In view of the COVID-19 outbreak, which is severely affecting several municipalities and regions, the European Commission has decided to postpone the fourth and final Wifi4EU call initially scheduled for 17-18 March 2020.
 
The current short-term disruption caused by COVID-19 would not give all municipalities the same opportunities to participate in the call.
 
The Commission is prepared to publish the call for proposals as soon as possible in order to maintain investments supported by the EU budget.

Registration is available online and will be open until 5:00 PM (CET) on March 18. The budget for this new WiFi4EU call for proposals is €14.2 million. In previous calls, more than 4,000 municipalities in Spain have received funding. Further information on how to apply for WiFi4EU and its requirements can be found at https://dlink.to/wifi4eu

 

 

In this context, D-Link has announced the availability of two professional access points, the DAP-2662 (Indoor) and DAP-3666 (Outdoor), that meet or exceed the requirements for WiFi4EU-funded public Wi-Fi projects. These requirements include Wi-Fi CERTIFIED Passpoint® certification, Hotspot 2.0 technology, and WPA3-level authentication.
Wi-Fi Passpoint® is a technology that helps users' devices find and access public Wi-Fi areas much more quickly than traditional captive portals or hotspot websites, while also ensuring seamless roaming between different access points. Furthermore, both access points support WPA3 authentication to guarantee robust Wi-Fi security.

Both access points are compatible with the 802.11ac Wave 2 WiFi standard and offer wireless speeds of up to 1200 Mbps. They also feature innovative MU-MIMO technology, which sends multiple data streams to multiple devices simultaneously instead of sequentially, thus accelerating performance in high-density user environments, common in public spaces.
For management, both the DAP-2662 and DAP-3666 are centrally managed with the free D-Link Nuclias Connect software, which provides a single, dedicated, and centralized management point for all access points in the public WiFi network—another essential requirement for WiFi4EU projects.

For indoor spaces such as public buildings, libraries, healthcare facilities, and museums, the DAP-2662 is the ideal solution. Thanks to its Power over Ethernet (PoE) compatibility, there's no need for an additional power source, as the access point receives power through the data cable. Meanwhile, the DAP-3666, also PoE-enabled, provides wireless connectivity in outdoor spaces like parks and plazas. Its robust, IP68-certified housing makes it resistant to harsh weather conditions and outdoor environments, including dust, sand, and dirt—thanks to its GORE-TEX protection—as well as extreme temperatures, from -30°C to +60°C.

Both WiFi4EU access points are now available and in stock.