Council seeks to sort Wi-fi issues

Armagh, Banbridge and Craigavon council is working to resolve issues surrounding the new free WiFi available in Banbridge town centre.

The free Wifi network was installed in the town centre last week.

But within a few days of its launch local people have complained about being unable to connect to the WiFi and that the signal strength was poor.

People have also been complaining about the issue on Facebook.

Paul Scappaticci wrote: “Is anyone else having problems with the Banbridge town WiFi? My phone connects to it but I can’t get online with it.”

Kerry Patterson replied: “Yes it seems to be very poor strength.”

Michelle Copeland seemed to be experiencing similar problems.

She said: “I was trying to use it while in work which is on Newry Street and it kept saying ‘not in range’.

“Hopefully it won’t be long until it is working properly.”

A council statement responding to the matter said: “The Banbridge Town WiFi has now been established for just over a week.

“When someone wishes to connect to the free network they must choose the Banbridge Town WiFi via the settings on their mobile device.”

It continued: “Once connected they will be directed to a landing page where they must tick the terms and conditions of use plus provide their email address.

“Once this is complete, free access to the service is available.”

The statement concluded: “The Wifi ‘hotspot’ operates in an area covering the main shopping areas of Banbridge Town Centre as well as Solitude Park.

“If someone moves out of this hotspot the signal will weaken and eventually go out of range.

“As it is very early days for Banbridge Town WiFi the service is still in live test mode.

“The service provider will be accessing signal strength in the coming days and weeks to ensure the signal is working effectively.”