WhyFly is helping Wilmington provide free Wi-Fi hotspots for students

WhyFly — the top-ranked startup on Technical.ly’s 2018 RealLIST Startups — has stepped up to partner with the City of Wilmington to help students who lack Wi-Fi at home during the COVID-19 lockdown.

The five free Wi-Fi hotspots, all located in large parking lots where people can use it while maintaining social distancing, are for students who require high-speed internet for online classes and to access study materials.

“WhyFly is pleased to help Wilmington students keep up with their studies during this time of crisis,” said WhyFly CEO Mark Thompson. in statement. “When the City asked us to set up these Wi-Fi hotspots, we quickly added new capacity to our network.”

The locations are:

• 76ers Fieldhouse, at 401 Garasches Lane
• Kingswood Community Center, at 2300 Bowers St.
• Teen Warehouse, at 1121 Thatcher St.
• William ‘Hicks’ Anderson Community Center, at 501 N. Madison St.
• People’s Settlement Association, at 408 E. 8th St.

The network ID for all of these locations is “City of Wilmington.” No password is needed to log in. Access hours are 10 a.m. to 3 p.m., seven days a week.

Students using the Wi-Fi from a car are required to stay in the vehicle while using the internet. Students who take public transportation or walk to the sites are required to stay at least six feet from others, with face masks strongly suggested.

In addition to helping students with their studies, members of the general public will be allowed limited use the Wi-Fi if they need to access information about COVID-19.

The free hotspots will remain in place until schools open again.

Free parking lot Wi-Fi is rolling out in Philly, too — albeit to mixed reactions.