Palmerston North Hospital now offers unlimited free WiFi allowing patients and visitors to connect their mobile devices to the internet for however long they want.
The broadband data is courtesy of local internet service provider InspireNet, which has supplied the hospital with WiFi since late 2011.
For the first six years, people were able to use up to one gigabyte (1GB) of free data per month. Last Christmas, that limit was increased to 1GB per day.
“But, in reality, that’s still not enough for most people, especially patients wanting to browse online and watch video to help pass time. For example, 1GB is about 3.5 hours of You Tube and then you can’t watch any more for rest of day – without paying for and using your own data,” InspireNet founder James Watts said.
“So, working with MidCentral DHB we decided to make it unlimited free WiFi at the hospital - part of our sponsorship to contribute to the wellbeing of our region.”
The unlimited free WiFi network is called ‘Hospital Free WiFi by Inspire Net’ and will be available throughout most of Palmerston North Hospital, with some areas kept WiFi-free to avoid interference with some medical equipment.
MidCentral DHB’s Chief Information Officer Steve Miller said providing reliable and fast broadband WiFi at the hospital offers more than just convenience.
“WiFi helps many of our staff in their day-to-day work, which contributes to delivering efficient healthcare services. But there is no doubt the unlimited free WiFi will be of great value for our patients. They will be able to stay connected with family, friends and colleagues, or browse the internet and watch online content - all without needing to be conscious of how much internet data they’re using,” he said.
“Together with InspireNet we’re delighted to be able to now offer unlimited free WiFi to patients and other visitors to Palmerston North Hospital.”
How to access the free WiFi at Palmerston North Hospital:
1. From your mobile device’s home screen, navigate to the WiFi options via SettingsFrom your mobile device’s home screen, navigate to the WiFi options via Settings
2. Ensure the WiFi ‘switch’ is turned onEnsure the WiFi ‘switch’ is turned on
3. From the available networks, choose ‘Hospital_FreeWiFi_by_InspireNet’
4. Once connected you should receive the ‘landing page’ (portal.pnhospital.inspire.net.nz)
5. Click on the ‘Accept’ buttonClick on the ‘Accept’ button
You should now connected to the WiFi service and be able to access the internet using your browser or application of choice (Internet Explorer, Google Chrome, Firefox or any other internet app.)
For any WiFi issues, please phone the Inspire Net Helpdesk directly on 0800 484 363.