Kirkland Free Wireless

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The City of Kirkland provides free wireless service downtown, including Marina Park and Peter Kirk Park. Everest Park and Houghton Beach Park are also in the coverage area, via a generous grant from Google. Open the coverage area map for details.

Look for KirkWiFi to connect to free wireless when downtown and GKWiFi for Everest and Houghton Beach Parks.

 



Frequently Asked Questions 

How do I use the wireless network?

Simply bring your wireless-enabled laptop, tablet, or phone, set your network id (SSID) to KirkWiFi for the downtown and GKWiFi for Everest and Houghton Beach Parks. In all cases you will be presented with a splash page as soon as you access a common browser, and as soon as you accept the simple terms on the splash page, you will have access to the Internet.  Kirkland Wireless is a free service.

How secure is this network?

This is a free and open network; it is not secure.  We don’t recommend its use for business transactions that need wireless encryption.  This is similar to most networks available in coffee shops or other locations that provide free or low-cost wireless service.

Will the network reach into businesses downtown?

That’s a tough question.  We designed it to provide access of the streets and benches, but any wireless network will penetrate into various buildings that it is around, depending on what natural interference like trees and walls exist. Since it is unsecured, we do not recommend that businesses choose to use this network to replace their regular business connectivity to the Internet.

How will the city support this network?

The city is committed to keeping the network up and running and working well. Support is provided during working hours only.  Send questions and problems to the contact Email.

Is the City planning to provide city-wide wireless access?

Large networks that provide city-wide coverage are expensive. Kirkland is lucky to have a strong telecommunications business sector.  We believe in municipal networking where appropriate, but we also support the success of our commercial providers.

If I already operate a wireless network downtown, will this network interfere?

We hope not.  The nature of this technology might require adjustments of our network.

How fast is it?

Speed depends largely on how many people are connected and using the network at any given time.  The connectivity is shared by all wireless users and can become slower as more users connect and use the network.  For normal use like checking email and browsing the Internet, it should be pretty fast - typical pages like news or sports information should load in a few seconds.  There may also be some locations which are inside of our coverage area but are affected by trees or where signal is otherwise weakened or blocked.