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Open Networks and Free Wi-Fi

Lots of posts today. Getting caught up.

I'm in Amsterdam now and will be checking out the Free Wi-Fi scene here but I wanted to talk a bit about Open Networks.

At a B&B in St. Andrews, Scotland and in Dublin and at the Hotel here in Amsterdam I have fired up the laptop and Jiwire's SpotLock has found open networks somewhere nearby. They have a variety of names but nothing that would identify the source of the open network. Either a local business or an individual that has knowingly or even perhaps unknowingly left the network open. Perhaps they don't mind if anyone logs on or perhaps they do, hard to tell.

I have logged on and used them. I have read various discussions about whether or not this is proper and I guess I've decided I'm OK with it and I hope the owners of the networks I've used are too. Let this post be my Thank You to the network owners for allowing me to keep up with e-mail and adding new Free Wi-Fi locations to my Wi-Fi FreeSpot Directory web site.
posted by Jim at 12:15 AM

 
Is Free Wi-Fi really free?

Dana Blankenhorn made a post on his Corante blog about Free Wi-Fi not being free when you feel obliged to make a purchase when using it.

Let me comment on that.

Most people probably don't feel "obliged" to make a purchase. They do it willingly, either because they'd be there even if there was no Free Wi-Fi or they were hungry and/or thirsty anyway. Great way to satisfy the desire for sustenance and Free Wi-Fi.

If the location puts out a vibe that you should buy or leave, just leave, there are other Free Wi-Fi locations with better vibes.

Yes, yes, we all know there are support costs to offering free or fee based Wi-Fi but that's a given that location owners have decided is worth the cost and not something that has a huge financial impact.

If someone wants truly free Wi-Fi head to the local Library.
posted by Jim at 12:02 AM

 
More Free Wi-Fi in Ireland news

Most places that offer Free Wi-Fi in Dublin are part of the BitBuzz network. Most require a purchase to get a voucher good for 30 minutes of Free time.

I met with Nancy Gohring, the European correspondent for Wi-Fi Networking News. We talked about the rareness of free Wi-Fi in Ireland and our consensus was that the limiting factors are lack of broadband access and lack of awareness of the general public about Wi-Fi. Dublin has probably a hundred Internet shops where people can get online for less than 2 Euros per hour and they are all heavily used, especially by travellers and non-Irish residents of Dublin. We both felt that the bigger companies will not push for expanding Free Wi-Fi, it will have to come from a grassroots effort similar to those in Austin, Texas and Estonia.

The most pleasant surprise of my Ireland visit was finding free Wi-Fi in Morgan's Bar at the Forster Court Hotel in Galway.

The most impressive part of my Ireland visit was a tour round The Ring of Kerry. Spectacular scenery.
posted by Jim at 11:51 PM

 
Edinburgh and Free Wi-Fi

On the way from St. Andrews to Dublin I stopped in Edinburgh for one night. All Good is a sandwich and coffee shop on Morrison Street, across from the Edinburgh International Conference Center. I spoke with Kevin, the owner, about Free Wi-Fi in Edinburgh. Although there are not very many locations he doesn't understand why there are not more. As a new business, he feels offering Free Wi-Fi has helped to bring customers into the shop. Just as some cities in the US are adding Wi-Fi zones as a way to attract more business and become known as a technology friendly city he thinks Edinburgh should do the same thing.
posted by Jim at 9:05 AM

 
Dublin Ireland and Free Wi-Fi

Dublin has many Internet Access/Call Shops that offer Wi-Fi for 1-2 Euros per hour.

I've found a cafeteria named Cafe Kylemore on O'Connell Street that has BitBuzz service. The cashier said a purchase is required. The Harbor Master Bar & Restaurant on Customs House Dock gives 30 minutes of free BitBuzz access with a voucher card. I list other locations in the Wi-Fi FreeSpot Directory but I haven't tracked them down. The above are with walking distance of the City Centre and Busaras bus station and many B&Bs on Gardiner Street.
posted by Jim at 7:19 AM

 
Free Wi-Fi and The Home of Golf

St. Andrews Scotland is the Home of Golf but not the Home of Free Wi-Fi. I'm actually using paid access to get some work done.

On the trip over I found some free access in Terminal E at Logan Airport in Boston. The loganwifi network is fee based but I picked up a network called FSS2 that was open.

Landed in Dublin on Tuesday. The Irish Airports used to have free access but no more. There was paid access near the McDonald's in the Food Court area via eircom.

I'll be back in Dublin in a few days and hoping to find some free Wi-Fi to use and report on.
posted by Jim at 2:29 AM

 
Free Wi-Fi in Northampton, MA

I've been spending a few days in Northampton, Massachusetts and have used the Free Wi-Fi at The Woodstar Cafe and the Haymarket Cafe, and yes, I made a purchase each time.

There were a few "zombies" around, including myself I guess, as I didn't talk with anyone while I was online with my laptop keeping up with new additions to the Wi-Fi-FreeSpot Directory. There were a few coffee drinkers who weren't talking either, but most do.

I also used the Free Wi-Fi at the Forbes Library.
posted by Jim at 3:35 PM

 
On the Road with Free Wi-Fi

I'll be doing some traveling over the next few months and I'll be reporting on where I find Free Wi-Fi.

Today I'm at McCarran Airport in Las Vegas. Previously I had heard that access was not available in the Gate areas but I'm sitting at Gate C5 waiting for a Southwest flight and the signal is fine. There is a re-direct to an Authentication page but all that's required is an e-mail address to gain access.

There are a few plugs available in the corridors but not many in the Gate areas.

Skype calls worked great and receiving and sending e-mail works fine too.
posted by Jim at 1:32 PM