Free open WiFi on Tacoma-Washington train, courtesy WiFi hacker

Grok Headline matches for Free open WiFi on Tacoma-Washington train, courtesy WiFi hacker

Free WiFi planned for Washington Mall

Free WiFi planned for Washington Mall 04/28/2004 05:26 PM
CNN Apr 28 2004 9:36PM GMT

Hermosa Beach, California Launches Free
Citywide WiFi Service using advanced
WiFi-Plus obstruction penetrating
antennas.

Hermosa Beach, California Launches Free
Citywide WiFi Service using advanced
WiFi-Plus obstruction penetrating
antennas. 08/05/2004 03:39 AM
Los Angeles Beach Community WiFi service made possible by WiFi-Plus antennas. Makes internet available on the beach. [PRWEB Aug 5, 2004]

WiFi may tempt train travellers

WiFi may tempt train travellers 05/21/2004 08:31 AM

The Mighty Runaway WiFi Train

The Mighty Runaway WiFi Train 01/28/2003 06:43 PM
"Seemingly overnight, as many as 1 million Wi-Fi high-speed Internet access points have sprung up across the U.S., many centered at business establishments that rely on walk-in traffic. Though not heavily supported by advertising, these Wi-Fi networks have become a new high-tech tool in companies' marketing kits."

Washington State Gets WiFi On Ferries,
NYC Subways Still Radio Silent

Washington State Gets WiFi On Ferries,
NYC Subways Still Radio Silent 06/11/2004 09:40 AM

Oh, this is lovely. Washington state ferries will be WiFi-enabled by summer, thanks to a small Port Townsend firm Mobilisa. They are beaming a fat signal from ship to shore over 5GHz (Glenn Fleishman is guessing 802.11a), they distributing it freely, at least until the fall, when they'll start charging. Each of the first equipped ferry runs have crossing times of 30 minutes.
Read [SeattlePI via WiFiNetNews]

WiFi Free-For-All

WiFi Free-For-All 02/11/2004 01:23 AM

Here Comes More Free WiFi

Here Comes More Free WiFi 02/10/2004 02:41 AM
We've maintained in the past that there are two situations in which someone can charge for WiFi: (a) there is no reasonable chance of competition in that location, such that you have captive users or (b) you are offering up something special on top of the WiFi that people value (which could be convenience, security, reliability, etc.). When looking at case "a", this pretty much left only some hotels and airports for the time being - since they could cover enough ground to (somewhat) monopolize the WiFi offerings. However, the trend seems to be changing on that as well, as both hotels and airports are realizing there's a lot more benefit in offering WiFi for free than trying to charge for it. The prices were too high, and not too many people were using it. However, when they offer it for free, it attracts more customers to their locations. In other words, once again, it's the publicity factor that makes it worthwhile.

Review: WiFi Seeker / WiFi Spy

Review: WiFi Seeker / WiFi Spy 07/16/2004 04:50 PM
A few weeks ago I got Chrisalis Developemnt's WiFi Seeker, a convenient keychain-sized wireless network locator. Marware's recently announced WiFi Spy is a rebranded version of the same device, so it should perform identically.

To locate a wireless network simply press the button and watch the LEDs. When the lights stop sweeping back and forth, the number that remain lit will show the strength of the wireless signal. If the lights continue to sweep back and forth, you're not in range for any wireless network. Unlike other devices, the WiFi Seeker isn't fooled by other 2.5 GHz signals like microwave ovens or cordless phones, and it doesn't depend on 802.11 client activity to detect the access point. It detects both 802.11b and 802.11g.

Free WiFi coming to Best Western

Free WiFi coming to Best Western 01/24/2004 08:19 PM
Every Best Western hotel in the US, Canada and the Caribbean will have free open WiFi by Sept 1. Tell you what, I've got a new default choice for hotels when I travel. Let's start finding ways of holding conferences at BW's instead of high-ticket Hyatts and Marriotts with their craptacular $10/day WiFi.

"It's the No. 1 amenity requested by virtually everyone, especially businesspeople, said Tom Higgins, CEO and president of the Phoenix-based hotel chain. "High-speed Internet for free is going to be where it's at."

Link (via matthowie)

Kansai Int Airport Free WiFi

Kansai Int Airport Free WiFi 04/12/2004 02:17 AM
If any of you travel thru Kansai Int in Osaka be sure to sit near the window as you can...

Philly: Let Free WiFi Ring

Philly: Let Free WiFi Ring 09/01/2004 09:54 AM
CBS News Sep 1 2004 2:26PM GMT

Philly considers free WiFi for all

Philly considers free WiFi for all 09/01/2004 11:34 AM
Xeni Jardin: Patricio López says, "Let's hope this becomes the norm in a few years! For about $10 million, city officials believe they can turn all 135 square miles of Philadelphia into the world's largest wireless Internet hot spot." Link to news story

Hacking free WiFi at XML 2003

Hacking free WiFi at XML 2003 12/09/2003 06:10 AM
Ben Hammersley's at the XML 2003 conference, where the WiFi password costs $40. He and Bill Kearney and the other RSS-wonks in the room have interpreted the confernece organizers' charging for basic conference functionality as damage and are routing around it:

In answer to the long held question, can a TiBook with one Wifi card act as a repeater and relay access to everyone else in the room without them having to pay, the answer it turns out is yes. How do we do this? Well, first turn off the built-in Apache installation on the OSX machine that is online. Edit httpd.conf to load mod_proxy (there are about 20 or so lines to uncomment). Turn Apache back on. Go to network prefs, and find out your assigned IP address. Write it on a piece of paper, and pass it around the room, telling them to set it as their web proxy.

Li nk

Free WiFi Good For Business... But... It
Ain't Everything

Free WiFi Good For Business... But... It
Ain't Everything 08/03/2004 04:17 PM
Popular bread maker Panera is making some noise today talking about how wonderful their free WiFi offering is going, saying that it has improved business. They've found that it keeps customers in the stores longer -- especially during off-peak hours. Oddly, they don't say if it actually increased sales, which is the key. Panera's claims sound pretty similar to what Schlotzs ky's Deli had been saying about their free WiFi. Of course, some of Schlotz sky's numbers seemed a tad overhyped, such as the claim that 40% of customers choose Schlotzsky's because of the WiFi. The only way that really makes sense is if very few people are going to Schlotzsky's at all... and, oops, that might just be the case. Today the c hain declared bankruptcy. So, while free WiFi may be good for bringing in business, it's certainly not the be all, end all of being in business. You still need to sell some food and make some money.

Is free municipal wifi good?

Is free municipal wifi good? 09/02/2004 08:06 AM
Philadelphia is considering investing $10M to blanket 135 square miles with wifi coverage. Some people for whom I have the highest respect, and from whom I've learned a lot, I anticipate are going to denounce this. Their argument is that the government is exactly the wrong entity to make decisions best made by the market. Why? Because: Government agencies are ill-equipped to make technical decisions. Governments are corrupt. The incumbents have too much influence. Even if Philadelphia makes the right decision, it will lock the city into one technology that will be hard to displace. There is no such thing...

Free municipal WiFi in Jerusalem

Free municipal WiFi in Jerusalem 09/05/2004 11:56 PM
Xeni Jardin: Following up on last week's post about the city of Philadelphia considering free wireless 'net access for all, BoingBoing reader cyphunk says, "Pfff. Jerusalem (Israel) is already rolling out free wifi for the ENTIRE city -- starting with major commercial areas." Link to news story.

.Mac members get free 30-day WiFi trial

.Mac members get free 30-day WiFi trial 04/07/2005 10:40 AM
American .Mac members will receive a free 3-day trial of the T-Mobile HotSpot WiFi service. The trial launches June 29 and offers users full internet accessat HotSpot locations including Starbucks, FedEx Kinko's Office and Print Centers, Borders Books & Music, airports, Hyatt Hotels and Resorts, and select airline clubs and Red Roof Inn locations. Users also get 20 free iTunes tracks if they choose to subscribe to the HotSpot annual plan.

Free wifi at Babbas Lounge

Free wifi at Babbas Lounge 04/09/2004 04:11 PM
"A local favourite restaurant and bar, Babbas Lounge, is now offering free wifi. Babbas Lounge above Cedars Eatery at 81 University Ave. in Charlottetown. It is home to fine trivia on Sunday nights, and great music on most weekends.try the Chicken Shawarma. Thanks for the wifi!" (43 words - posted by steven) 3 replies

Free WiFi in Toms River, NJ

Free WiFi in Toms River, NJ 01/08/2004 08:45 PM
Free WiFi in Toms River, NJ from Wireless Freedom. Just go and buy a cup of Java at the Java Joint on Main Street.

Free WiFi in the National Mall

Free WiFi in the National Mall 04/29/2004 09:20 AM
Open Park is a community wireless group that is bringing free, open WiFi to the National Mall in DC, so that the next time you find yourself on the steps of the Supreme Court -- or wandering a Smithsonian building -- you can get online. Link (Thanks, Fred!)

Free mall WiFi on the rise

Free mall WiFi on the rise 04/30/2004 02:11 AM
Shopping malls across the US are adding free WiFi:

A very small number of the 1,130 malls in the United States have wireless access. But, she said, an increasing number are thinking of installing the capability.

For instance, Westfield America Trust said most of its 62 regional and super regional shopping centers will soon offer the service. Taubman, which owns or manages 31 malls, began offering Wi-Fi services yesterday at its The Shops at Willow Bend in Plano, Texas.

"If you look at malls in general, you are really seeing owners bring in things that allow for more people to come do a variety of things at the center," Duker said. "The mall has become more than a place to shop."

Link (via WiFiNetNews)

Open WiFi for plausible deniability

Open WiFi for plausible deniability 05/18/2004 04:11 PM
Micah Joel is running an open WiFi network in order to give himself plausible deniability for bad acts that can be traced to his IP address:

I've already composed my reply in case I receive one of these letters someday. "Dear Comcast, I am so sorry. I had no idea that copyrighted works were being downloaded via my IP address; I have a wireless router at home and it's possible that someone may have been using my connection at the time. I will do my best to secure this notoriously vulnerable technology, but I can make no guarantee that hackers will not exploit my network in the future."

If it ever comes down to a lawsuit, who can be certain that I was the offender? And can the victim of hacking be held responsible for the hacker's crimes? If that were the case, we'd all be liable for the Blaster worm's denial of service attacks against Microsoft last year.

Link

A few open wifi points in Charlottetown

A few open wifi points in Charlottetown 06/20/2004 02:30 PM
"Our friend Jevon MacDonald has posted a summary of some open wifi access points around Charlottetown: Cedars Eatery (81 University Ave.) The Formosa Tea House (186 Prince St.) Timothy's Coffee Shop (137B Kent St.) Mavors (downstairs, Confederation Center of the Arts) Atlantic Technology..." (41 words - posted by steven) no replies

Free WiFi influences 40% of Schlotskys's
customers

Free WiFi influences 40% of Schlotskys's
customers 02/18/2004 12:00 PM
Schlotzky's is a deli chain that gives away free WiFi -- they were among the first to do so, in a bold expeeriment at one of their flagship restaurants on the main drag in Austin, TX, after Starbucks set up shop directly across the street (Schlotsky's also took the incredibly canny step of renaming their coffee sizes Tall, Grande, and Venti and putting a starbusian combinatorial explosion of caffeine-delivery systems on the menu). The company has released new market research showing that free connectivity is a selection-factor for 40 percent of its customers.

Glenn writes,

I've met the CEO and the marketing director when I invited the CEO to speak at a panel I moderated at Wi-Fi Planet last year, and the most interesting aspect of the Wi-Fi is that they're not excited about the technology but its uses. There's a financial aspect to this, of course: the average purchase price of a Schlotzsky's customer is about $7.

But the CEO wasn't a geek; he liked seeing entire families or sports teams or groups of parents and kids come in and spent time using the high-speed connection. It's important to recall that a small but significant minority of Internet users have broadband; for the rest, Schlotzsky's offering is a profound (and free) pleasure.

Link (via WiFiNetNews)

Schlotzsky's Continues Their Free WiFi
Push

Schlotzsky's Continues Their Free WiFi
Push 02/18/2004 07:58 PM
Schlotzsky's has been the poster child for putting free WiFi access in their restaurants, and their latest announcement continues to support that decision, as they say they've found that 40% of their customers cite the free WiFi as a factor in deciding to go to Schlotzsky's to eat, while 6% say it was the key factor. While we've been a big fan of this model (offering free WiFi to get more customers), 40% sounds like an awfully large number. Considering the number of folks you see using free WiFi at many locations, even here in Silicon Valley, I'd be amazed if 40% of all customers at Schlotzsky's were aware of the WiFi, so I'm curious how they measured this. In the meantime, this program has clearly been a success for Schlotzsky's, and I'm surprised that other large chains haven't followed with similar plans. It seems that too many of the for-fee WiFi guys are running around telling these chains just how much direct revenue they're going to get by becoming an ISP, and neglecting all the potential indirect revenue from new guests (or guests who come during off-peak hours).

Free wifi spots in fort collins,
colorado

Free wifi spots in fort collins,
colorado 12/02/2003 10:20 PM
HELLO PEOPLE! First wifi spot: MY HOUSE. D-Link DI-614+ (22Mbps) BSSID: free net )( Location: Winfield Ct. Also: Go to Mugs, great food and coffee! I found a bunch of open WiFi's all up and down Constitution Ave. and im sure there is plenty more! bye for now.

Jocks & Jills announces FREE WIFI
ACCESS

Jocks & Jills announces FREE WIFI
ACCESS 04/09/2004 04:10 PM
Jocks & Jills, based in Atlanta, GA, has announced that all of the Sports Restaurants in the corporation now have FREE WIFI. The network is open for public use with the SSID being "JOCKS". They have the following locations in and around Atlanta: Midtown, CNN, Galleria, Brookhaven, Alpharetta, and Norcross.
Also, the Jocks & Jills in Charlotte, NC by the Colesium also has FREE WIFI.
Frankie's, owned and operated by Jocks & Jills, at the Prado shopping center is also offering FREE WIFI. For more location information go to www.jocks-frankies.com.

Free WiFi, VoIP at X-Prize launch on
Sept. 29

Free WiFi, VoIP at X-Prize launch on
Sept. 29 09/18/2004 01:15 PM
Xeni Jardin: So cool. BoingBoing reader Inder says,

I want to let boingboingers know that WanderPort will be providing a free wi-fi network at the launch of SpaceShipOne for the Ansari X-Prize in the Mojave Desert September 29th through to the second launch. If any bloggers are attending the launch and want to have a mac address pass-through to make sure they can file, just send us an email info@wanderport.com and we'll make sure they can get their blogs posted. We'll also be providing a few WISIP phones for free North America phone calls.

Link to Ansari X-Prize home.

T-Mobile offers free WiFi in Charley's
wake

T-Mobile offers free WiFi in Charley's
wake 08/14/2004 04:50 PM
In the wake of Hurricane Charley

Free WiFi at the Dana Street Roasting
Company

Free WiFi at the Dana Street Roasting
Company 01/12/2003 02:27 AM
This is too cool. One of the nearby links in my GeoURL neighborhood is for the free WiFi at the Dana Street Roasting Company. If I was a coffee drinker, I'd be all over that. As a blogger, I think...

Dayton, Ohio: Free City-Wide WiFi

Dayton, Ohio: Free City-Wide WiFi 04/04/2005 04:17 PM

Open WiFi connections still being
hijacked to send Spam

Open WiFi connections still being
hijacked to send Spam 09/07/2004 04:57 AM

Your doorbell rings you barely get to the door before the police are knocking your door in. They hand you a search warrant and seize all of your computer gear and haul you in for questioning. Imagine your horror when they start asking you why you have been sending kiddie porn from your Internet account.

If you are running your WiFi equipment unsecured you very well could have this happen to you. Spammers and Criminals are using non-secure WiFi to send spam and download illegal content. [Techdirt]

Free WiFi turns coffee-shack into
freelancer It Spot

Free WiFi turns coffee-shack into
freelancer It Spot 12/18/2003 10:31 AM
Interesting piece about a Dallas coffee-hut that added free WiFi and now finds itself playing host to a slew of Cheers-like regulars, freelance workers who hang out and use the shop as their office.

``You get all the colds ... you have to be able to work through loud noise, you have to be able to focus and tune out even more so than in an office,'' he said. ``Babies are one of the biggest hazards. The screaming child at the table next to you ... you don't get that at work.''

As a person who spends hours each day at a coffeehouse, Smith is always mindful of the fact that he is in someone else's place of business. He doesn't go behind the counter to help himself to a refill, even though he knows where everything is as well as any employee, and he always dresses nicely as if he were going into the office -- albeit a casual one.

Link (via WiFi NetNews)

WiFi Toys book -- free downloadable
preview chapter

WiFi Toys book -- free downloadable
preview chapter 07/21/2004 11:29 PM
Mike Outmesguine, tech guru and Southern Calilfornia Wireless Users Group cofounder, has a new book out called "Wi-Fi Toys." It's a compendium of hands-on projects involving "extreme wireless technology." There's great stuff in here. It's just broad enough to avoid intimidating non-geeks, but just geek enough so that the experiments will actually work. Mike says:

This book attempts to bring readers into the fray by teaching them, step-by-step, how to build fun, useful, and k001 projects using Wi-Fi. Thanks to Wiley Publishing, the entire first chapter is available for download as a non-DRM'd PDF file here. This chapter teaches the basics of Wi-Fi and shows you how to terminate a cable and choose a pigtail for any wireless project. Also, at the last SOCALWUG meeting, I gave a highly interactive (i.e. Comments/Questions/Answers) presentation about the book. Slides here, Video here, Meeting notes here. Link

Micah Joel is running an open WiFi
network in order to give himself
plausible deniability for bad acts that
can be traced to his IP address:

Micah Joel is running an open WiFi
network in order to give himself
plausible deniability for bad acts that
can be traced to his IP address: 05/19/2004 09:09 AM
open up their WiFi access to anyone close enough to use it .. improve your security .. Safe and insecure

salon.com/tech/feature/2004/05/18/safe_and_insecure/index.h tml
track this site | 6 links

Free WiFi Hotspot Roundup, If One Site
Can Be a Roundup

Free WiFi Hotspot Roundup, If One Site
Can Be a Roundup 04/13/2004 07:23 AM
JOEL JOHNSON -- So as is typical, after a full day of responses to my request for some of your favorite chain restaurants that provide free WiFi, I get one big, fat link that trumps them all, and includes all of your Schlotzsky's, Apple Stores, It's a Grinds, and New...

A little WiFi to go with your Big Mac

A little WiFi to go with your Big Mac 03/13/2003 10:20 AM
In a sign of the times I think McDonald's is going to score a home run in offering 1 hour...

Me and My Wifi

Me and My Wifi 04/13/2004 02:24 PM
My access point is in the house and the home office is a seperate building. Because my PowerBook casing and two solid walls interfere with my signal, I'm developing a weird relationship with my technology. I've tried the Pringles can,...

WiFi 4 U

WiFi 4 U 05/11/2004 12:41 AM

WiFi Against Bush

"Inspired by the web site, Bluetooth Users Against Bush, I decided to do the same thing with WiFi.

Here's what you do. Set the name of your wireless access point to 'WiFi Against Bush'. Now, when anyone in your immediate area, such as in your dorm or apartment complex, checks to see what networks are available, they will see your little 'bumper sticker.' It'll piss off Repubs and let other sane folks out there know that they are not alone." [Daily Kos, via Scripting News]

I point this one out to show how creative you can get with naming your library's wireless network. How about "libraries rule," "we answer questions, too", and "fall to your knees and worship a librarian."

Okay, so I'm kidding with that last one, but you get the point.

Grok Description matches for Free open WiFi on Tacoma-Washington train, courtesy WiFi hacker
GrokA matches for Free open WiFi on Tacoma-Washington train, courtesy WiFi hacker

Free open WiFi on Tacoma-Washington train, courtesy WiFi hacker

The following phrases have been identified by the grok system as matching this entry: