"That's right, we blog!" (with thanks to RP and GW)

News and information for free public access Wi-Fi location owners and users

We call a hotspot that offers free Wi-Fi internet access a Wi-Fi-FreeSpot.

Click here for the Wi-Fi-FreeSpot Directory.

Privacy Policy

 

 

Want to learn how to build a FreeSpot? Go to WiFiFreenet.

 
Wi-Fi-FreeSpot Directory Additions

2003 has been a great year for Free Wi-Fi. I'd like to thank all the people who have sent me e-mails with new location information.

New locations have been added in Norfolk, Covington, Roanoke and Richmond, Virginia, Fort Collins and Palmer Lake, Colorado, Toronto, Canada, Boynton Beach, Florida, Madison, Wisconsin, and Western Springs, Illinois.
posted by Jim at 8:58 AM

 
Wi-Fi-FreeSpot Directory Additions

Providence, Rhode Island, Cleveland, Ohio, San Diego, California, Macon, Georgia, Raleigh, North Carolina, Frisco, Texas and Staunton, Virginia have new locations that offer Free Wi-Fi.
posted by Jim at 11:28 AM

 
Wi-Fi-FreeSpot Directory Additions

New locations to check out in Beachwood, Ohio, Benecia, California, Kerala, India, Howell, Michigan, Tucson, Arizona, Lynchburg, Virginia and Austin, Texas.
posted by Jim at 11:56 AM

 
Wi-Fi-FreeSpot Directory Additions
If you got a new laptop with a Wi-Fi card for Christmas you can head on out to check out the new free Wi-Fi locations in Austin and Pflugerville, Texas, Schaumburg, Illinois, Pueblo, Colorado, Minneapolis, Minnesota, Howell, Michigan, San Diego, California and Tucson, Arizona.
posted by Jim at 6:43 PM

 
A new companion site

In my recent travels across the country I used the Wi-Fi-FreeSpot Directory to find locations to stop and grab a coffee or a meal and get caught up on e-mail, etc. and then drive some more. At the end of the day I'd be looking for a motel that had free Wi-Fi but most often found motels that had free in-room wired high speed internet access. I had an ethernet cable with me so this worked out great. It wasn't Wi-Fi but it was high speed and it was FREE!

So, this gave me an idea for a companion site to the Wi-Fi-FreeSpot Directory - The Wired-FreeSpot Directory. Most listings are hotels and motels that offer free wired high speed internet access. Most have in-room wall jacks that accept an ethernet/Cat5 cable but some, like Wingate Inns, have a desktop box with a built in ethernet cable you can plug into your laptop.

If you know of any locations that offer free wired high speed internet access let me know and I'll add them to my new Directory.
posted by Jim at 10:58 AM

 
Wi-Fi-FreeSpot Directory Additions

Go to Scottsbluff, Nebraska, Boston and Provincetown, Massachusetts, Huntsville, Alabama, Yuma, Arizona, Mariposa, California, Peoria and Normal, Illinois, Seattle, Washington, and Allen, Texas to check out the new free Wi-Fi locations.
posted by Jim at 10:48 AM

 
Wi-Fi-FreeSpot Directory Additions

Time to get caught up on new locations. Look for new locations in San Francisco, Sacramento, Eagle Rock and Los Angeles, California, Pierre, South Dakota, Edinburgh, Scotland, Chiang Mai, Thailand, Portland, Maine, Denver and Longmont, Colorado, Salem and Arlington, Virginia, Dayton and Boardman, Ohio, Flagler Beach, Florida, Irving, Austin, Huntsville and Mt. Pleasant, Texas, Knoxville, Tennessee, Salem, Oregon, Calgary, Alberta, Canada, Tucson, Arizona, and Baltimore, Maryland.
posted by Jim at 10:01 AM

 
Coast to Coast

A couple of weeks on the road and I've arrived in Monterey, California. Over 4000 miles and the last 70 or so up the coast highway from Morro Bay through Big Sur was spectacular.

Austin is indeed a hotbed of Free Wi-Fi. Tim Rogers, a volunteer with the Austin Wireless City Project, drove me around and showed me a bunch of locations from LESSnetworks and others. Austin is a college town on a big city scale. Lots of students with laptops using free Wi-Fi all over town.

We had lunch at the Crimson Restaurant in the warehouse district. Great food, great location and great Free Wi-Fi!!

Lonnie Wormley joined us for lunch. He recently moved from Portland where he was involved with the Personal Telco Project, to the Austin area. He made an interesting observation about Wi-Fi in Austin. Usually in our search for free Wi-Fi we base our location choice on access availability rather than environment or food preference. But, with so many Austin locations offering free Wi-Fi you get to choose the type of location or food you wish to enjoy with your free Wi-Fi access. Think about that.

Other cities may lay claim to being the most wireless based on "open" nodes, but Austin has to rank #1 for number of publicly accessible locations like coffeeshops, cafes, restaurants, etc. People like Tim Rogers and Rich MacKinnon of LESSnetworks and the Austin Wireless City Project are building a community of free Wi-Fi users. Rich and I met later on Friday and he impressed me with what he and LESSnetworks are doing. Check out their web site for more info.


posted by Jim at 7:37 PM

 
FreeSpot Directory Additions

I'm still getting lots of e-mails with new locations. Grab the laptop and head out to the new FreeSpots in Elgin, Illinois, Austin, Dallas and Round Rock, Texas, Palmdale, San Diego, San Jose and Santa Cruz, California, Gulfport and Cocoa Beach, Florida, Brunswick, Georgia, Tucson and Anthem, Arizona, Springboro, Ohio, Fort Wayne, Indiana, Sioux Falls, South Dakota, Pocatello and Port Falls, Idaho, Lafayette, Colorado, Portland, Oregon, Northampton, Massachusetts, Milwaukee, Wisconsin, Minneapolis/St. Paul, Minnesota and Waynesboro, Virginia.
posted by Jim at 8:00 PM

 
Austin, Texas

Austin is a hotbed of Free Wi-Fi. The Austin Wireless City Project has 18 locations and 1600 registered users. I'll be trying out one or two of them on Friday. Tonight I'm at an Econo Lodge on 290 East and I 35 that has free Wifi and free wired access. Location owner is very tech savvy and has done it on his own. Also got a great rate from a coupon book and there's a great little Mexican restaurant on site.
posted by Jim at 7:48 PM

 
More from New Orleans

CC's Coffee at 650 Poydras has free Wi-Fi and wall plugs so you don't have to run down your battery.
posted by Jim at 11:52 AM

 
The road goes through New Orleans

I'm sitting in Coop's Place on Decatur St. having gumbo and free Wi-Fi.

No connection problems here. I guess the Jacksonville experience was a glitch of some kind.
posted by Jim at 2:59 PM

 
FreeSpot Directory Additions

Plenty of new locations to check out in Sudbury, Massachusetts, Grand Rapids, Michigan, Bakersfield and San Francisco, California, Rochester and Shoreview, Minnesota, Chatauqua, New York, Chagrin Falls and Mentor, Ohio, Plant City, Florida, Spring Hill, Tennessee, Puerto Penasco, Sonora, Mexico, Kansas City, Missouri, Austin, Texas, and Seattle, Washington.
posted by Jim at 5:45 AM

 
More from the road

Visited friends near Hilton Head Island. Only free location was way down at the tip of the Island near the lighthouse in Sea Pines Plantation. Too far to go check it out. For such a busy place I expected to find more locations.

Stopped in Jacksonville at another Panera Bread expecting to use the free Wi-Fi. I think I'm having problems with my internal card. Computer could see network but couldn't connect. People at next table were connected but I couldn't get on. Food was good though.

Stayed in a Wingate Inn in Orlando expecting to find free Wi-Fi. Well, it is free and it is high speed but it's wired access. LodgeNet offers the service through an ethernet box on the desk that plugs in to your laptop.

Next stop New Orleans.
posted by Jim at 5:32 AM

 
On the road

Today is the first day of my cross country trip as I re-locate from Massachusetts to Monterey area of California.

I'll be using free Wi-Fi locations listed in my FreeSpot Directory as I make my way.

Right now I'm at a Panera Bread Company location near Richmond, Virginia. Good food and EXCELLENT signal strength.

This Free Wi-Fi thing might just catch on.

Stay tuned for more location reports.
posted by Jim at 4:43 PM