Where to Find the Growing Number of Free WiFi Hotspots

"... we think it's noticeable that one really good idea and team from a small IT consulting company can make such a splash in both the technology and mainstream press... WiFi is hot, not because it's the "next big thing," but because it appeals to everyone - business people, students, and anyone that wants to be connected everywhere they go. And it also shows that providing corporate sponsorship of a free wireless network really does being you a lot of attention... " article on NewburyOpen.net

Wi-Fi, also known as 802.11b, is a technology that allows the creation of wireless networks with a radius of approximately 300 feet.

Wi-FI IS the "next big thing".

Right now, there are just a small handful of chain cafes, restaurants, hotels and and a growing number of independent establishments with free wi-fi.

There are many businesses such as Starbucks, Barnes & Noble, and FedEx Kinko's who charge a set fee to customers who want to access the Internet via their Wi-Fi enabled laptop or via establishment provided appliances. These fees start at $4 and go up. Many of these businesses who charge are members of Boingo, which charges $9.95 for a day or $21.95 a month for unlimited access.

However, why pay for Wi-Fi access if you can avoid it, when there are a growing number of establishments, and even cities, who are offering it for free.

According to a December 9, 2005 USA Today article, "JiWire, a company that tracks Wi-Fi use, says Wi-Fi service is available at 32,000 US locations: 90% of them charge a fee."

"As the number of Wi-Fi hot spots grows, consumers will become less willing to pay for it.... we'll see more free Wi-Fi popping up, becoming a public utility like electicity and water."

"Stephen Staats, who runa a health care staffing firm, makes a point of visiting one of the Panera outlets when he's in Los Angeles. "I come here every day I'm in town because I love the free Wi-Fi," he says. "I have my own little office in a booth."

Directories and Web Sites with Free and Paid Wi-Fi Hotspot Listings:

Free Wi-Fi Spot USA listings by State, as well as Europe and rest of world.

Hotspot-locations.com

JiWire's Directory of 92,474 Wi-Fi hotspots in 115 countries Type in a city and this directory will list the Wi-Fi spots and identify those which are free. We found this source to be very good in locating independent free WiFi hot spots.

WiFi411 Searchable directory yielded over 1750 free wi-fi hotspots in US ... a good beginning!

Wififreespot.com "... will help you find all types of Free Wi-Fi locations. You'll find cafes, restaurants, coffeeshops, libraries, downtown business districts, malls, stores, laundramats, auto repair shops, RV parks, airports, Hotels, vacation rental properties, etc. that are open to guests, customers and/or the general public...."

Wi-FiHotspotList.com Bills itself as "is the leading resource for finding wireless access points around the world. Thousands of Wi-Fi HotSpot locations are listed and new sites are added daily."

Wifinder.com Lets you do a search on free wi-fi spots in a certain city, state or country. This seems to be a new and hopefully growing web site capable of searching on free and paid wi-fi spots throughout the world, but it miserably failed our test. Definitely needs someone doing some serious hand-entering of names in their database.

In addition to many independent cafes, public libraries, and even a growing number of cities, here are some chains of retail establishments who offer free Wi-Fi to their patrons.

Apple Computer Almost 50 retail stores throughout the US have free Wi-Fi.

Atlanta Bread Company Offers free Wi-Fi at a growing number of its locations.

Beaner's Gourmet Coffee Over 2 dozen locations in several states have free Wi-Fi via Arianet.

Bear Rock Cafe When you view the locations page for an area, cafes with Wi-FI display a Wi-Fi symbol.

Buffalo Wild Wings Grille and Bar Free Wi-Fi at over 80 locations throughout the US.

CompUSA Many stores have free Wi-Fi.

Daily Grind Free Wi-Fi in many of 54... and growing... locations throughout US.

Diedrich Coffee offers free Wi-Fi in 20+ southern California locations.

Dunn Brothers Coffee offers free Wi-Fi at their growing number of locations via SurfThing Network

EZ Lube offers free Wi-Fi at many of its southern California shops.

Fox & Hound and Bailey's Pub Free Wi-Fi at over 40 locations. "Now at select Fox & Hound and Bailey's locations, we are offering high-speed, wireless internat access, free of charge!"

Krystal Restaurants. "... all 243 of Krystal's company-owned restaurants... official "Krystal HotSpots," offering free Wi-Fi Internet access to guests. Many of Krystal's 180-plus franchise-operated locations also now offer the convenience of ... Wi-Fi access, with more to come."

Jocks & Jills Sports Grille and Frankie's Several Atlanta locations. Free Wi-Fi.

McDonalds Offers(ed?) free Wi-Fi in certain locations in Houston TX, Louisiana, Mississippi and Alabama through the end of 2005 due to Katrina. They are also offering free wireless gaming to Nintendo DS owners at select locations.

Old Chicago Free Wi-Fi in at least some locations.... Minneapolis, for sure.

Panera Bread a bakery cafe chain offers free Wi-Fi at 700+ locations throughout US. We love dining at Panera, with it's excellent breads, salads and sandwiches at a really affordable price. The addition of Wi-Fi has contributed greatly to the already excellent "ambiance". Once, when we were in a hurry and had to make an emergency Paypal transfer of funds to a friend, we did it from the Panera parking lot in Johnson City TN! Thank you, Panera!

Port Java City Free Wi-Fi at designated locations.

Schlotsky's Deli Offers free Wi-Fi in 30+ company owned delis throughout the US. The network is open to users of the in-store terminals, anyone who comes in with an 802.11b-enabled device, or anyone in range of the signal. In fact, a residence hall at the University of Texas only a half a block from one Schlotzsky's Deli location is taking advantage of the wireless access. Their website reads: "Need to get some work done, but keep getting interrupted at work? Want to check email and grab some great food in between meetings? Schlotzsky's™ Cool Cloud™ wireless network and Cool Deli™ Computer Stations mean visitors to our restaurants can now connect to the Internet for free. Cool Cloud wireless network users can use their own computer and wireless Internet access card to get connected while others can simply sit down at Cool Deli™ stations to jump online and check email or surf the web."

Yours Truly Restaurants, Ohio Free Wi-FI in all 7 restaurants.

Hotels

Typically, free Wi-Fi at hotels is for patrons only.

Adams Mark (Connected Hotels)
Best Western (Connected Hotels)
Comfort Suites (Connected Hotels Web Amenity)
Hampton Inn (Connected Hotels)
Holiday Inn (Connected Hotels, Surfthing)
Homestead Suites
Hilton Garden Inn (Connected Hotels)
Omni Hotels

Nintendo is helping "WiFi the World"!

"The groundbreaking (and free!) wireless gaming network.... There's always someone ready to play. Ready to take on the world? With Nintendo Wi-Fi Connection, you can connect and play with Nintendo DS players across the globe. It's simple to use and free - no hidden service fees, no extra equipment necessary. All you need is a Nintendo DS and a Wi-Fi-ready game. We're working on new game titles and Wi-Fi versions of your favorite Nintendo classics, so there'll be no end to the Wi-Fi fun!! Play over your home wireless network using just about any wireless router or if you're on the go, head to one of thousands of free Nintendo Wi-Fi Connection partner hotspots to connect and play...."

Find a friend. Meet new challengers. Play wirelessly for free.

More than 6000 partner hotspots across the U.S. and Canada now offer FREE Nintendo Wi-Fi Connection connectivity — no subscriptions, no service fees, just pure gaming fun!

Find a free Nintendo Wi-Fi Connection partner hotspot near you.

Short list of smart cities with free Wi-Fi in certain sections or zones of downtown.

California: Long Beach, Hermosa Beach, Culver City via Wireless Hotspot

Georgia: Atlanta ThirdWave Hotspot provides free Wi-Fi Internet Access to Atlanta. In over 70 establishments and growing

Iowa: Ames, Des Moines, Webster City via 1SpotAccess "The concept is simple.  Identify public locations where people congregate, offer FREE wireless Internet access and other "Rewards" to an expanding base of registered users and attract advertisers to cover the ongoing costs of operating the Midwest's largest "FREE Customer Access" Wireless Hotspot Network"!

Louisiana: New Orleans Starting in the French Quarter and the Central Business District in November 2005 as a means of reviving the city's economy, free Wi-Fi should be available citywide in a year.

Massachusetts: Boston Free Wi-Fi on Newbury Street via NewburyOpen.net "...is a movement that promotes the use of free WiFi for public access and social justice in Boston and throughout the nation. As Boston's largest free WiFi Community, NewburyOpen.net strives to set an example of how local businesses, residents, and community members can work with innovative wireless technology to provide high-speed Internet access to everyone, regardless of social status or physical location."

Nebraska: Grand Island, Lincoln (Coming Soon), Omaha via 1SpotAccess (see Iowa)

Ohio: Cleveland

Pennsylvania: Philadelphia is building a Wi-Fi system for entire city.

Texas: Austin via AustinWirelessProject. Here's a list of Texas Free Hotspots.

Washington: Spokane

Paid Wi-Fi Services

At this time, about 90% of the Wi-Fi connectivity is paid. Here is the cheapest way to connect with many of those who are paid.

Boingo Wireless "... a WiFi Network that has mobile wireless hotspots in the places you care about most - with more hotels and airports than any other WiFi Hotspot network.... - with broadband speeds 100s of times faster than dial-up.... making the connection is fast with BOINGO's free "One Click Connect" software". Subscriptions $21.95 a month for unlimited use and $9.95 for one day's use. Searchable directory of 20,000 Boingo Hotspots