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On the other hand, even though there are thousands of hotspots, they dont 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 werent any in your area but if you live in even an average-size city then it would be more of a surprise if you didnt 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 Kinkos 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 its 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, its 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. Weve already covered a number of potential public hotspots to take your laptop and go searching for but one that hasnt 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 youre a student theres 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 doesnt 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 youd like to take for spin, youre in luck because its 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. |
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