of Troup’s commercial district. For wireless connectivity, the Cradlepoint routers included built-in Verizon LTE nodes, with 5G upgradability. When bringing connectivity to Troup, the choice was clear, since Verizon was already well-known in the region for delivering broad coverage and exceptional reliability to an area of Texas that many consider a digital desert.
Keeping It Simple for Troup
Throughout the project, RCN Technologies made the process as quick and simple as possible for town personnel. Once the solution was installed, tested and fine-tuned, RCN Technologies provided remote, cloud-based management and ongoing support through its Network Operations Center (NOC). The solution has operated with little or no attention since the beginning, freeing town leaders to move on to other projects.
Going Above & Beyond Expectations
Signs in store windows advertised free public Wi-Fi, and the local news media covered the project extensively, since it was an unusual move for a small town. “When a TV station came to do a story about our town and businesses, well, we couldn’t pay for better advertising than that,” said Suzanne Loudamy, Executive Director of Troup CDC. Despite the attention, it took a while for visitors and residents to know about the free Wi-Fi downtown. But once they turned on their cellphones, they quickly figured it out. During last year, there were an impressive 14,000+ individual Wi-Fi users, all in a town with a population of around 2,000.
Solutions
What Goes Into an NERGY Solution?
NEMA Enclosure
NEMA enclosures house the NERGY solution and all required electrical parts. All NEMA enclosures:
Are IP67 Rated
Are UL Listed
Are Weatherproof
Include an Aluminum Mounting Plate
Include Terminal Blocks with 120V Outlet
Cradlepoint Hardware
To provide the level of connectivity required by the city, RCN leveraged three different Cradlepoint routers. These devices are not only ruggedized to withstand the extreme Texas heat, but are also specifically designed for IoT connectivity. With both 5G and LTE options available, customers have options when it comes to choosing the routers that best fit their needs.
Partnering with AG Antennas
Available in 7-in-1 and 5-in-1 options, NERGY’s antennas covers both 5G and 4G signals. Each antenna bolts on top of the NEMA enclosure to provide best-in-class Wi-Fi propagation.
Wireless WAN Ecosystem
The City of Troup needed a partner that was more than just a box pusher – it needed someone who would be there for their team every step of the way.
With RCN’s Wireless WAN Ecosystem, the City had found a partner who could provide everything it needed under one roof. The best part is that the RCN team doesn’t go away after deployment, but instead choose to stand by the solution and provide 24/7/365 proactive support through NOC.
Benefits
The benefits of Troup’s FWA solution are evident. Visitors get the convenience of free Wi-Fi. Local businesses get new attention and customers. Reliable, secure Wi-Fi streamlines sales at events, such as holiday craft fairs. Troup residents, including students, get widely available access to Wi-Fi. And the town gets a reputation as a forward-thinking innovator.
Scalable When Needed
The City of Troup can now easily scale their network when needed
Notable Reputation
Troup is now seen as a forward-thinking, innovative community
Free WiFi for the community
Residents and tourists now have a reliable network when they need it
Digital learning Enablement
Students in Troup can now complete coursework using free WiFi
Digital Advertising
Local businesses can attract new customers using digital ads
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