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Santa Clara Free Wi-Fi provides outdoor access to the Internet in the City of Santa Clara. The free Wi-Fi is made possible through the new advanced metering system put in place by Silicon Valley Power (SVP), the City's municipal electric utility. Called SVP MeterConnect℠, it refers to the advanced meters and the wireless technology powering SVP's upgrade to modern and secure wireless metering for its electricity customers.

When the highly encrypted and protected electric meter data system was built by SVP, a separate unencrypted channel was also installed to support public Wi-Fi. Santa Clara is the first city in the country to provide citywide outdoor Wi-Fi access for a community as part of its advanced meter upgrade program. Santa Clara Free Wi-Fi replaces an old Wi-Fi system that existed in parts of the city, called MetroFi. When that system's operator went out of business, SVP negotiated a low purchase price for the MetroFi wireless infrastructure to use as a starting point for citywide applications.

It's important to note that the free public Wi-Fi access channel, similar to Wi-Fi access points in coffee shops and retail stores, is not encrypted, and private information such as credit card, bank or personal information should not be transmitted over Santa Clara Free Wi-Fi. Natural or constructed obstacles may also block Wi-Fi signals in some locations. See the Santa Clara Free Wi-Fi frequently asked questions page for more information.