WiFi Hotspots

From coffee shops to other hangout places, Wi-Fi hotspots are part of the marketing ploy. However, there's good and bad side to this. Here are some of them:

Benefits of offering wireless Internet

Laptop users can add to your daily customers by providing them Wi-Fi hotspots and the privacy to do their web surfing. Coffee shops are among the first to reap the benefits of this marketing strategy. With more customers, the business can enjoy increase in sales and popularity. Since the competition is probably offering this perk, why shouldn't you if you want to stay afloat?

Disadvantages of providing Wi-Fi access

Some customers are only interested in the wi-fi hotspot and not the service or business offer. In some coffee shops, for example, customers only buy a cup and simply occupy some space for long hours to do their browsing. If this doesn't convert into higher sales, then the business may lose some of its investment on wi-fi subscription plans, especially when access to wi-fi is offered for free.

Considerations when subscribing to a wi-fi for your business

Aside from wi-fi, make sure that you're offering some good product or service to your customers. Make sure that the place gives them the privacy and comfort they need for web browsing. Check your sales plans and marketing strategies to make sure that the business will benefit from providing wi-fi service, either for free or with a fee.

Wireless technology has invaded the hotel industry. A lot of hotels today use Wi-Fi technology to better serve their customers. One of the hotels that uses this technology is the Kimpton Hotels. According to Hotelchatter, Kimpton Hotels top the survey as the undisputed WiFi hotel king. Their brand improved their legendary free wireless internet connection service in the past years. Now, they extend their fast and reliable service to the rooms upstairs. At most Kimpton hotels, any guest can just set his laptop in bed and enjoy the service. Hotelchatter also mentioned that most of the hotel advertise this, but only Kimpton Hotels have actually lived up to the promise.

Actually, the hotels do not depend on their lobby WiFi connection. They have two separate WiFi networks , one for the lobby and the second one for the guest rooms. These networks are accessible by clicking on a standard terms and conditions. During the Hotelchatter visit in the hotel, there were hotel staff who asked them if they are getting a good and reliable signal in the lobby as well as in their room. When Hotelchatter checked it, they were having a fine signal from the two areas. This explains why Kimpton hotels appeal very much to the businessmen, travelers, and globe -trotting bloggers. Meanwhile, the famous Hilton Hotels have also improved its WiFi service according to the survey.

Wireless technology is very in demand in society today. There are a number of commercial wireless fidelity services in places like restaurants, coffee shops, and airports around the world. These different hotspots include Ozone and OzoneParis in France and Belgium, T-Mobile, Starbucks in the US and UK, Pacific Century CyberWorks in Hongkong, Vex in Brazil, Netstop in New Zealand, and Globequest in the Philippines. Canada has FatPort as its oldest independent Wi-Fi HotSpot operator with coverage from coast to coast. On the other hand, BT Openzone provides many hotspots across the United Kingdom, notably in most McDonalds restaurants.

Also, WiFi has invade some gaming consoles and handhelds. Satoru Iwata, President of Nintendo, has announced that they will be Wi-Fi compatible. Nintendo DS handheld is also WiFi compatible but it does not support WPA encryption. The Sony PSP also includes WLAN to connect to Wi-Fi hotspots or make wireless connections. The Xbox 360 features 1 Wi-Fi accessory which is a wireless network adapter while the PlayStation 3 premium model features built-in Wi-Fi. These are just proofs that wireless technology has definitely invaded our world already. Whether we like it or not, our world is getting smaller and smaller.

Proudly embracing my newly-bought laptop on a cold, lazy afternoon of December, I decided to stop by a nearby Starbucks chain to have my all-time favorite grande brewed coffee with two espresso shots and publicly display the newest addition to my "tech" collection. Excitedly falling in line, one of the tenders asked me if I wanted to get on-line. Cheerfully explaining to me that their chain is already a wifi hot spot, the tender said that they have a promo during that season that entitles all their customers of free wifi connection. Eager to try the specs of my laptop, I immediately said yes to the offer. I have been an avid internet user for most of my life but that was my first encounter to the wifi technology. The tender politely guided me in getting my laptop ready for the wireless fidelity that has hit the city like a storm. About three or four other customers were also surfing, all are enjoying the wifi connection.

Wifi system enables a wifi-enabled device to get connected to the internet even in the absence of telephone connection. Wifi works in wifi hotspots where invisible cords connect a user in the information superhighway. Simply said, wifi makes internet surfing a lot easier and a lot more accessible for everyone who is always on the go. But this ground-breaking technology is not an omnipresent entity. Wifi connection can only be done in wifi zones or what others popularly call as hotspots. It's not for us to burden ourselves in finding a hotspot, most commercial establishments that are hotspots proudly advertise that theirs is a wifi capable location. Some are free of charge, while some have reasonable charges. However, I think the technology is yet to see the light of its day. There are still some issues that have to be clarified to the general public such as privacy, security, and dependability. But just like any other technology that has come our way and we have accepted despite initial cynicism, wifi will one day flourish even more and shall benefit us in more ways than we can think of.

WiFi Internet connections are available in various WiFi hotspot locations to address the demand of people who are in need of Internet access outside the premises of their office, home, and Internet cafes. WiFi is now widely available in hotels, resorts, cafes, and even restaurants. A perfect example of a cafe with free WiFi connections is the "The Tea Garden" cafe in Minneapolis.

Tea Garden in Minneapolis was built in 2002. It introduces a variety of tea and drinks specialties, and the most popular of them all is their "Bubble Tea" drink. The said place also serves shakes, tea lattes, cooler, coffee, and whole lot of exotic drinks. Sandwiches, snacks, and gourmet desserts are also available for its many customers. Also, its large selection of leaf loose teas is guaranteed to give satisfying eclectic traditional tastes to its loyal tea drinkers. Moreover, Tea Garden is also a perfect spot to look for gift baskets, tea accessories, and gift cards. Of course, the cafe offers a free WiFi Internet access to its customers who bring their laptops with them. With a fast Internet access available, the cafe's patrons will surely find the place a perfect spot for business endeavors, studying, and meeting.

Wifi internet has instantly turned into a hot commodity around the world. Well, this is good news for all internet users as well as business minded people. While some simply content themselves in enjoying this new and advanced technology, others attempt to make more out of it by turning wifi into a business. Do you want to make more cash by becoming a wifi hotspot?

If you want to join and succeed in this new business trend, then you need to consider several important things. Actually, it's just a simple matter. There are two primary things you need in order to achieve a wifi hotspot. First, you need a hotspot kit that includes: remote monitoring, software, and hardware. Second, you need a high-speed internet connection. Of course, before you buy a hotspot kit you need to determine whether you need a single access point or a multiple access point. Finally, you need to decide whether or not you will charge your clients for the wireless access. Nowadays, many business establishments such as hotels and shops offer free wifi internet access in order to attract more clients. Offering this free service can help boost your business in the competitive business world.

WiFi hotspots are growing in number as the days go by. I think it would not be too far into the future wherein most major cities in the globe would offer free WiFi access. This would probably not be within this lifetime, but its possible. Everybody's connected to the internet now, aren't they?

But for now, we'd have to do with WiFi locations that are specific to a given area and those establishments which want to provide clients with free access. But before you go out venturing into the internet inside the first cafe that you see, be mindful that the same dangers are present as with connecting to the internet through a telephone line or cable connection.

With that at hand, the same precautions should also be taken into consideration. Make sure that you are able to protect yourself against unwanted data transfers, that you have a secure network connection, and the like. This also includes the protection that you need from viruses and trojans.

The things that you need to keep in mind would basically be the same as those that you would normally do. So always be sure that you have all the necessary protection needed. You might never know when the time would come when there is absolutely no city where WiFi access is not available.

I don't know whether the paranoia certain technological equipment instigates is baseless or factual. But, I seem to try and keep an open mind on such issues which pertain to security, privacy, and health. Yes, including health.

With digital information technology, its rapid developments also address certain health issues which experts in the field have been going through and investigating for quite some time now. In Lakehead University, access to the digital information platform we now know as wireless internet connectivity is prohibited. Yes, it is forbidden! This statement and policy came from the University's appointed president. He has issues which address health hazards to the continual exposure to wireless signals.

Lakehead University president and head Fred Gilbert announced that the Lakehead University, while under his supervision, would not allow *wireless internet connectivity within the campus premises. He stressed out that it must first be studied whether continued exposure to electro-magnetic fields, or EMF, does not trigger any abnormal reactions in the human body. He also mentioned that the studies would need to be in the nature that investigates on the effects of EMF on young people. He defended his stand on a meeting by stating that he has based this policy on scientific journals. He stated that the scientific journals addressed concerns which regard exposure to such elements as being highly probable to trigger abnormal reactions in the human body, specially the body of a young person.

Wireless internet access is now being tapped to be the prime internet connectivity of the world. This technology was developed in order for people to have free, if not affordable, access to internet. Now, the governments of the world are launching large-scale programs in which to maximize the fullest potential of this technology. Because this technology would provide the most number of people access to information and communication protocols the internet holds, this is one prime concentration of such governments.

Now, the government of this country is planning to sponsor the largest wireless network it has ever sponsored. Yes, the largest ever since the word wireless had any substantial meaning for online gamers. Suffolk county, along with its over 1 million residents, would be enjoying wireless internet connectivity anywhere within the premises of 900-square mile territory. Not only that, but everything that is digital, electronic, and with accessing capabilities to internet would be then internet-capable through free wireless connectivity.

Government offices, public and private institutions, establishments, and groups would be given free access via this government-sponsored program. Thus, I believe this would start more and more locations of the world to force, literally force, their respective governments to provide them with free wireless net. Why such a need for this connectivity? Well, because it would further develop the electronic business and communications sector of the world, not to mention more affordable and efficient means for the people of the world to use information and communication technologies.

You might have this biased knowledge that WiFi Internet connections are only available to technologically advanced and updated metropolitans. Well, better dispose that thought since Iqaluit, located in the Island of Baffin, northern Canada, is now among the world's Arctic communities to establish a WiFi connection service for free.

As the capital of Nunavut Canada in 1999, Iqaluit is a frozen cold and far-off place that is only accessible through air or boat. David Fulgam, President of ComGuard CTS Ltd. was the person who set-up the WiFI access service called Free.Baffin.ca. According to Fulgham, the WiFi service they provided is the first wireless Internet service for their residential customers that are located on some of their infrastructure. With Free.Baffin, users were getting 384 Kilobits per second (Kbps) download speed. The speed, however, is not notably fast compared to usual WiFi net connection even if the connection speed is just enough for Web browsing and e-mail.

Today, the demand for Free.Baffin's service is remarkable high with 390 users for a total of 353 hours. While most of the patronization came from word of mouth, ComGuard said that they expect more increase in user rate now that they are advertising. Moreover, Free.Baffin is not the only Internet service provider in Iqaluit since there are others like Nunavut Broadband Development Corp that offers "non-WiFi" wireless access in some areas of Iqaluit.

Finally, after three years, Canada has successfully integrated WiFi in its rail system. Just imagine the many passengers onboard will have the opportunity to connect to the world wide web even while heading for their destinations. According to the news, the project is the first of its kind.

It is really the first onboard wireless fidelity. I have been going to Canada, but I have never ridden the train. I thought it is just the same as the trains in New York, but now that it is already WiFi enabled, I might as well try it for myself. Anyhow, back to the news. The plan will be available some time in July. By the way, the whole thing cost the Parsons Company a staggering ten million dollars, a relatively large investment, just for the maintenance of the services.

This will be a sure hit for business men like myself. Only, I find the structure of the car train a little bit annoying. The servers for the WiFi access are placed inside the train while the antennas or WiFi wireless routers are located on the roof. Setting aside the construction, I guess Parsons will make a lot of money from this project. If I were living in Canada, then I might as well leave my car in the garage and travel by train. I find it exciting to try the services of the rail company. There are various WiFi hot spots in the globe, but it is very rare that free wireless services are available in moving vehicles.

I think that next to businesses, schools are largely benefited with Wi-Fi. Just imagine how many students can access to the Internet using laptops while having presentations of reports right in the comfort of their classrooms. The possibilities are endless with Wi-Fi community present in school.

I am lucky to have been born in the age of modern technology. I also admit that I missed the opportunity to utilize WiFi for school projects. Just the same, right now, as a business man, I encourage parents and teachers to make their children use of wireless services. I do not mean to discourage them going to libraries, but let us face it, there are more in search engines than meets the eye. I mean, everything could be found in the Internet, and what more convenient research activity could be achieved than with the help of the fastest searcher.

I can confidently say that WiFi is a big help to schools because of the fact that Australia has already embraced the technology. Teachers have observed the keen interest of students in learning with the aid of WiFi. It is undoubtedly the best motivation for students to learn. Of course, adjustments have been made with regards to written reports and formats of presentations just like what is usually done with Microsoft Works software. The practice of having WiFi in campus makes young people aware of its complexities and benefits, thus making them more computer literate while being comfortable living with the technology.

My kind of work requires me to travel around the city or even abroad. I find it difficult to carry around all my things, especially my Sony laptop. I am left with no choice, but to stay in hotels. Mostly, my meetings with business partners are held in hotels. Exhausting as it may seem, I do not feel tired of going places and do business.

You may ask why I waste time going places when I can do my transactions via the Internet. I say, the difference of having wireless fidelity in the office and outside business parameters is almost unattainable since WiFi could be found almost anywhere in the world. I know this for a fact, since I had the chance to find WiFi in unexpected places.

One time, I checked-in at Century Hyatt hotel. To my surprise, the hotel accommodations did not only include meals, but WiFi as well. I was wrong thinking that only the United States hotels offer such privilege. In Japan, wireless fidelity in hotels are very rare. The New Otani hotel, for instance is among the best in Japan, and though business affairs regularly held there, it has no accommodations for wireless connection. The reason for this is that most hotels expect their customers to have Bluetooth capable phones or PDAs, which is why wireless fidelity is not extensively encouraged.

If you are a mobile worker who wishes to get internet access wherever you go, you may be wondering how you are going to build your own wi-fi hotspot. It's hardly a mystery, and it's not as difficult as you think. All you need to do is follow some important steps in choosing your coverage area, installing the antenna, and locking down your network for security.

Depending on how wide your hotspot coverage area is, you're getting the 802.11 signal to cover it. The 3Com OfficeConnect wireless cable/DSL gateway or the more versatile dual-band D-Link AirPro DI-764 may fill your range requirements if you were building a hotspot on small area. A wider coverage area that can reach up to a mile away entails you to attach a more sensitive antenna and establish a line-of-site connection between the access point and the hotspot location.

If you've considered all these options, installing the right type of antenna should be easy enough. However, there's a caveat: Using the wrong antenna can wreak havoc with other networks and hot spots in the area. You should also think about the security of your network, since if you don't use firewall protection, it might just be the next network to be infiltrated by system hackers.

WiFi technology is a revolutionary change as it transforms communities into a wireless one. It makes the life of the people more mobile. Many users have been dreaming to create their own hotspots so that they enjoy it fully. You can own a hotspot by downloading from software, but all is not free of charge.

Last March 28, 2hotspots.com announced that there will be sharing of service of WiFi to Microsoft PCs. This means that Microsoft Windows users can now enjoy the use of a hotspot controller by downloading it from the site. This software is for free and has many benefits for users. First, when you have a controller, even without the traditional service of internet, users can connect to the internet by creating a network community. Second, they can participate in forums and chats or in bulletin boards. Third, they can start a business by charging other users for the shared access in internet.

This is good news for MS Windows users. Now, you can have their own WiFi hotspot without using their money. You can enjoy it wherever you are: in home, in office, in school, or even in plane.

Busy people always find time for some rest and recreation. They go to exotic vacation spots to spend some time away from their busy careers and the hustle and bustle of the city life. But no matter what, they still need to communicate with their family and friends back home so they are likely to bring along their laptops with them.

According to a survey made by Intel Corporation, more and more Americans and Europeans choose vacation spots as to the availability of WiFi hotspots in their resorts or hotels. The availability of WiFi access in public places is the result of the need for people to communicate with their friends, relatives or business partners wherever they are in the world.

Travelers find the need to send email or instant messages to people back home that is why they choose to stay in resorts that can offer internet access, while for travelers who bring their own notebook computers with them they stay in resorts that have integrated technology into their amenities.

In the coming years, it is predicted that WiFi in vacation spots is going to become a big trend in communication technology. It is no wonder that hotels and resorts around the world are very apt to upgrade their systems to suit the needs of vacationers

Too tired of roaming around searching for wireless hotspot? Can't live without your laptop? Well, do bring your laptop anywhere you want. But, the question is, are you within the wireless hotspot's range?

What is hotspot all about? Commonly, a hotspot is a public area that suits and enables a wireless technology to have an access to the Internet. This is done by slipping NIC (Network Interface Card) through a wireless device. But, if you are having a hard time locating or hunting a wireless hotspot, there is a much easier way to do so.

FirstSpot v4, otherwise known as hotspot access controller or wireless getaway, is a Windows-based WiFi hotspot management software. It is specifically designed to help you secure a WiFi hotspot in such a centralized manner, which means saying goodbye to the usual hotspot chasing stints. By merely, logging in through a web browser, you are assured of a centralized hotspot since this software is based on captive portal technology. Other interesting features include self sign-up accounts with initial airtime credits which are configurable, smart info box that tells users about the sessions done like remaining access minutes, instant keywords which are also configurable, and SMTP roaming which means that the user need not alter Outlook SMTP setting when he wishes to send e-mail. There are still other features and services of this software that will surely bring your wireless network communication to its peak.

We have seen coffee shops revolutionize in a span of less than ten years. Before, we cannot even fathom going to a shop just to get ready-to-drink coffee because of course, we can always make our own at home. However, in the last few years, the coffee industry has boomed and we can see as proof the coffee shops that are everywhere and serve as a venue for selling ready-made coffee and other gourmet coffee products. Not only that, but these cafes have become the places where people can do what they love most: communicate.

Yes, communication is a concept that these little big-time shops have come to recognize as essential in this modern day and age, and as such, they have been trying to keep up with the advanced times. How? By simply integrating technology into their offerings, of course. I am not merely talking about the appliances and tools that they make in coffee. Most famous shops like Starbucks and San Francisco Coffee have made their turfs WiFi-enabled so that they can also encourage their tech-savvy customers to do their thing while having coffee. So, the next time you visit and chill at Starbucks, bring your laptop so you can still communicate to colleagues and friends while leisurely sipping latte.

Surfing the internet is among the favorite past times of many. But internet users are surely enjoying more with the development of WiFi technology. Wireless internet is the latest craze today. If in the past, internet access was limited due to the necessity of cable wires for connection, today, surfers could enjoy more internet freedom through WiFi technology. They could now gain web access anywhere they are.

Of course you need to fulfill certain basic requirements in order to avail this such as WiFi card and a connection to a base station. While there are good companies that charge a certain rate for WiFi service, there are also those that provide free internet connection. Settling for a good free wireless connection, of course, seems to be the more practical solution.

There are free WiFi hotspots scattered all over the country. All you need to do is to check the online directories and look for the one located nearest your home. Besides, another easy way to look for a free WiFi hotspot is by visiting public places such as airports, libraries, cafes, and others. Many of these places are now offering free connection to internet users.

WiFi hotspots are areas where you can access wireless Internet connections. Presently, WiFi hotspots are very limited and can only be found in the most urbanized areas of the developed countries. There are only14,034 WiFi hotspots around the world today.

The geographical distributions are as follows: North America 6,535; Europe 4,623; Asia 2318; South America 60; Africa 182; Australia/New Zeland 244. You can note that almost half of all WiFi hotspots can be found in North America. This is perhaps owed to the fact that North Americans are the wealthiest and have the most number of computers per capita.

It's easy to find a wi-fi hotspot wherever you are. If you're a frequent traveler and sometimes miss your WAP-enabled connection, then you should equip yourself with a wi-fi map so you will know where you can go whenever you need free internet access outside of your home.

At Wi-Fi Maps, all you need to do is input your city and state to get a wi-fi location. If you wish to get a list, you can enter your zip code. You may also choose the type of signal that your mobile handheld is allowed to use, from 802.11b to Bluetooth. Wherever you are in the US, a list of wi-fi hotspot can help you get online fast and free.

Wifi internet is the hottest technology today. Finally, there is a way to enjoy browsing the web without worrying about wire connections. You can work with your notebook anywhere inside or outside your home as long as you are connected to a base station.

Availing the technology can be a bit expensive since you need to pay a certain amount in order to gain internet access. But you can also get it for free in some places. There are directories online that provide a list of free wifi hotspots. Check one that is near your place.

You got wireless devices, you got wi-fi and you live in a wi-fi hotspot area. But there are gaps and places where signals don't come and your wireless gadgets seem to be dysfunctional. How do you remedy this?

You can use a wireless booster antenna. I set it up in my own media adapter and voila! I don't really live in a wi-fi hotspot but the signals have become so enhanced that I can go anywhere and my mobile phone and laptop don't experience interference or gaps. The same theory should apply to you. Wireless booster antennas are handy since they maximize the potential of your router or other wireless devices. Don't they sound like a better version of Bluetooth technology?

WiFi technology has not yet reached the level of accessibility comparable to standard cellular phones. WiFi access is mostly limited to urbanized public areas such as malls, airports and coffee shops. This restricts complete mobility of Internet users.

WiFi hotspots are usually free access, no fees are charged to the user. This is because utilizing WiFi hotspots also benefit the service provider. This is by boosting Internet traffic; individual computers are used as temporary hosts of the WiFi service provider. Individual computers connected to a wireless system may act as one whole powerful processor.