MARINE CORPS AIR STATION IWAKUNI, Japan -- Marine Corps Community Services facilities are now providing free wired and wireless Internet at various locations around the station.
Locations offering the service include the Crossroads Mall, Crossroads Café, Single Marine Lounge, Strike Zone, temporary lodging facility Buildings 444 and 1188, Marine and Family Services Building 411, and the Club Iwakuni dinning rooms, ballrooms and bar areas.
Future sites slated to offer the service, once renovations and construction are complete, include the Hornet’s Nest and the new air passenger terminal.
“It is my opinion that (the Wi-Fi service) is being used pretty frequently and most patrons are satisfied with its service,” said Mark Shoebrook, MCCS management information systems officer. “(Because of the high demand) the system is being monitored to determine if more bandwidth is needed.”
The free Wi-Fi service is an open network requiring no sign-up process and is accessible by various Wi-Fi enabled devices.
Community members wishing to use the service need only comply with the terms of service, which are outlined upon logging onto the network.
“(Wi-Fi users) should be mindful of where they are and who may be watching over their shoulder, for example small children,” said Shoebrook. “Also, the Wi-Fi is an unsecured network and sensitive information should not be passed across the network.”
There is no limit to the number of people who can use the service, but as the available bandwidth is limited, areas with high trafficcan experience a slower network connection.
The Crossroads Mall is one of the places identified as a high traffic area with many users.
“More people than anticipated are using (the Wi-Fi) in the food court, and we ask that customers be mindful of occupying a table for a long time,” said Shoebrook.
Additional sites are being considered to install the free Wi-Fi service in the hopes that traffic in the food court may come down, Shoebrook said.
Some of the community members agree offering the service at other areas could help lower the high demand in places like the Crossroads Mall.
Anthony Nardozzi, a Crossroads Mall patron and Wi-Fi user, said the Wi-Fi connection at the Crossroads Mall seems slow at times, and offering the service at other places could definitely help out.
Although the Wi-Fi connection might be affected at times due to high usage, the benefits of the service remain obvious to patrons.
“I think (the free Wi-Fi connection) is an outstanding alternative than going and spending $25 a month for, from what I’ve heard, is a slow Wi-Fi,” said Nardozzi. “I’m able to improve my quality of life by being able to read what I want to read on the Internet, stay in contact with family and friends and have a little bit of convenience.”
“It’s nice to have (this service), being far away from home, to be able to get on the Internet and Skype or use Yahoo Messenger and not have to wait in line or be on a 30 minute time limit at the Marine Lounge,” he added.