Vivato signs up two more colleges

Two recently signed deals with universities in Illinois and Pennsylvania bring to more than 25 the number of colleges who are installing or have installed wireless equipment from Vivato, a Spokane Valley technology company.

The two contracts, announced by Vivato recently, are for the installation of Wi-Fi technology on the campuses of Southern Illinois University in Carbondale and Lincoln University in Pennsylvania. Lincoln is located about 59 miles southwest of Philadelphia.

Vivato develops wireless networking equipment that covers much wider areas than traditional smaller-scale equipment.

The terms of the two new deals were not disclosed, said a Vivato spokesman.

Vivato’s phased-array Wi-Fi panels are being installed to cover the entire 1,133-acre campus of Southern Illinois University, which serves 21,000 students.

The same equipment has been installed at Lincoln University to cover areas of the campus not covered by Ethernet wires, said a school news release.

Nearly all of Vivato’s university installations involve schools in the Midwest or East. One of the deals has been signed with an unidentified Idaho school, said Vivato spokesman Stephen Renda.

Since it was founded two years ago, privately held Vivato’s largest sales have been made to universities and to public-access operations, such as the City of Spokane downtown “Hot Zone.”

Chris DeMarche, vice president of marketing, said installations at universities have ranged from $10,000 up to projects of $100,000.