Public WiFi

WiFi, or Wireless Fidelity, officially doesn't mean anything. Truth is, the term was actually a play on the old audio recording term "High Fidelity" or "Hi-Fi". Later on, "Wi-Fi" was coined by a brand consulting firm called Interbrand Corporation. According to Wikipedia, this firm was hired by the WiFi Alliance to find a name that was "a little catchier than 'IEEE 802.11b Direct Sequence'." Hmm...doesn't sound like a very hard thing to do!

You're undoubtedly aware how integral the Web has become in our every day lives. Getting connected to the Internet used to be considered a privilege, but it is now thought by most to be a birthright. The Internet, and Web access in general, is getting more pervasive every single day. Wi-Fi plays a big role because it is this technology that unchains us from the computer at our desk and allows us to go 'mobile,' connecting wirelessly whenever we are near a venue of WiFi connectivity, called a "hotspot" or in an internet-sharing wide area network known as a "hot zone." With the ongoing rise of WiFi in our society, the public can use any WiFi-ready portable device to access a wireless connection. According to Wikipedia, of the estimated 150 million laptops, 14 million PDAs, and other emerging Wi-Fi devices sold each year over the past several years, most are already Wi-Fi-ready and capable.

The Two Most Important Questions of WiFi: 'Where?' and 'How Much?'

You can usually find hotspots in airports, coffee shops and cafes, restaurants, libraries, hotels, hospitals, train stations, military bases, bookstores, gas stations, department stores, supermarkets, RV parks and campgrounds among other public places, not to mention many universities and schools. WiFi availability is expanding more and more each day; even wireless networks that cover entire cities, such as municipal broadband have started to emerge and over 300 metropolitan projects have already been started. Hotspots can either be free or commercial. Free Wi-Fi hotspots are most commonly created by using an open public network, and all they require is a Wi-Fi router. The disadvantage of such an offering is that access to the router cannot be controlled. In another type of free system, a HotSpot Management System controls the HotSpot on closed public networks. This software runs on either the router or an external computer which then allows a system operator to provide only specific users with Internet access, and to associate the free access to a menu or to a purchase limit. The other--and increasingly less-popular --WiFi choice is a commercial hotspot. As its name implies, a commercial hotspot provides access for a fee, and may feature:

* A captive portal that users are redirected to for authentication and payment

* A payment option using credit card, PayPal, BOZII, iPass, or other payment service

* A walled garden feature that allows free access to certain sites

What's the Incentive to Provide Free WiFi?

The ability of venues such as commercial businesses, hotels, and coffee shops to entice new customers with free Wi-Fi is a compelling value-added service that is shown to increase business. While true that the venue offering free WiFi pays for the installation and maintenance of the WiFi connectivity infrastructure, it is anticipated that revenue opportunities from increased business exposure will more than cover the costs in the long run. This, in turn, has resulted in more and more public venues offering free WiFi for its customers. These days, free and commercial hotspots are readily available and can be located through a variety of websites such as JiWire, Free-hotspot.com or FreePublicWiFiLocator.zoxic.com [http://freepublicwifilocator.zoxic.com]

The spread of Wi-Fi access across the globe and in your community represents a new age in connected communication. Free Public WiFi access is ubiquitous and, if you plan your trip ahead of time, you should have almost no difficulty in finding hotspots or hotzones to get you online and connected.