This article appeared in the August 2005 issue of Web Host Industry Review magazine. Click here to subscribe for free.
September 13, 2005 -- (WEB HOST INDUSTRY REVIEW) -- It's already well understood that the Internet is everywhere – we refer, after all, to the World Wide Web. But wireless networking technology added a new sort of ubiquity to the Internet, making it accessible in a new, and even more pervasive way. Now, the network really is everywhere, as wireless routers project their invisible signals from even the most unassuming spots.
The development and proliferation of wireless hot spots means that a traveling worker with a wi-fi-capable laptop, or other device, is rarely more than a few blocks from tapping into an available network.
Companies providing commercial hot spots cater to those traveling types, setting up connecting points at airports, hotels and cafes around the world – and countless stores, restaurants and other services have set up their own independent networks, often allowing access for free.
Subscriber Services
Dozens of commercial wi-fi service providers like T-Mobile and Boingo have set up thousands of hot spots around the globe, making it easy for travelers to stay connected.
With a password-protected subscription service, T-Mobile has placed a network of 16,690 T1-supported wireless hot spots – 5,779 of them in the US – at locations belonging to its partners. The company offers a pay-as-you-go rate, as well as a $9.99 day pass, a $39.99 monthly subscription and a yearly pass.
A T-Mobile subscription allows a user to connect to hot spots at Starbucks coffee shops, Borders book stores, FedEx Kinko's office shops, a variety of airports and the airline clubs of Delta, United and American airlines, as well as hotel chains including Hyatt, Marriott, Hilton, Ritz-Carlton, Doubletree and Renaissance.
Boingo provides a similar service, offering a $9.95 24-hour connection and a monthly plan starting at $21.95, as well as a range of business plans. Boingo offers a worldwide network of 18,000 hot spots through partnerships with many of the same hotels and airports as T-Mobile. The company also works with carriers and ISPs to provide branded hot spots – and deals with individual locations to help them set up hot spots on site.
In July, Boingo partnered with voice over IP carrier Skype to create locations called "Skype Zones," which enable subscribers to make VoIP connections through Boingo hot spots. For a monthly rate of $8, customers gain unlimited access for Skype calls through the Boingo service. This, and a previous arrangement with Vonage are apparently part of a far-reaching Boingo VoIP strategy.
Finding the Hot Spot
Whether you're a customer of a commercial service or you seek out freely available networks, a nearby hot spot may be closer than you think. Of course, subscription services like Boingo and T-Mobile map out their own locations, but there are several independent online search tools that enable visitors to locate nearby hot spots of both the commercial and free variety.
Internet.com's Wi-FiHotSpotList.com (wi-fihotspotlist.com) contains an index of wireless hot spots around the world that can be browsed by region, or using a search function. The tool displays hot spots by name, address and provider type.
CNET.com also offers a searchable and browsable database, called the HotSpot Zone (cnet.jiwire.com), which indexes wireless hot spots around the world, including more than 21,000 in the US and more than 7,000 in the UK.
These online services allow hot spot operators to submit their own details, meaning even the free network at the mom-and-pop coffee shop around the corner may be listed.
