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A Bright Idea: New LED Streetlights and Wi-Fi in Plainville, Conn.

Connecticut town replaces high-pressure sodium streetlights with new LED fixtures, and some include Wi-Fi.

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Amy has worked on StateTech since May 2007. As managing editor, she shapes editorial content for print and online. Before that, she spent 10 years at Network World as senior managing editor of features and managing editor of features. Amy began her IT publishing career at PC Week. While out of the office, she enjoys traveling and rooting for the Red Sox.

The town of Plainville, Conn., recently swapped out high-pressure sodium streetlights for 1,424 light-emitting diode fixtures to slash energy consumption. Of the new LED lights, 123 will offer a little something extra: chips that provide Wi-Fi hotspot technology.

The Hartford Courant reports that the town elected to bring free Wi-Fi service to selected retail and commercial areas. Plainville will pay $3,700 yearly for the Internet service, which will be offset by an estimated $75,000 in annual electricity and maintenance savings from the new energy-efficient streetlights. Town Manager Robert Lee said Plainville seeks advertisers for the network to fund the operational costs, according to the Record-Journal.