Commissaries start roll out of in-store Wi-Fi

Wi-Fi access for commissary patrons is coming to stateside stores as the Defense Commissary Agency begins its scheduled roll out of the online service.

Through the Commissary Patron Internet Mobile System, or CPIMS, the agency will gradually open customer Wi-Fi access initially at all stateside commissaries to include Alaska, Hawaii and Puerto Rico.

So far, patron Wi-Fi has been deployed to these stores in Virginia: Naval Air Station Oceana, Fort Lee, Langley Air Force Base, Naval Station Norfolk and Norfolk Naval Shipyard Scott Center Annex in Portsmouth.

“Many of our patrons come to the commissary with their smart phones and tablets. Store Wi-Fi will help them maximize their commissary benefit,” said Duane Woodfin, an information technology specialist and wireless expert. “There’s a lot of valuable shopping information on commissaries.com. Customers can find digital coupons for the Commissary Rewards Card, our sales flyer, the savings aisle for access to promotional prices and much, much more.”

Here are some things to know about access to a commissary’s Wi-Fi connection:

* Anyone can access the store’s Wi-Fi from the sales floor area

* Users must accept the Defense Commissary Agency’s “terms of service” agreement

* Some websites are blocked

* Patrons with questions about access should contact the store’s customer service representative

DeCA is rolling out CPIMS in two phases. The first involves commissaries with existing network infrastructure to support patron wireless traffic. The second will coincide with the agency’s technical refresh of commissaries that don’t have the system requirements to support patron Wi-Fi. The Wi-Fi deployment schedule has not yet been finalized for these stores, but DeCA will announce it as soon as possible.