WiFi's disjointed extortion fees

[DanP]

I was in the airport recently, and was keen on trying out my new TH55's WiFi connection to check mail. I was able to see the wireless hub, but couldn't connect... Ah, I see, after launching my browser they want money. Later on that trip, I stopped in Starbucks... same deal... more money... after that, sitting in my school's off campus library, more extortion fees were required... My hotel? That's right - more fees.

...so, in one trip I was asked to pay four separate charges to check my email via WiFi... and that's when it dawned on me: Pay-for-Wifi is not going to work under it's current model...

Stumbled across this article today:

http://arstechnica.com/news/posts/1086717581.html

What do you'all think? Is everyone carrying a "free hotspot" map with them when they travel and driving around town, or just coughing up the dough? Or, like me, just leaving WiFi disabled...

Regards,
-Dan

[jumpyg]

I was in the airport recently, and was keen on trying out my new TH55's WiFi connection to check mail. I was able to see the wireless hub, but couldn't connect... Ah, I see, after launching my browser they want money. Later on that trip, I stopped in Starbucks... same deal... more money... after that, sitting in my school's off campus library, more extortion fees were required... My hotel? That's right - more fees.

...so, in one trip I was asked to pay four separate charges to check my email via WiFi... and that's when it dawned on me: Pay-for-Wifi is not going to work under it's current model...

Stumbled across this article today:

http://arstechnica.com/news/posts/1086717581.html

What do you'all think? Is everyone carrying a "free hotspot" map with them when they travel and driving around town, or just coughing up the dough? Or, like me, just leaving WiFi disabled...

Regards,
-Dan
I read recently that many hotels are adding WiFi, but most charge for it. They said that the price was not an issue for their customers, but that they will probably offer free service in the future to compete with the few hotels that do offer it free. I suspect you'll see the same thing in restaurants, coffee shops, etc. If enough coffee shops offer WiFi for free, Starbucks may decide to do the same. Right now, that competition is not there.

[MarianoSF]

Here in the bay area we are starting to setup free WiFi in our Denny's Restaurants. Just the fact that even McDonald's has wireless internet (with a fee) make us enter the competition. I think sooner we'll see more and more places where we can use WiFi without a credit card.

[Cyker]

Here in UK, BT have this thing called Open-erm, something, where they have a load of BT WiFi nodes scattered (loosely) around the place, and you just pay a set amound and can access the 'net via and of those WiFi nodes.

I ain't tried it 'tho...

I gotta say the TH55 is a bit disappointing as a WarChalking aid :)

[LanMan]

Is Panera Bread still installing free WiFi in their deli's? They have one in the KC area that has WiFi, but I keep waiting for them to install it in the rest of KC (especially the closest to me).

Is there any utility that allows for a one-tap check of WiFi signal strength of the the local WiFi signal?

[ID Engineer]

I believe that some of the Paneras here in Houston have free WiFi, but I haven't yet gotten a TH55 to try it out! I have a meeting there every Tuesday morning so it would really be great if it's free.

[joejoe]

I agree with MarianoSF. I fully anticipate that coffee houses & restaurants will want to compete with MacDo's & Starbucks. After all, why pay over $3 for a caffe latte only to be soaked another $6 for WiFi access?! :confused:

Already in my community we have a cafe which offers free WiFi plus a Panera, & a huge public library. Panera is packed & neighboring local restaurants/cafes can't help but notice.

[sigelang]

I will set up a RADIUS a server for my $29 WRC1000 Toshiba ("Wi-Fi certified) if I have a cafeteria to control who is using my bandwidth


_____________________

Just testing my post count.

[sigelang]

An account in a radius server for

1. Paid subscriber (COS =1)
2. Regular customer (COS =2)
3. Trial Customer (COS =3)
4. Guest Customer (COS =4)
5. Passing by (outside) (COS =5)
"prospective cust."


A radius "Access Server ready" Wi-fi.

(Not bad for a Twenty nine dollar router.)

[LanMan]

KC's new (actually in a renovated 1904 bank building) Central Library that opened in March is pumping out free WiFi. :cool:

Coffeehouses, and book stores with coffee shops should wake up and smell the coffee. They need to brew up some free WiFi, because we're steamed over price of their hotspots. (sorry, ;) )

[Jayman]

I make sure that is the first thing that I ask when I travel, is there free wifi in the hotel? and do they have free wired internet in the hotel? I just got back from staying in Phoenix, they had free wifi at the residence in that actually made it out past the pool. If it wasnt free I would have stayed somewhere else.

[tnhh]

An account in a radius server for

1. Paid subscriber (COS =1)
2. Regular customer (COS =2)
3. Trial Customer (COS =3)
4. Guest Customer (COS =4)
5. Passing by (outside) (COS =5)
"prospective cust."


How can you tell if they are outside? It is wireless after all... :D

[tnhh]

I make sure that is the first thing that I ask when I travel, is there free wifi in the hotel? and do they have free wired internet in the hotel? I just got back from staying in Phoenix, they had free wifi at the residence in that actually made it out past the pool. If it wasnt free I would have stayed somewhere else.

I find that free wired is more common than free wifi in the hotels that I stay at. So I am considering perhaps buying my own portable access point, e.g. the Asus WL-330 (http://usa.asus.com/products/communication/wireless/wl-330/overview.HTM) or the Apple Airport Express (http://www.apple.com/airportexpress/). Anyone here tried these out?