Techtopia launches new Municipal Wi-Fi service with Fuzion power

Techtopia, a new Internet service provider in Eldoret City, Kenya, has partnered with the County Government in the region to provide affordable internet access to communities.

Through its flagship initiative, the Enabler Project, Techtopia is launching a high-speed Wi-Fi network bundled with affordable product packages, targeting high-footfall areas such as bus stations and marketplaces.

The project leverages hotspot landing pages to deliver internet access, digital services, and economic opportunities—ultimately aiming to spur local economic development and digital inclusion.

Techtopia turned to Optace Networks, Kenya-based East African distributor of the Fuzion Power Technologies FTP-300, leveraging reliable solar power and network capabilities via Power over Ethernet in one smart, rugged and quickly deployable product. The FTP-300 powers the Wi-Fi access point and the fiber router deployed on a single pole. The solution allows Techtopia to deploy reliable Wi-Fi networks with fiber backhaul throughout the region in the time it takes to fasten the required equipment to a pole. Very little planning is required. With support from Optace Networks and Fuzion, the team at Techtopia designed a complete hotspot solution, incorporating Wi-Fi access points from Cambium Networks, a generic fiber ONU product, and generic solar panels acquired locally.

In this solution the Wi-Fi access point is connected to the FTP-300 via the ethernet for power and data. The fiber router employed doesn’t support Power-over-Ethernet in, so it is powered via 12 V DC via the AUX port inside the FTP-300.

The Fuzion FTP-300 is a durable solar charged industrial switch with PoE in a small form factor ideal for Wi-Fi hotspots, microwave radios, cellular gateways, surveillance cameras and more. The FTP-300 is designed for "deploy-and-forget" installations in remote areas and for operation under harsh environmental conditions.