PITTSBURGH, PA (September 29, 2021) The City of Pittsburgh Department of Innovation and Performance (I&P) and Department of Public Works (DPW) have completed a 15-month, large-scale project to rewire and update the WiFi infrastructure in the City-County Building. This modernization project provides the epicenter of city operations with fast, reliable and wireless data connectivity so that staff can deliver efficient and effective services to the community.
All wiring and equipment were upgraded to modern standards. Prior to the modernization, the City-County Building was operating on a network of outdated technologies with poorly located connectivity distribution points that were overburdened by servicing multiple floors and multiple city departments.
This project included expanding the number of connection points to match the size and network demands of the City-County Building by over 120 access points for a complete and unified WiFi-mesh. Intermediate distribution frames, or areas where connectivity wires are centralized to service areas of the building, were redistributed to each floor to provide improved network service throughout the entire building. The City also upgraded the WiFi technology to Cat6a in order to provide over 1,000 times faster service than before.
“The positive outcomes of this project will be speed of connectivity and the availability to Wi-Fi access,” said Philip Savino, I&P’s Assistant Director of IT Operations. “This project not only includes the modernization of wiring within the building to take care of connection issues but the addition of Wi-Fi that is redundant, reliable and consistent throughout all floors within city operations.”
