Updated December 19, 2003 -- Addicted to the Internet? Don't worry. It's understandable. When I'm on vacations, I use the Net to book hotels, look for restaurants, answer e-mail and check the news. My wife likes to update her blog from the road.
Since we last printed a column on this topic in May, we've been turned on to several excellent sources for finding free Wi-Fi access -- high-speed, wireless Internet access that you can tap into with a properly equipped laptop or handheld computer.
The WiFiFreeSpot Web site is devoted to just that -- explaining where you can get free WiFi in all 50 states. Their list is heavy on independent coffee shops, many of which have decided to compete against Starbucks' for-pay WiFi by offering their own Net connections gratis. Find your city, print out the list, and surf with an independently-brewed cappuccino at your left hand.
JiWire lists thousands of both free and for-pay hotspots in the US, and a few dozen abroad. Naturally, JiWire has some spots that WiFiFreeSpot is missing, and vice versa. In Illinois, for instance, only WiFiFreeSpot lists the free wireless at the Talbot Hotel in Chicago, while only JiWire seems to know about the hotspot at the Panera Bread restaurant in Belleville.
Two other good places to start finding a wireless network are www.nodedb.com/unitedstates and www.personaltelco.net/index.cgi/WirelessCommunities. The NodeDB site's pages usually give contact information or instructions on how to log on to each node. Many of the community pages on the Personal Telco list are utterly unhelpful when it comes to telling you where the nodes are and how to log on, but a few reveal nodes that aren't on the NodeDB list -- for instance, two free wireless nodes in Lincoln, NE.
Remember, these networks aren't encrypted, so hackers in the area will be able to read the data you're transmitting. If you're doing business through the free wireless networks, use a corporate Virtual Private Network (VPN) system to encrypt your data.
Sleeping With the Internet
Brent Baker, creator of PluggedInns.com wrote in to tell us about his online search engine for hotels with high speed Internet access. While it doesn't list which hotels offer free access (most hotels charge $10 a day for the privilege), it provides a good starting point so you can know where you'll be able to get online.
One reliable hotel chain with free wireless is Wingate Inn (www.wingateinns.com). While many hotels around the country offer high-speed, wired Internet access, Wingate is probably the cheapest chain to do so, with rates as low as $69. Even better, unlimited use of the high-speed line is free (bring your own Ethernet cable.) An upscale motel brand much like Holiday Inn Express, Wingate Inns can be found in 33 states, often in suburban areas and smaller cities.
For travelers to New York, we've been recommending the Apple Core hotel chain, which offers free wi-fi in all of its low-cost rooms. (You'll need to have your own Wi-Fi-equipped laptop.)
Apple Core runs the La Quinta Manhattan, the Red Roof Inn Manhattan, the Ramada Inn Eastside, the Comfort Inn Midtown, and the Super 8 Hotel Times Square. Their prices start at $89/night for a room at the La Quinta, which is a terrific rate for a well-kept hotel on a midtown Manhattan street full of character. Find out more or book at www.applecorehotels.com.
The La Quinta is on West 32nd Street, in Manhattan's Little Korea. Make sure to stop in at Mandoo at 2 West 32nd for tasty Korean dumplings in a spotless, modern atmosphere. The hotel is also two blocks from Macy's.