WiFi Week: Getting Online in the US
5/05/2008 at 9:45 AM
Tags: WiFi Week, WiFi, Free WiFi, Travel Tech (all tags)
It's WiFi Week, which means we're investigating the state of wireless internet on the road. Today, getting online in the US.
It's a good time to be a laptop-carrying Internet junkie. If you can't get online in America, you're clearing not trying very hard.
At the start and end of your trip, you'll have no trouble getting online at the airport, even if you end up paying for the privledge. And of course coffee shops and cafes have WiFi. Tons of other restaurants and even gas stations throw out free signals these days.
But you don't even have to rely on other people for your signal. With aircards and BlackBerries so ubiquitous, you might not even need to hunt down a hotspot. And isn't that a relief? A run-down of all your domestic connection options is just a click away.
Cafes and Restaurants Yes, we're online, like, all the time, but you aren't likely to find us working from the local coffee shop. It's way too cliche, and we'd rather actually enjoy our americano. But we can't deny that coffee shops are still the go-to for WiFi in the US. Just remember that if you're using the place as your office--as opposed to just hopping on the web for a few minutes--you should be buying stuff every 90 minutes or so.
You'll also have luck jumping online at places you might not expect. We once rolled into a Country Kitchen to use the WiFi, and we've also found gracious hosts at Panera Bread and Cosi. While you might expect chain restaurants to be sticklers about "using up" their wireless, we've found that these types of places love when people take advantage of the free internet--as long as you aren't doing it during the lunch-time rush.
Airports As you probably know, we've got an extensive map of airports with free WiFi. If you don't see your airport on it, that's probably because it charges for internet, not because it doesn't have it. Yep, airports in the US are finally keeping up with the times, and you should be able to get a WiFi signal just about anywhere.
The standard day rate is $8, though you'll see all sorts of wild pricing schemes. The good news about paying to get online is that once you've entered your credit card info, the signal is strong and reliable. We can't say the same is always true at airports that offer free access. Oh, and do be aware that some airports censor the internet.
Buses We can't guarantee you'll be able to connect when riding on BoltBus, DC2NY or LimoLiner. Reports of outages and techinical problems abound, but these Eastern Seaboard bus lines advertise free WiFi and sometimes deliver. Don't bank on being able to blog your way up the coast, but if you've got some extra surfing to do, you might get it done during your bus ride.
Rental Cars We were thrilled when Avis announced its "Internet Anywhere" service in 2007. They still offer the mobile hotspot out of select airports. It's $11 a day, which is probably less than your hotel is charging.
BlackBerry Hacks If you wanna get technical, this isn't really WiFi, as it's internet delivered through your phone. But we've used our BB to connect to the Internet in more airports than we'd care to mention. Using our phone's Bluetooth and Cingular's EDGE network, we can link our computer to the web.
Here's how it works. Download a modem script from the web before you set out. (One for the BB Pearl is here. Find others by Googling "BlackBerry Modem Script.") Tinker with your computer's settings using the online instructions and you'll soon have your laptop set up to jump online via your phone. The connection isn't super fast, but it's better than nothing.
Aircards You really have to be a WiFi junkie to justify an aircard, a gizmo that plugs into your computer and lets you browse via a cellular broadband connection. The benefit is that you can get online just about anywhere. The downside, of course, is that you have to sign up for a pricey service contract. Still, if surfing the web is mission critical, it might be worth it. You can also try out an aircard by renting one from RovAir.
Related Stories:
· WiFi coverage [Jaunted]
[Photo: shapeshift]
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