Take Your Laptop For A Walk On The Wireless Side
Laramie Cahill
Wireless internet access is truly the wave of the future and
depending on where you live the future could be now. Wireless
"hotspots" really are popping up somewhere on a daily basis.
Not that I'm complaining, because having the ability to access
the internet via a wireless connection is a great convenience
and allows you to "Take Your Laptop For a Walk on Wireless
Side".
On the other hand, even though there are thousands of
"hotspots", they don't always get a whole bunch of publicity.
However, if you were to do a search for "hotspots" in your town
you may be pleasantly surprised. You may have thought that there
weren't any in your area but if you live in even an average-size
city then it would be more of a surprise if you didn't find a
few "hotspots".
Another alternative would, of course, to do a search for
"hotspots" or "wireless hotspots". There are a ton of websites
you can go to and find "hotspots". One "hotspot" that is
generally considered to be on the most comprehensive is
www.jiwire.com. You can search for local "hotspots" from the
JiWire website or could simply type your zip code into Yahoo
Maps and choose 'WiFi Hotspots' from the menu located on the
right side of the screen.
Another option would be to check out the nearest Starbucks.
They are literally everywhere and almost all of them offer
wireless internet access in at some part of the store. Borders
and Kinko's are also pretty good bets and if all else fails...
keep a watchful eye out for a local cafe or simply ask around a
little bit and someone should be able to point you in the right
direction.
Small Wireless ISP Fee
You may find that some of the larger hotspot networks with
multiple, convenient locations require that you pay a small fee
to a wireless ISP to access through them. In many instances, you
can simply purchase a prepaid card at the place where the access
is offered so it's really not a big deal. However, if you want
to free access your best bet would be to stick to the smaller
independent locations.
Why Would a Cafe Offer Free Wireless Internet?
Actually, if you think about it, it's really nothing more than
good business. Rather than pay to access the internet in some
dingy Internet cafe, you can access the Internet for free in
their place of business and while there buy their food and
drinks. Cafes are willing to pay the minimal cost of providing
wireless Internet access in exchange for the new customers it
brings into their business. Especially, in areas where Internet
access is hard to come by, any other way. The same goes for
hotels and airports: customers see wireless access as an added
value and in many instances; they will choose a particular
hotel based on this feature alone.
Actually, the real growth area in wireless "hotspots" is in the
private sector. Businesses are falling all over themselves to
provide free Internet access to their business customers -
cafes, hotels and airports are all starting to offer wireless
access to anyone who happens to be around. All you need to do
is bring in your laptop with Centrino technology or a wireless
PCMCIA card.
We've already covered a number of potential public hotspots to
take your laptop and go searching for but one that hasn't been
mentioned is in reality may be one of first places to check out
is your local public library. Public and university campus
libraries are increasingly offering wireless access and if
you're a student there's a good chance that your whole
university campus is wireless enabled - or will be soon.
Hotspot Locator Software
Hotspot Locator Software allows you to create a database of
known "hotspots" on your computer that you can search at any
time, whether you are online or offline. Simple type in a zip
code or the name of a city and the software will come back with
the nearest "hotspots"... all sorted by distance from your
location. And to make sure that your database doesn't get out
of date, each time you access the Internet the software
automatically connects to its servers and checks the latest
hotspot to your list and if your list if out of date it will
download and update your list with the latest information.
If hotspot locator software sounds like something you'd like to
take for spin, you're in luck because it's offered for free from
many of hotspot providers' websites. T-Mobile Hotspot is
currently the largest provider and offers a free download at:
http://www.tmobile.com/hotspot.
About The Author: Laramie Cahill is a contributing writer to:
http://www.zephyrnet.com and http://www.eyeonvoip.com and
http://www.usfairtrade.com
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